[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33230-33231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13557]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Proposed Strategies for Lake Trout Population Reductions To Benefit 
Native Fish Species, Flathead Lake, MT

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) as lead Agency, with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai 
Tribes (CSKT) of the Flathead Reservation as a Cooperating Agency, will 
be gathering information needed for an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for proposed fisheries management in Flathead Lake, Montana.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and implementation of this 
proposal should arrive by July 5, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may mail, hand carry, or fax written comments to either 
Tom McDonald, Division Manager, Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation, 
and Conservation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Natural 
Resources Department, P.O. Box 278, Pablo, Montana, 59855, fax (406) 
883-2848; or Rose Leach, NEPA Program Manager, Confederated Salish and 
Kootenai Tribes, same mailing address as above, fax (406) 676-2605.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom McDonald, (406) 675-2700, 
extension 7288; email: [email protected] or Rose Leach, (406) 675-2700, 
extension 6204; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will assess the environmental 
consequences of BIA approval of a proposal to reduce non-native lake 
trout abundance in Flathead Lake to benefit native fish populations in 
Flathead Basin. Direction to manage non-native fish populations to 
improve conditions for native fish species comes from the Flathead Lake 
and River Fisheries Co-Management Plan (2000), Bull Trout Restoration 
Plan (2000), Cutthroat Memorandum of Understanding and Conservation 
Agreement (2007), and Flathead Subbasin Plan: Part III, Flathead River 
Subbasin Management Plan (2004).
    Stakeholders from the Flathead Basin have been gathered into an 
interdisciplinary team that includes Confederated Salish and Kootenai 
Tribes, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, US Fish and 
Wildlife Service, National Park Service, US Forest Service, US 
Geological Survey, local fishing guides and anglers, Trout Unlimited, 
University of Montana, and Montana Department of Natural Resources and 
Conservation. The team has met since 2010, to draft issues and develop 
alternatives.
    The range of alternatives considered thus far includes (1) no 
action (maintain the status quo of lake trout harvest from general 
harvest and fishing contests); (2) reduce lake trout numbers to 25% of 
2010 population levels; (3) reduce lake trout numbers to 50% of 2010 
population levels; and (4) reduce lake trout numbers to 90% of 2010 
population levels.
    Proposed alternatives with percent reductions (action alternatives) 
will use

[[Page 33231]]

general harvest, fishing contests, and targeted gill and trap netting 
to achieve proposed lake trout reduction targets. The proposed action 
alternatives will be implemented indefinitely into the future, to both 
achieve and maintain lake trout population reductions and will include 
implementation and effectiveness monitoring at 5-year intervals, so 
that harvest strategies can be adapted to future conditions.
    Proposed action alternatives will minimize by-catch mortality of 
non-target fish species, based on decades of work in Flathead Lake and 
references from other systems.
    Suggested annual lake trout harvest levels have been derived from 
an age-structured stochastic simulation model based on decades of local 
population data. Annual harvest levels for this proposed project were 
designed to be implemented indefinitely into the future, to first 
achieve and then maintain reductions in the overall lake trout 
population as follows: 113,000 annual lake trout harvest for 25% 
reduction, 143,000 annual lake trout harvest for 50% reduction, and 
188,000 annual lake trout harvest for 90% reduction.
    Issues to be covered during the scoping process may include, but 
not be limited to: Biological resources (lake trout, bull trout, 
westslope cutthroat trout, lake whitefish, pygmy whitefish, yellow 
perch, and invertebrates including Mysis shrimp), recreation, fishing, 
cultural resources, socioeconomic conditions, grizzly bears, aquatic 
birds, environmental justice and Indian trust resources.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the BIA address shown in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice, during regular business hours, Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, phone number, 
email address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with sections 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) and Sec. 46.305 of the Department of Interior Regulations (43 CFR 
Part 46), implementing the procedural requirements of NEPA, as amended 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and is in the exercise of authority delegated 
to the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, by part 209 of the 
Departmental Manual.

    Dated: May 23, 2012.
Donald E. Laverdure,
Acting Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2012-13557 Filed 6-4-12; 8:45 am]
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