[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 75 (Thursday, April 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23222-23223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09107]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC630


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY: NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of a scientific research permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has issued scientific 
research Permit 15610 to the Oregon State University, Department of 
Fisheries and Wildlife (OSU).

ADDRESSES: The permit application, the permit, and related documents 
are available for review, by appointment, at the foregoing address at: 
Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, 
Long Beach, CA 90802 phone: 562-980-4026, fax: 562-980-4027, email at: 
[email protected]). The permit application 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 562-980-4026, or 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 23223]]

Authority

    The 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 that 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 (50 CFR 
parts 222-226) governing listed fish and wildlife permits.

Species Covered in This Notice

    This notice is relevant to the federally endangered Southern 
California Distinct Population Segment of steelhead (Oncorhynchus 
mykiss).

Permit Issued

    A notice of the receipt of an application for Permit 15610 was 
published in the Federal Register on November 14, 2012 (77 FR 67796). 
Permit 15610 was issued to OSU on March 4, 2013. Permit 15610 
authorizes OSU to conduct a scientific study of steelhead on several 
streams in the Ventura River watershed in Ventura County, California. 
The primary objectives of this study are to (1) determine if population 
genetic structure exists in the steelhead and rainbow trout 
subpopulations in the Ventura Basin, (2) determine smoltification 
patterns of steelhead and rainbow trout in the Ventura Basin and 
influence between the two life history forms, and (3) determine 
downstream migration patterns for steelhead and rainbow trout and how 
those patterns may be influenced by environmental conditions.
    Research activities include (1) monitoring water temperature, (2) 
capturing smolts and adult steelhead in a migrant trap at the Robles 
Diversion Dam, (3) capturing smolts and juvenile steelhead using a 
seine in the Ventura River estuary, (4) capturing smolts and juvenile 
steelhead by electrofishing pre-determined sample sites throughout the 
Ventura River watershed, (5) recording weight and length of smolts and 
juvenile steelhead, (6) removing tissue (gill and fin clip) samples 
from smolts and juvenile steelhead, (7) analyzing fin clips for genetic 
structure, (8) analyzing gill samples for ATPase (decomposition of 
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into adenosine diphosphate and a free 
phosphate ion as an indicator of smoltification, and (9) inserting 
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags into smolts and juvenile 
steelhead.
    Permit 15610 authorizes the non-lethal capture and release of up to 
210 juvenile steelhead (30 juvenile steelhead from 7 different sites) 
over the course of 1 year for the purpose of genetic sampling (fin 
clip), the capture and release of up to 684 steelhead smolts (342 
smolts annually over 2 years of sampling) and 304 juvenile steelhead 
(152 juvenile steelhead annually over 2 years of sampling) for the 
purpose of PIT tagging and tissue (gill/ATPase) sampling, capture and 
release of up to 10 adult steelhead (5 adults annually over 2 years of 
sampling) for genetic sampling (fin clip), and up to 40 tissue samples 
(fin clip) from adult steelhead carcasses (20 adult carcasses annually 
over 2 years of sampling). The authorized unintentional lethal take for 
Permit 15610 is a total of 9 juvenile steelhead and 16 steelhead 
smolts. All mortalities will be sent to NMFS Protected Resources 
Division in Long Beach, California for genetic research and processing. 
Field activities associated with Permit 15610 began after the permit 
was issued on March 4, 2013, and will cease when the permit expires on 
May 31, 2015.

    Dated: April 15, 2013.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-09107 Filed 4-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P