[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14923-14924]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA296


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for four new scientific research permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received four scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmonids. The 
proposed research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and help guide management and 
conservation efforts. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on April 18, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the applications should be sent to the 
Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, 
Portland, OR 97232-1274. Comments may also be sent via fax to 503-230-
5441 or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-
231-2005, Fax: 503-230-5441, e-mail: [email protected]). Permit 
application instructions are available from the address above, or 
online at apps.nmfs.noaa.gov http://www.nwr.noaa.gov./.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following listed species are covered in this notice:
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened lower 
Columbia River (LCR), Snake River fall-run Chinook salmon (O. 
tshawytscha), Puget Sound Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha), California 
Coast Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened SR.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened LCR, threatened Oregon Coast 
(OC).

Authority

    Scientific research permits are issued in accordance with section 
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq) 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 that are the subject of the permit; 
and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policy of 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 16333

    NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is 
seeking a 5-year permit to conduct yearly survey trawling operations 
off the West Coast of the U.S. The researchers would take individuals 
from all the species covered in this notice except for OC coho. The 
purpose of the research is to provide fisheries-independent indices of 
stock abundance to support stock assessment models for commercially and 
recreationally harvested groundfish species. The survey would collect 
data on 90+ fish species in the ocean to fulfill the mandates of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Sustainable Fisheries Act (MSA). The survey would run 
from May through October every year and cover the area from the US-
Canada border at Cape Flattery, Washington to the US-Mexico border, at 
depths ranging from 55 meters to 1,280 meters. The objectives of the 
survey are to: (1) Quantify the distribution and relative abundance of 
commercially valuable groundfish species, with an emphasis on rockfish 
species of the genus Sebastes; (2) obtain biological data (length, 
weight, gender, and maturity) from various species of interest; (3) 
collect age structures for species covered by MSA fisheries management 
plans; (4) record net mensuration and trawl performance data; and (5) 
collect oceanographic data (i.e., surface and bottom water temperature, 
salinity, near bottom dissolved oxygen concentration, chlorophyll 
fluorescence, and irradiance near bottom).
    The research would benefit listed species by increasing our 
understanding of the connections between various oceanographic 
conditions and fish survival in the marine environment. This greater 
understanding, in turn, will be used to inform future decisions 
regarding listed species management and recovery. The researchers do 
not intend to kill any listed fish, but a few may die as an inadvertent 
result of the proposed activities.

Permit 16335

    The NWFSC is seeking a 5-year permit to conduct biennial acoustic 
surveys of Pacific hake along the West Coast of the U.S. during odd-
numbered years. The researchers would take individuals from all species 
covered in this notice except for SR steelhead. The age-specific 
estimates of total population abundance derived from the surveys are a 
key data source for the joint U.S.-Canada Pacific hake stock 
assessments and, ultimately, are critical to informing decisions about 
U.S., Tribal, and international harvest levels. This integrated 
acoustic and trawl survey is used to assess the distribution, biology, 
and status and trends in abundance of Pacific hake. The survey would be 
conducted from June to September; it would target aggregations of 
Pacific hake along the continental shelf and break. The survey would 
extend from Monterey, California to Dixon Entrance, Alaska, in depths 
from about 50 meters to 1,500 meters. The NWFSC is seeking 
authorization for the U.S. portion of the survey. The goal of the 
survey is to obtain representative catches of acoustically-detected 
organisms.
    The research would benefit listed species by helping make the West 
Coast hake fishery more specific to the target species and thereby 
reducing bycatch of other species. The researchers do not intend to 
kill any listed fish, but a few may die as an inadvertent result of the 
proposed activities.

[[Page 14924]]

Permit 16337

    The NWFSC is seeking a 5-year permit to conduct Pacific hake 
Acoustic Inter-vessel Calibration (IVC) research and gear trial cruises 
along the West Coast of the U.S. to make hake stock assessment and 
improve hake biomass estimates. The researchers would take individuals 
from all species covered in this notice except for OC coho and SR 
steelhead. The goals of the IVC research are to: (1) Compare acoustic 
estimates for hake between two vessels; (2) research acoustic 
differentiation between hake and Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas); and 
(3) confirm that groundtruthing tows (mid-water and bottom trawls) are 
adequately characterizing schools of hake. The IVC research would take 
place in the ocean from a point off the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 
Washington down to the central Oregon coast. If hake and Humboldt squid 
are not present at the time of the study, the cruise may extend to the 
south until they are found or until the vessels reach a point 100 
nautical miles south of Monterey Bay, California. The IVC research 
would be conducted in June and July. The goal of the gear trial cruises 
is to test new equipment and methods to ensure that the best available 
science is used when conducting the biennial hake survey. The gear 
trial cruises would take place from August through September and would 
extend from Monterey, California to Dixon Entrance, Alaska, in depths 
from about 50 meters to 1,500 meters.
    The proposed research would benefit listed species by generating 
information that, ultimately, will be used to help reduce the number of 
listed fish being accidentally caught in the hake fishery. The 
researchers do not intend to kill any listed fish, but a few may die as 
an inadvertent result of the proposed activities.

Permit 16338

    The NWFSC is seeking a 5-year permit to test the efficacy of an 
open escape window bycatch reduction device to reduce Chinook salmon 
and rockfish bycatch in the Pacific hake fishery. The proposed 
activities would be conducted from May to September off the Central 
Oregon coast and, although it is unlikely, sampling may also occur off 
the coasts of Washington and northern California. All research tows 
would take place over the continental shelf and slope in depths of less 
than 1,000 meters; all captured fish would be identified, and some 
would be retained for the scientific analyses necessary for the 
research.
    The research would benefit listed species by helping develop 
fishing methods and equipment that allow large-scale fisheries (like 
the hake fishery) to catch fewer threatened and endangered fish. The 
researchers do not intend to kill any listed fish, but a few may die as 
an inadvertent result of the proposed 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: March 15, 2011.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-6441 Filed 3-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P