[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31590-31592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13550]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RIN 0648-XA464]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice; research permit applications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received four scientific 
research and enhancement permit application requests relating to 
salmonids listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposed 
research programs are 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 July 1, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on either application should be submitted 
to the Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Comments may also be submitted via fax to (707) 
578-3435 or by email 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]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    This notice is relevant to federally threatened Central California 
Coast steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), threatened Southern-Central 
California Coast steelhead (O. mykiss), endangered Central California 
Coast coho salmon (O. kisutch), and threatened California Coastal 
Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha).

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 the applications listed in this 
notice should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on the 
application(s) would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). Such hearings are 
held at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 
NMFS.

Applications Received

Permit 15730

    Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) is requesting a 5-
year scientific research and enhancement permit to take juvenile 
Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead, juvenile CCC coho salmon, and 
juvenile California Coastal (CC) Chinook salmon (ESA-listed salmonids) 
and adult carcasses of each species associated with a research project 
in the Lagunitas Creek and San Geronimo Creek watersheds in Marin 
County, California. In the study 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.
    This project is part of an ongoing effort to monitor population 
status and trends of juvenile and adult ESA-listed salmonids and to 
document baseline habitat conditions. This data will aid future 
research, restoration, and conservation efforts for ESA-listed 
salmonids. The objectives are to: (1) Continue ongoing juvenile rescue 
and relocation efforts, (2) survey adult salmonid spawning activities 
and juvenile smolt outmigration, and (3) determine salmonid habitat 
utilization. In these projects, ESA-listed salmonids will be captured 
(by dip-net, pipe-trap, funnel trap, fyke-net trap, or seine), 
anesthetized, handled (identified, measured, weighed), sampled (fin 
clips or scales), marked [fin clips or Passive Integrated Transponder 
(PIT) tags], and released. All data and information will be shared with 
county, state, and federal entities for use in conservation and 
restoration planning efforts related to ESA-listed salmonids.
    Study 1 is a salmonid spawner abundance monitoring study in the San 
Geronimo Creek watershed. Surveys will be conducted on ten or fewer 
sites in tributaries to San Geronimo Creek. Researchers will survey 
stream reaches from October through April and observe the number, 
species, sex, size, condition, location, and behavior of spawning adult 
ESA-listed salmonids. Redds will be located, marked, and mapped.
    Carcasses of ESA-listed salmonids that are encountered during 
spawner surveys will be identified, measured, evaluated for spawning 
condition, marked to avoid double counting, and returned to the 
location where they were found.
    Study 2 is a juvenile salmonid summer habitat and rescue/relocation 
study in the San Geronimo Creek watershed. Juvenile salmonid habitat 
monitoring will be conducted annually from June through October. San 
Geronimo Creek and its tributaries will be visually surveyed to 
determine presence and absence of salmonids and monitored to determine 
water flow, pool depth, and temperature in pools. If stream flow ceases 
and pools become disconnected and begin to dry, juvenile CCC coho 
salmon and CCC steelhead will be removed and relocated. Fish will be 
captured by dip-net and transported to a perennial flow section 
downstream on their natal tributary or to San Geronimo Creek. Relocated 
fish will be measured and identified and stream conditions will be 
recorded. A subset of relocated CCC steelhead will be anesthetized and 
tagged with PIT tags to quantify relocation success by outmigration 
efficiency. A disjunct area of San Geronimo Creek called Roy's Pools, 
will be drained and electrofished to rescue stranded fish. Rescued fish 
will be anesthetized, measured, then released into a pool immediately 
downstream of Roy's Pools.
    Study 3 is a juvenile salmonid movement monitoring study in the San 
Geronimo Creek watershed. Coho salmon and steelhead smolt production in 
Lagunitas and San Geronimo creeks will be monitored annually from 
March-June. Pipe-traps and funnel traps will be used to capture 
juvenile ESA-listed salmonids. Juvenile CC Chinook will be captured, 
handled, and released. Smolts and young of the year (YOY) CCC coho 
salmon and CCC steelhead will be captured in the traps, anesthetized, 
and analyzed to determine

[[Page 31591]]

species, length, weight, and the degree of smoltification. Salmon fry 
observed in the trap will be observed, counted and estimated for 
length. Scale samples will also be collected from up to ten CCC coho 
and ten CCC steelhead smolts each sampling day throughout the study 
period. The mark-recapture monitoring study used to generate population 
estimates will consist of marking up to ten CCC coho and ten CCC 
steelhead smolts with a fin clip followed by upstream relocation and 
release.

Permit 16110

    Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is requesting a 5-year 
scientific research permit to take juvenile and adult CCC steelhead, 
juvenile and adult (spawned carcasses) of CCC coho salmon, and juvenile 
and adult (spawned carcasses) of Chinook salmon associated with a 
research project in the Lagunitas Creek watershed in Marin County, 
California. In the 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.
    MMWD is currently monitoring coho salmon and steelhead populations 
in Lagunitas Creek (including two tributaries, San Geronimo Creek and 
Devil's Gulch) and Walker Creek. Current monitoring consists of 
juvenile salmonid surveys in fall, spawner surveys in winter and smolt 
outmigration monitoring in spring. The purpose of the proposed 
scientific research is to determine the trends in ESA-listed salmonid 
abundance at multiple life stages, to determine whether there is a 
relationship between population trends and MMWD management efforts, and 
to determine what salmonid life stages suffer the lowest survival and 
should be a focus of future management practices.
    Study 1 is a summer/fall juvenile salmonid population abundance and 
salmonid habitat monitoring study in Lagunitas Creek. Sampling will 
occur at 13 established reaches from August through October. Backpack 
electrofishing will be used to capture juvenile CCC coho salmon and CCC 
steelhead. Captured fish will be anesthetized, handled (identified to 
species, measured and weighed), scale sampled, implanted with PIT tags 
and released back into the habitat from which they were taken. Habitat 
type and quality will be assessed at each survey site.
    Study 2 is a juvenile salmonid presence/absence and population 
genetics study in Walker Creek. Sampling will occur from August through 
October. Backpack electrofishing will be used to capture juvenile CCC 
coho salmon and CCC steelhead juveniles. Captured fish will be 
anesthetized, handled (identified to species, measured and weighed), 
sampled (by collection of fin clips, scales or opercle), and released 
back into the habitat unit from which they were taken.
    Study 3 is a salmonid spawner abundance and population genetics 
study in the Lagunitas Creek watershed (including tributaries Devil's 
Gulch, San Geronimo Creek, and Woodacre Creek) and Walker Creek. Teams 
will survey stream reaches from October through March and observe the 
number, species, location, and behavior of spawning adult ESA-listed 
salmonids. Redds will be located and measured. Carcasses of ESA-listed 
salmonids that are encountered during spawner surveys will be 
identified, measured, evaluated for spawning condition, tissue sampled, 
marked to avoid double counting, and returned to the location where 
they were found.
    Study 4 is a salmonid smolt outmigration monitoring study in 
Lagunitas Creek. One or two rotary screw traps will be operated 
annually from March into June. Smolts and YOY of CCC coho, CC Chinook 
salmon, and CCC steelhead will be captured in the rotary screw trap, 
anesthetized and handled to determine species, length and weight. The 
majority of captured juvenile salmonids will be released downstream of 
the trap. A small number of captured juvenile ESA-listed salmonids, 
will be marked using fin clips or PIT tags, released upstream of the 
rotary screw trap, and may be subsequently recaptured. A second trap 
may be employed at an upstream location to quantify the proportion of 
smolts originating between the two traps.
    Study 5 will determine juvenile CCC coho use of off-channel habitat 
enhancement areas on Lagunitas Creek. Fish will be captured using a 
combination of backpack electrofishing and seining. Sampling will occur 
from January and February, prior to the smolt outmigration period. Fish 
will be PIT tagged to compare growth rates of fish in off-channel 
versus in-stream areas. The movement of PIT tagged fish will be 
monitored from January through June by hand-held and stationary PIT tag 
readers.
    Study 6 will estimate winter survival of juvenile salmonids by 
marking fish in the fall and recapturing them during smolt monitoring 
in the spring. The proportion of recaptured fish, combined with a smolt 
emigration estimate, will provide a back-calculated estimate of fall 
juvenile salmonid abundance that will help validate the estimate 
developed in Study 1. Fish will be captured by electrofisher and a 
limited amount of CCC coho salmon and CCC steelhead will be PIT tagged 
and released back into the habitat from which they were collected.

Permit 15824

    The County of Santa Cruz, Environmental Health Services is 
requesting a 5-year scientific research permit to take juvenile CCC 
steelhead, juvenile South-Central California Coast (S-CCC) steelhead, 
and juvenile CCC coho salmon associated with a research project in four 
watersheds in Santa Cruz County, California. This is an ongoing fish 
monitoring program that has been included in the annual California 
Department of Fish and Game research program under the ESA 4(d) rule 
for threatened salmonids. The 4(d) rule exempts qualifying research 
programs from the prohibitions of section 9(a)(1) of the ESA. Because 
the County of Santa Cruz has expanded monitoring to include endangered 
CCC coho salmon, a section 10(a)(1)(A) permit is required. In the study 
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.
    The purpose of the project is to document habitat conditions and 
site densities of juvenile salmonids in the San Lorenzo River, Soquel 
Creek, Aptos Creek, and Corralitos Creek in Santa Cruz County. The 
information will be used to track salmonid spawning and rearing 
conditions, prioritize restoration and conservation efforts, and inform 
land and water use decisions.
    Sampling will occur annually, for 5 to 6 days per week within a 5-
week period between September and October. Fish will be collected by 
backpack electrofisher. Captured fish will be placed in a live car and 
kept in flowing water. All juvenile ESA-listed salmonids will be 
measured, checked for PIT tags and then released into the habitat where 
they were collected. Deep pools within the mainstem San Lorenzo River 
will be snorkeled by two divers following electrofishing. Researchers 
will use a beach seine to capture a limited amount of CCC steelhead in 
the Aptos Creek lagoon for a total of two sampling days per year. A 
subset of seine captured fish will have scales removed for analysis and 
will be marked by fin-clipping.

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Permit 16318

    Hagar Environmental Science is requesting a 5-year scientific 
research permit to take juvenile CCC steelhead, juvenile S-CCC 
steelhead, and juvenile CCC coho salmon associated with a research 
project in selected watersheds in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis 
Obispo counties, California. In the study 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.
    The proposed research includes three studies consisting of lagoon 
surveys and stream surveys in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo 
counties. The purpose of the lagoon surveys is to provide estimates of 
abundance of juvenile steelhead rearing in the lagoons during the 
summer rearing period through mark-recapture protocol using PIT tag 
technology. A secondary goal of the lagoon research is to investigate 
the relationship between population abundance estimates and catch per 
unit effort that has been used in past surveys. The purpose of the 
stream surveys is to enumerate rearing juvenile steelhead and other 
fish species. The data from lagoon and stream surveys will be used to 
track salmonid spawning and rearing conditions, prioritize restoration 
and conservation efforts, and inform land and water use decisions.
    In study 1, juvenile salmonid distribution and population abundance 
and habitat assessment will be determined in the San Lorenzo River, 
Liddell Creek, Laguna Creek, and Majors Creek. Sampling will occur at 
multiple survey sites twice annually in lagoons from April through 
November and once annually in streams from August through November. 
Juvenile CCC coho salmon and juvenile CCC steelhead may be captured by 
backpack electrofishing or seine. Captured fish will be anesthetized, 
handled (identified, measured and weighed), and released. Juveniles 
captured in lagoons will be PIT tagged and some will have scales 
removed for analysis.
    Study 2 will take place in the Salinas River, Arroyo Seco, 
Nacimento River, San Antonio River in Monterey and San Luis Obispo 
counties, California. Sampling will occur at multiple survey sites 
three times annually in lagoons from April through November and once 
annually in streams from August through November. Juvenile S-CCC 
steelhead will be captured (by backpack electrofishing or seine), 
anesthetized (optional), handled (identified, measured, weighed), and 
released. A subsample of captured S-CCC steelhead will be sampled for 
scales.
    Study 3 is a juvenile salmonid distribution, population abundance, 
and habitat assessment study in the lower watershed and lagoon of 
Arroyo Grande including Tar Spring Creek and Los Berros Creek in San 
Luis Obispo County, California. Sampling will occur at multiple survey 
sites twice annually in lagoons from April through November and once 
annually in streams from August through November. Juvenile S-CCC 
steelhead will be captured (by backpack electrofishing or seine), 
anesthetized, handled (identified, measured, weighed) and released. A 
subset of captured fish will be sampled for scales.
    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 actions in the Federal 
Register.

    Dated: May 25, 2011.
Therese Conant,
Acting Division Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-13550 Filed 5-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P