[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 139 (Thursday, July 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42487-42488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17598]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement To 
Reduce Avian Predation on Juvenile Salmonids Through Management of 
Double-Crested Cormorants in the Columbia River Estuary

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps), 
intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to 
reduce avian predation on juvenile salmonids through management of 
double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus; hereafter, cormorant 
used alone refers to double-crested cormorant) in the Columbia River 
Estuary (CRE). Recent increases in the number of cormorants nesting in 
the CRE has led to concerns over their potential impact on the recovery 
of federally-listed threatened and endangered Columbia River basin 
salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.; i.e., salmon and steelhead). In 2010 and 
2011, the cormorant colony at East Sand Island (ESI) in the CRE 
consumed about 19.2 and 22.6 million out-migrating juvenile salmonids, 
which equates to about 18 percent of the entire out-migrating salmon 
for those years. A portion of the salmonids consumed are listed under 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Managing cormorants to reduce 
predation on salmonids would complement other recovery efforts to 
address the threats that caused these fish to be listed under the ESA 
and would contribute to the overall recovery of listed salmonids in the 
Columbia River basin.

DATES: The Corps expects to release the DEIS for public review and 
comment in the fall of 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sondra Ruckwardt, Project Manager, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, P.O. Box 2946, 
Portland, OR 97208, by phone at 503-808-4691 or by email at: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps will prepare a DEIS to reduce 
avian predation on juvenile salmonids through management of cormorants 
in the CRE.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsibilities for cormorant 
management are identified under Public Law 106-53, Section 582c ``(1) 
NESTING AVIAN PREDATORS--In conjunction with the Secretary of Commerce 
and the Secretary of the Interior, and consistent with a management 
plan to be developed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
the Secretary [of the Army] shall carry out methods to reduce nesting 
populations of avian predators on dredge spoil islands in the Columbia 
River under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.''
    The Corps is currently preparing a draft management plan that will 
include effective alternatives to reduce salmonid consumption by 
cormorants at ESI. The management plan is necessary to implement avian 
predation management actions provided for in the 2008 Federal Columbia 
River Power System (FCRPS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) (NOAA Fisheries 
2008), the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative included in the 2008 BiOp 
and the 2010 FCRPS Supplemental BiOp (NOAA Fisheries 2010) to 
facilitate achievement of adult escapement goals identified for ESA-
listed salmonids in the Columbia Basin.
    The increase in consumption of juvenile salmonids by cormorants is 
the result of an unprecedented increase of cormorants on ESI where the 
number of breeding pairs increased by 1,400 percent between 1989 and 
2007. Reducing cormorant predation in the CRE, in combination with 
other initiatives that aim to improve juvenile salmonid survival, is 
anticipated to increase population growth rates of ESA-listed salmonids 
in the Columbia River basin.
    The Corps will evaluate alternatives for their ability to reduce 
cormorant predation on ESA-listed Columbia River salmonids in the CRE. 
The preliminary range of alternatives will include, but are not limited 
to reducing the ESI colony by 25 percent, by 50 percent and by 75 
percent by a variety of methods. Some of these methods may include 
dissuasion techniques, habitat alterations and lethal removal. Also, 
per the National Environmental Policy Act regulations the Corps will 
also analyze a No Action alternative (status quo). Preliminary analyses 
of the benefits of reducing bird numbers with the preliminary action 
alternatives indicate increases in population growth rates for three of 
the thirteen ESA-listed salmonids by 0.5 to 1.5 percent. Any additional 
alternatives will be developed through public involvement and best 
available scientific information.
    Scoping Process: a. The Corps invites affected Federal, State, 
local agencies, Native American tribes and other interested 
organizations and individuals to participate in the development of the 
DEIS. The Corps anticipates conducting public scoping meetings for the 
DEIS in late summer of 2012 although the exact date, time and location 
of these meeting have not been determined yet. Once meeting 
arrangements have been made, the Corps will publicize this information. 
The Corps will provide notice to the public of additional opportunities 
for public input on the EIS during review periods for the draft and 
final EIS.
    b. Significant issues to be analyzed in the DEIS include, but are 
not limited to: avian predation of juvenile salmonids, management of 
the largest double-crested cormorant colony in the Western Region, 
potential impacts to fisheries outside the CRE, potential impacts to 
commercial and recreational fisheries and potential impacts to tribal 
fisheries.
    c. The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency in preparation 
of the DEIS. A decision will be made during the scoping process whether 
other

[[Page 42488]]

agencies and/or tribes will serve in an official role as cooperating 
agencies.

    Dated: July 5, 2012.
John W. Eisenhauer,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 2012-17598 Filed 7-18-12; 8:45 am]
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