[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 20 (Monday, January 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5339-5340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2064]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA182


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of a permit application; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received an application 
for a permit to conduct research for scientific purposes from 
Stillwater Sciences (Stillwater) in Arcata, California. The requested 
permit would affect the endangered Southern California (SC) Distinct 
Population Segment (DPS) of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The public 
is hereby notified of the availability of the permit application for 
review and comment before NMFS either approves or disapproves the 
application.

DATES: Written comments on the permit application must be received at 
the appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) on or before 
March 2, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the permit application should be sent to 
Matt McGoogan, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., 
Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. Comments may also be sent using e-
mail ([email protected]) or fax (562.980.4027). The permit 
application is available for review, by appointment, at the foregoing 
address and is also available for review online at the Authorizations 
and Permits for Protected Species Web site at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt McGoogan at phone number 
(562.980.4026) or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits, as required by the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (ESA), is based on a finding that such 
permits: (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 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 provide 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.

Permit Application Received

    Stillwater has applied for a permit (permit 15774) to study 
steelhead in the Santa Maria River watershed. The purpose of this study 
is to gather information that will contribute to the understanding of 
steelhead rearing and over-summering patterns in the Santa Maria River 
estuary and abundance and distribution of steelhead in the upper 
Sisquoc River (a tributary to the Santa Maria River). In the Santa 
Maria River estuary monitoring methods include the use of hand nets, 
seine nets, and minnow traps to sample for the presence of steelhead 
during different times of the year. In the upper Sisquoc River direct 
underwater observation techniques (i.e. snorkel surveys) are proposed 
for estimating abundance and distribution of steelhead. Field 
activities will occur between March 2011 and December 2015. Stillwater 
has requested an annual non-lethal take of 100 juvenile steelhead and 
20 smolts for the activities proposed in the Santa Maria River estuary. 
In the upper Sisquoc River, Stillwater is requesting permission to 
observe up to 3000 juvenile and 10 adult steelhead annually during 
snorkel surveys. The unintentional lethal take that may occur as a 
result of research activities in the Santa Maria River estuary is up to 
1 juvenile steelhead and 1 smolt annually. No unintentional lethal take 
is expected from research activities in the Sisquoc River. Overall, no 
intentional lethal take steelhead is expected in association with any 
aspect of these research activities.


[[Page 5340]]


    Dated: January 25, 2011.
Therese Conant,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-2064 Filed 1-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P