[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 25 (Friday, February 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6695-6697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02337]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD756


Endangered and Threatened Species; Initiation of 5-Year Reviews 
for 32 Listed Species of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead, Puget Sound 
Rockfishes, and Eulachon

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation of 5-year reviews; request for 
information.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce 5-year reviews of 32 species listed under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA): 17 evolutionarily 
significant units (ESUs) of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.); 11 
distinct population segments (DPSs) of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss); 
the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin DPSs of yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes 
ruberrimus), canary rockfish (S. pinniger), and bocaccio rockfish (S. 
paucispinis); and the southern DPS of eulachon (Thaleichthys 
pacificus). The purpose of these reviews is to ensure the accuracy of 
the listing classifications of these threatened and endangered species. 
The 5-year reviews will be based on the best scientific and commercial 
data available at the time of the reviews; therefore, we request 
submission of any such information on these ESUs and DPSs that has 
become available since the original listing determinations, or since 
the species' status was last updated. Based on the results of these 5-
year reviews, we will make the requisite determinations under the ESA.

DATES: To allow us adequate time to conduct these reviews, we must 
receive your information no later than May 7, 2015. However, we will 
continue to accept new information about any listed species at any 
time.

ADDRESSES: You may submit information on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2015-0021, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To 
submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the ``submit a 
comment'' icon, then enter NOAA-NMFS-2015-0021 in the keyword search. 
Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and 
click on the ``Submit a Comment'' icon on the right of that line.
     Mail or hand-delivery: Dr. Scott Rumsey, NMFS, West Coast 
Region, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above 
methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the 
sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will 
accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you 
wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Scott Rumsey at the above address, 
by phone at (503) 872-2791, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA requires that 
we conduct a review of listed species at least once every five years. 
On the basis of such reviews, we determine under section 4(c)(2)(B) 
whether a species should be delisted, or reclassified from endangered 
to threatened or from threatened to endangered.
    We will undertake reviews for the following 17 Pacific salmon ESUs: 
(1) Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, (2) Upper Columbia 
River spring-run Chinook salmon, (3) Snake River spring/summer-run 
Chinook salmon; (4) Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon: (5) 
California Coastal Chinook salmon; (6) Puget Sound Chinook salmon; (7) 
Lower Columbia River Chinook salmon; (8) Upper Willamette River Chinook 
salmon; (9) Snake River fall-run Chinook salmon; (10) Hood Canal 
summer-run chum salmon; (11) Columbia River chum salmon; (12) Central 
California Coast coho salmon; (13) Southern Oregon/Northern California 
Coast coho salmon; (14) Lower Columbia River coho salmon; (15) Oregon 
Coast coho salmon; (16) Snake River sockeye salmon; and (17) Ozette 
Lake sockeye salmon. We will undertake reviews for the following 11 
steelhead DPSs: (1) Southern California; (2) Upper Columbia River; (3) 
Middle Columbia River; (4) Snake River Basin; (5) Lower Columbia River; 
(6) Upper Willamette; (7) South-Central California Coast; (8) Central 
California

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Coast; (9) Northern California; (10) California Central Valley; and 
(11) Puget Sound. We will also conduct reviews for 4 non-salmonid DPSs: 
the three Puget Sound/Georgia Basin rockfish DPSs of yelloweye 
rockfish, canary rockfish, and bocaccio rockfish; and the southern DPS 
of eulachon. Information about these 32 ESUs and DPSs can be found at 
our West Coast regional Web site: http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov.
    Our regulations for periodic reviews at 50 CFR 424.21 require that 
we publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing those species 
currently under active review. This notice announces our active reviews 
of the ESUs and DPSs listed above. Any change in listing classification 
would require a separate rulemaking process.

Determining if a Species Is Threatened or Endangered

    Section 4(a)(1) of the ESA requires that we determine whether a 
species is endangered or threatened based on one or more of the five 
following factors: (1) The present or threatened destruction, 
modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) 
overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade factors 
affecting its continued existence. Section 4(b) also requires that our 
determination be made on the basis of the best scientific and 
commercial data available after taking into account those efforts, if 
any, being made to protect such species.

Application of the ESU and DPS Policies

    NMFS is responsible for determining whether species, subspecies, or 
DPSs of marine and anadromous species are threatened or endangered 
under the ESA. For Pacific salmon, we use our Policy on Applying the 
Definition of Species under the ESA to Pacific Salmon (ESU Policy) (56 
FR 58612) in determining the appropriate taxonomic unit for listing 
consideration. Under this policy, populations of salmon that are 
substantially reproductively isolated from other conspecific 
populations and that represent an important component in the 
evolutionary legacy of the biological species are considered to be an 
ESU. In our listing determinations for Pacific salmon under the ESA, we 
have treated an ESU as constituting a DPS, and hence a ``species,'' 
under the ESA.
    For non-salmon species, including steelhead, NMFS applies the joint 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-NMFS DPS policy (61 FR 4722) in 
identifying the appropriate taxonomic unit for listing consideration. 
Under this policy, a DPS must be discrete from other conspecific 
populations, and it must be significant to its taxon. A group of 
organisms is discrete if it is ``markedly separated from other 
populations of the same taxon as a consequence of physical, 
physiological, ecological, and behavioral factors.'' Under the DPS 
Policy, if a population group is determined to be discrete, the agency 
must then consider whether it is significant to the taxon to which it 
belongs. Considerations in evaluating the significance of a discrete 
population include: (1) Persistence of the discrete population in an 
unusual or unique ecological setting for the taxon; (2) evidence that 
the loss of the discrete population segment would cause a significant 
gap in the taxon's range; (3) evidence that the discrete population 
segment represents the only surviving natural occurrence of a taxon 
that may be more abundant elsewhere outside its historical geographic 
range; or (4) evidence that the discrete population has marked genetic 
differences from other populations of the species.
    On June 28, 2005, we announced a final policy addressing the role 
of artificially propagated (hatchery produced) Pacific salmon and 
steelhead in listing determinations under the ESA (70 FR 37204). 
Specifically, this policy: (1) Establishes criteria for including 
hatchery stocks in ESUs and DPSs; (2) provides direction for 
considering hatchery fish in extinction risk assessments of ESUs and 
DPSs; (3) requires that hatchery fish determined to be part of an ESU 
will be included in any listing of the ESU; (4) affirms NMFS' 
commitment to conserving natural salmon and steelhead populations and 
the ecosystems upon which they depend; and (5) affirms NMFS' commitment 
to fulfilling trust and treaty obligations with regard to the harvest 
of some Pacific salmon and steelhead populations, consistent with the 
conservation and recovery of listed salmon and steelhead ESUs.

Public Solicitation of New Information

    The 5-year reviews will consider the best scientific and commercial 
data available, particularly new information that has become available 
since the species' previous status review. Our Northwest and Southwest 
Fisheries Science Centers will assist the West Coast Region in 
gathering and analyzing this information. To ensure that the 5-year 
reviews are complete and based on the best available information, we 
are soliciting new information from the public, concerned governmental 
agencies, tribes, the scientific community, industry, environmental 
entities, and any other interested parties concerning the status of the 
salmon ESUs as well as the steelhead, rockfish, and eulachon DPSs 
listed above.
    Specifically, we request new information that has become available 
since the respective species' previous status review on: (1) Population 
abundance; (2) population productivity; (3) changes in species 
distribution or population spatial structure; (4) genetics or other 
indicators of diversity; (5) changes in habitat conditions and 
associated limiting factors and threats; (6) conservation measures that 
have been implemented that benefit the species, including monitoring 
data demonstrating the effectiveness of such measures in addressing 
identified limiting factors or threats; (7) data concerning the status 
and trends of identified limiting factors or threats; (8) information 
that may affect determinations regarding the composition of an ESU or 
DPS; (9) for Pacific salmon and steelhead, information on changes to 
hatchery programs that may affect determinations regarding their ESU or 
DPS membership; (10) information on targeted harvest (commercial, 
tribal, and recreational) and bycatch of the species; and (11) other 
new information, data, or corrections including, but not limited to, 
taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous 
information in the previous listing determination, and improved 
analytical methods for evaluating extinction risk. Previous status 
reviews and supporting information are available on the internet at: 
http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/status_reviews/salmon_steelhead/2011_status_reviews_of_listed_salmon_steelhead.html.
    With respect to Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia DPSs of yelloweye, 
canary, and bocaccio rockfish we also request any new information 
concerning: Species' spatial distribution and habitat associations of 
larval, young of the year, and adult fish in the nearshore and deep 
waters; the effectiveness of regulations to protect and restore 
rockfish habitats; genetics; effects of contaminants on species 
productivity, growth, or survival; effects of climate change and ocean 
acidification on these rockfish species; catch or bycatch of these 
species in specific fisheries, including information on the ability of 
anglers to properly identify rockfish by species; the effectiveness of 
fisheries management in reducing impacts on these rockfish species; 
efforts to remove and prevent derelict fishing gear; enumeration of 
bycatch by derelict

[[Page 6697]]

fishing gear; and the use and effectiveness of devices designed to 
reduce the effects of barotrauma in rockfish bycatch.
    With respect to the southern DPS of eulachon, we also request any 
new information concerning: Species' spatial distribution and abundance 
in freshwater and marine environments; genetics; the effects of natural 
climate variability and anthropogenically forced climate change on 
eulachon and their freshwater and marine habitat; the effects of ocean 
acidification on eulachon; eulachon bycatch in the ocean shrimp 
fisheries; predation on eulachon; and the effects of dams and large-
scale water control structures on estuary-plume environments and 
eulachon.
    If you wish to provide information for these 5-year reviews, see 
ADDRESSES for instructions. We request that all information be 
accompanied by: (1) Supporting documentation such as maps, 
bibliographic references, or reprints of pertinent publications. We 
also would appreciate the submitter's name, address, and any 
association, institution, or business that the person represents; 
however, anonymous submissions will also be accepted.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: February 2, 2015.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-02337 Filed 2-5-15; 8:45 am]
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