[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76400-76401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30908]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA071


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Applications for two new scientific research permits.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received two scientific 
research permit application requests relating to salmonids listed under 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed research is intended to 
increase knowledge of the species and to help guide management and 
conservation efforts.

DATES: Written comments on the permit applications must be received at 
the appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 
p.m. Pacific standard time on January 7, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on these applications should be submitted 
to the Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 315, 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Comments may also be submitted via fax to (707) 
578-3435 or by e-mail to [email protected]. The applications and 
related documents may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm. These documents are also 
available upon written request or by appointment by contacting NMFS by 
phone (707) 575-6097 or fax (707) 578-3435.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Jahn, Santa Rosa, CA (ph.: 
707-575-6097, e-mail: [email protected]). Permit application 
instructions are available from the address above, or online at 
apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    This notice is relevant to Federally threatened California Coastal 
(CC) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), endangered Central 
California Coast (CCC) Coho salmon (O. kisutch), and threatened CCC 
steelhead (O. mykiss).

Authority

    Scientific research permits are issued in accordance with section 
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) and regulations 
governing listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 222-226). NMFS 
issues permits based on findings that such permits: (1) Are applied for 
in good faith; (2) if granted and exercised, would not operate to the 
disadvantage of the listed species which are the subject of the 
permits; and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set 
forth in section 2 of the ESA. The authority to take listed species is 
subject to conditions set forth in the permits.
    Anyone requesting a hearing on an application listed in this notice 
should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that application 
would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). Such hearings are held at the 
discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS.

Applications Received

Permit 14513

    Dr. Stephanie Carlson, University of California at Berkeley, is 
requesting a 5-year permit to take adult and juvenile CC Chinook 
salmon, CCC coho salmon, and CCC steelhead associated with four 
research projects in two watersheds in central California. In the four 
studies described below, researchers do not expect to kill any listed 
fish but a small number may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities. However, a low number of moribund CCC steelhead may be 
collected for analysis as part of Project 3, in Pescadero Lagoon.
    Project 1 is a study on the summer ecology of juvenile salmonids in 
streams of the Lagunitas Creek (Marin County) and Pescadero Creek (San 
Mateo County) watersheds. The study will examine the variation in 
growth and survival of juvenile CCC coho salmon and CCC steelhead 
rearing in streams that experience elevated water temperatures and low 
stream flow volumes in summer. Annually, Dr. Carlson proposes to 
capture (backpack electrofisher, seine, dip-net), handle (identify, 
measure and weigh), mark (fin-clips, passive integrated transponder 
(PIT) tag), sample (scale collection), and release fish. Movements of 
PIT-tagged fish will be monitored throughout the summer using hand held 
and stationary PIT-tag readers. In September and October, the study 
areas will be re-sampled using the same methods as described above. 
Fish will be scanned for PIT-tags and those recaptured will be re-
weighed and measured to determine growth rates. Throughout winter, fish 
will be monitored for their movements using hand held and stationary 
PIT-tag readers. Data gathered from this study will provide information 
on fish growth and survival rates and how these relate to abiotic and 
biotic variables within the watersheds.
    Project 2 is a biotelemetry study of smolt migrations in the 
Lagunitas Creek and Pescadero Creek watersheds. In the Lagunitas Creek 
watershed, smolts will be captured in down migrant traps operated by 
the National Park Service (Permit 1046) and the Marin Municipal Water 
District (Permit 1047). In the Pescadero Creek Watershed, Dr. Carlson 
proposes to capture (fyke net, seine) CCC coho salmon and CCC steelhead 
smolts. In both study areas, Dr. Carlson proposes to anesthetize a 
subset of captured fish and implant acoustic tags in order to determine 
salmonid residence time and movements throughout the two estuary 
environments. Strategically placed acoustic receivers will track the 
movements of the tagged salmonids in each system. Data collected from 
tagged fish in these systems will be used to determine differences in 
survival between permanently-open versus seasonally-closed estuaries 
and the significance of estuary rearing on the timing of ocean entry.
    Project 3 is a study on the ecology of juvenile salmonids in 
Tomales Bay, and Pescadero Lagoon and their overall dependence on 
estuarine resources based on an analysis of diet and fish growth. In 
the two estuaries, Dr. Carlson proposes to capture (hook-and-line, 
seine), handle (identify, measure, weigh), sample (fin-clip, scale 
collection, gastric lavage), and release smolts. In Pescadero Lagoon, a 
subset of fish will be implanted with PIT tags. Adults that are 
captured will be handled (identified, measured), sampled (scale

[[Page 76401]]

collection) and released. The data gathered from this project, in 
addition to Project 2, will provide information on the ecology of 
juvenile salmonids in estuarine environments, their feeding habits, and 
how they differ between systems with permanently-open (Tomales Bay) 
versus seasonally-closed (Pescadero Creek lagoon) estuaries/lagoons.
    Project 4 examines smolt production in the Lagunitas Creek 
watershed by analyzing collected otoliths to determine where smolts 
that survived to breed as adults reared as juveniles. The otoliths will 
be obtained from carcasses encountered during annual spawner surveys 
conducted by the National Park Service and Marin Municipal Water 
District. Dr. Carlson proposes to conduct additional surveys in order 
to augment the otolith collection. The results of this project could 
provide important information on the habitat attributes associated with 
high productivity areas and could help identify areas of poor 
productivity that might be candidate sites for habitat restoration.

Permit 15548

    Thomas R. Payne and Associates is seeking a ten-year permit to take 
listed adult and juvenile CCC steelhead while collecting biological 
data. The purpose of the research is to monitor the distribution, 
relative abundance and diversity, the condition and general health of 
fish populations and to describe the existing habitat conditions of 
Suisun Creek, Green Valley Creek, and Ledgewood Creek in Solano County 
and Napa County, California. The research would benefit CCC steelhead 
by producing data to support development of the Solano Habitat 
Conservation Plan under development as a requirement of a March 1999 
biological opinion for the Solano Project Water Service Contract 
Renewal issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Monitoring 
activities will take place between July and October at multiple sites 
in the three creeks using a backpack electrofisher to stun and net 
fish. Captured fish will be anesthetized prior to handling and then 
identified, counted, measured, weighed, and released. The researchers 
do not intend to kill any captured fish but a small number may die as 
an unintended result of the research activities.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS 
will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments 
submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements 
of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit 
decisions will not be made until after the end of the 30-day comment 
period. NMFS will publish notice of its final action in the Federal 
Register.

    Dated: December 2, 2010.
Therese Conant,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-30908 Filed 12-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P