[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60254-60255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23893]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC896


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for three new scientific research permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received three scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon. The 
proposed research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to 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 October 31, 
2013.

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 email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Clapp, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-231-
2314), Fax: 503-230-5441, email: [email protected]). Permit 
application instructions are available from the address above, or 
online at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following listed species are covered in this notice:
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): endangered upper 
Columbia River (UCR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened UCR; threatened middle Columbia 
River (MCR).

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 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 18045

    The Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE) is seeking a three-year 
permit to assess biological and habitat conditions in Wide Hollow 
Creek, a tributary to the Yakima River in Washington State. The creek 
is currently listed as water-quality impaired and the WDOE is 
attempting to determine the causes of that impairment. To that end, the 
researchers working under Permit 18045 would conduct water quality,

[[Page 60255]]

habitat, and fish and macroinvertebrate assessments in the creek. The 
researchers would take chemical and temperature measurements, capture 
some insects, and conduct a single pass through a single stream reach 
(approximately 150 meters long) with a backpack electrofishing unit. 
They would use the information they gather to assess the community 
assemblage and the relative fish species abundance. Any listed 
steelhead the researchers encounter would simply be identified in the 
capture net and immediately released; they would not be removed from 
the stream. The research would benefit listed species by helping 
managers design actions to address water and habitat quality 
impairments in the stream and thus make it more habitable for listed 
fish in the future. It is possible, but unlikely, that a very small 
number of the captured fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of 
the research.

Permit 18049

    The Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) are seeking a five-year 
permit to monitor UCR steelhead population sizes, habitat use, and 
emigration rates in the Okanogan River and its tributaries in 
Washington State. The researchers would conduct their work in randomly-
selected sites on eleven tributaries to the Okanogan River. They would 
capture juvenile steelhead using backpack electrofishing units and 
soft-mesh dipnets. The captured fish would be anesthetized and 
measured, and any steelhead greater than 95mm in fork length would be 
marked by experienced taggers with a 12mm passive integrated 
transponder (PIT) tag injected from a single-use needle. All fish less 
than 95mm in length would have their caudal fins clipped for marking 
purposes and, in some cases, the tissue would be retained for DNA 
analysis. The researchers would make two passes with the electrofishing 
unit in each stream reach. The research would benefit the listed fish 
in two ways: First, UCR steelhead status in the Okanogan River subbasin 
is poorly understood and the information generated by the research 
would fill that gap and thereby help managers design recovery 
strategies for the listed fish in that area; it would also help them 
guide and mitigate any future land management activities that could 
affect the fish. Second, the collected genetic material would be used 
to examine the relationship between natural and hatchery fish in the 
area--and given that hatchery influence is considered a limiting factor 
for the UCR steelhead, more knowledge about that interaction would help 
managers design actions to address the negative effects local hatchery 
programs may be having. The researchers do not intend to kill any of 
the fish being captured, but a small number may die as an inadvertent 
result of the research activities.

Permit 18079

    The University of Idaho is seeking a two-year permit to study the 
effects of hyporheic exchange on the growth of post-emergent Chinook 
salmon. The research is designed to study hydrological exchange between 
surface and ground and determine the ways in which it may affect the 
factors that affect rearing conditions for juvenile salmon. The project 
has two components. The first component involves a cage experiment in 
which post-emergent hatchery Chinook salmon would be held and their 
growth monitored. The second component involves sampling wild (natural) 
post-emergent Chinook salmon to compare fish lengths and weights and 
estimate relative fish abundances. Both components would be carried out 
at up to 18 sites in the Methow River subbasin in Washington State. The 
first component would only affect hatchery fish that have already been 
accounted for in a hatchery plan of operations (Winthrop hatchery). The 
second component of the study would involve fish snorkeling surveys 
supplemented by dip netting three times before and after cage 
experiments to measure relative fish abundance in groundwater upwelling 
and downwelling areas at the selected sites. The fish would be 
captured, anaesthetized with MS-222 and a buffer solution, measured, 
weighed, and released. The research would produce important information 
on how a key river characteristic (groundwater/surface water exchange) 
affects salmonid growth and survival. The researchers do not intend to 
kill any fish, but a small number may die as an inadvertent result of 
the research.
    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: September 26, 2013.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-23893 Filed 9-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P