[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78226-78227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31519]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA081


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for scientific research permits; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received applications for 
scientific research from Thomas R. Payne and Associates (TRPA) in 
Arcata, CA (15542), the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) in 
Willows, CA (15573), the University of California at Davis (UC-Davis) 
in Davis, CA (15926), and Natural Resource Scientists, Incorporated 
(NRSI) in Red Bluff, CA (16083). These permits would affect the 
Federally endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon and the 
threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon Evolutionarily 
Significant Units (ESUs), the Federally threatened Central Valley 
steelhead Distinct Population Segment (DPS), and the Federally 
threatened southern DPS of North American green sturgeon (southern DPS 
green sturgeon). This document serves to notify the public of the 
availability of the permit applications for review and comment.

DATES: Written comments on the permit applications must be received no 
later than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 14, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted by e-mail must be sent to the following 
address; [email protected]. The applications and related documents 
are available for review by appointment, for permits: Protected 
Resources Division, NMFS, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 
95814 (ph: 916-930-3606, fax: 916-930-3629).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Witalis at phone number 916-
930-3606 or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (ESA), is based on 
a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) Are applied for in good 
faith; (2) 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. Authority to 
take listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits. 
Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are subject 
to the ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife 
permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    Those individuals 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). The holding of such a 
hearing is at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and opinions contained in the permit 
action summaries are those of the applicant and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

    This notice is relevant to Federally-listed endangered Sacramento 
River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) ESU, 
threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) 
ESU, threatened Central Valley steelhead (O. mykiss) DPS, and 
threatened southern DPS of North American green sturgeon (Acipenser 
medirostris).

Applications Received

    TRPA requests a 10-year permit (15542) for take of juvenile and 
adult Central Valley steelhead while conducting fish monitoring surveys 
in lower Putah Creek, a tributary in the Sacramento River basin, 
California. The surveys are conducted under the auspices of the Lower 
Putah Creek Coordinating Committee (LPCCC) to monitor the annual 
fluctuations in the abundance, distribution, condition, and health of 
fishes in lower Putah Creek, and determine if flow management actions 
by the LPCCC are attaining desired goals. TRPA anticipates an annual 
non-lethal take of 200 juvenile (with an estimated total of 2 percent 
non-intentional mortality) and 2 adult steelhead. TRPA proposes to 
capture fish by boat electrofisher and dipnet; sample fish for species 
identification, tags, marks and finclips, lengths and weights; and 
release fish back into Putah Creek.
    GCID requests a 5-year permit (15573) for monitoring activities 
associated with juvenile Sacramento River winter-run and Central Valley 
spring-run Chinook salmon, and Central Valley steelhead emigration on 
the Sacramento River at the GCID fish screen bypass channel

[[Page 78227]]

(river mile 206). Rotary screw-trap (RST) operations have been on-going 
at the GCID fish screen by the State of California from 1991 through 
2009. GCID proposes continuous monitoring operations by RST, and the 
capture, identification and enumeration of fish to species. A subsample 
of 30 captured salmon will be anesthetized, measured, revived and 
released downstream from the trapping location. GCID anticipates an 
annual non-lethal take of up to 4,000 natural and 500 hatchery juvenile 
winter-run Chinook salmon (with an estimated 1 percent non-intentional 
mortality), 1,000 natural and 500 hatchery juvenile spring-run Chinook 
salmon (with an estimated 1 percent non-intentional mortality), 500 
natural and 500 hatchery juvenile steelhead (with an estimated 1 
percent non-intentional mortality), and 50 natural juvenile southern 
DPS green sturgeon (including an estimated .02 percent non-intentional 
mortality).
    The University of California at Davis (UCD) requests a five-year 
permit (15926) for the possession and genotyping (single nucleotide 
polymorphism (SNP) analyses) of Sacramento River winter-run and Central 
Valley spring-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead tissues 
currently maintained in the California Department of Fish and Game 
Salmonid Tissue Archive and those to be collected in future non-lethal 
agency and research trapping activities. UCD anticipates possession of 
natural and hatchery-origin fish tissues representative of salmonid 
populations throughout the Central Valley, California. The results of 
this study will contribute to the genetic management and hatchery 
operations regarding Chinook salmon and steelhead reintroductions to 
the upper San Joaquin River system, with a focus on potential natural 
recolonization and effective population size of spring-run populations 
and a broad genetic diversity assessment.
    The Natural Resource Scientists, Incorporated (NRSI) requests a 2-
year permit (16083) for take of juvenile Sacramento River winter-run 
Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, Central 
Valley steelhead, and southern DPS of green sturgeon while conducting 
site-specific research at five irrigation diversion outfall sites 
within the Sacramento River and Delta system, California. Entrained 
fish will be collected via fyke net, and sampled from March through 
January of each year to encompass the primary irrigation season. The 
research is part of an on-going investigation into developing criteria 
for prioritizing fish screening projects, and will correlate fish 
entrainment with the physical, hydraulic, and habitat variables at each 
diversion site. All fish will be identified as to species, enumerated, 
measured for length, and placed back into the canals; all entrained 
fish captured live will be returned to the river. Sampling at each 
diversion site will be performed continuously from March 1 through 
January 31 during the study period. NRSI requests authorization for an 
estimated annual non-lethal take of 1,227 juvenile winter-run Chinook 
salmon,1,341 juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon, 150 juvenile 
steelhead, and 145 juvenile green sturgeon. No indirect mortality is 
anticipated during fish capture and sampling activities carried out for 
the study.

    Dated: December 9, 2010.
Therese Conant,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-31519 Filed 12-14-10; 8:45 am]
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