[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 145 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45197-45203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18600]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD989


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Applications for six new scientific research permits, and 
fourteen research permit renewals.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 20 scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, 
sturgeon, and eulachon. The proposed research is intended to increase 
knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 
to help guide management, conservation, and recovery 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 August 28, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the applications should be submitted to 
the Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 707-
578-3435 or by email to [email protected] (include the permit 
number in the subject line of the fax or email).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Abrams, Santa Rosa, CA (ph.: 707-
575-6080), Fax: 707-578-3435, 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): Threatened California 
Coastal (CC); Threatened Central Valley spring-run (CVSR); endangered 
Sacramento River winter-run (SRWR).
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened Southern Oregon/Northern 
California Coast (SONCC); endangered Central California Coast (CCC).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened Northern California (NC); 
threatened CCC; threatened California Central Valley (CCV); threatened 
South-Central California Coast (S-CCC); endangered Southern California 
(SC).
    North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medisrostris): Threatened 
southern distinct population segment (sDPS).
    Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): Threatened sDPS.

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 parts 222-227). 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 1440-2R

    The Interagency Ecological Program (IEP), a consortium of nine 
state and federal agencies, is seeking to renew Permit 1440 for a 
period of five years. The permit would authorize IEP to take CVSR 
Chinook salmon, SRWR Chinook salmon, CCV steelhead, CCC steelhead and 
sDPS green sturgeon while conducting 11 surveys in the San Francisco 
Bay-Delta region. The studies would examine the abundance, and temporal 
and spatial distribution of various life stages of pelagic fishes of 
management concern, including listed species, and their food (e.g., 
zooplankton) resources, along with environmental conditions. These IEP 
studies are intended to monitor/inform the effectiveness of water 
operations, aquatic habitat restoration, and fish management practices, 
thereby providing a benefit to listed fish. The 11 studies included 
are: (1) Adult Striped Bass, a striped bass population study; (2) Fall 
Midwater Trawl, which monitors the relative abundance of native and 
introduced fish species; (3) Sturgeon Tagging, a white sturgeon tagging 
program; (4) Summer Townet, which targets delta smelt and young-of-the-
year striped bass; (5) Estuarine and Marine Fish, a San Francisco Bay 
trawl study; (6) 20mm Survey, a study to monitor juvenile delta smelt 
distribution and relative abundance; (7) Yolo Bypass, a research effort 
to understand fish and invertebrate use of the Yolo Bypass seasonal 
floodplain; (8) Upper Estuary Zooplankton, which targets multiple 
zooplankters; (9) Spring Kodiak Trawl, which determines the relative 
abundance and distribution of spawning delta smelt; (10) Suisun Marsh 
Survey, monitoring to determine the effects of the Suisun Marsh 
Salinity Control Gates operation on fish, including listed salmonids; 
and (11) Smelt Larva Survey, which provides distribution data for 
longfin smelt larvae in the Delta. Listed fish would be captured by 
fyke net, gill net, midwater trawl, trammel net, hoop net, otter trawl, 
larval fish net, zooplankton net, Kodiak trawl net, rotary screw trap, 
and beach seine. The majority of captured fishes would be identified to 
species, enumerated, measured for standard length, and released. 
Juvenile SRWR and CVSR Chinook salmon would be identified using the 
Delta Model Length-at-Date-of-Capture Table. Listed species would be 
processed first and released. A subsample of wild juvenile SRWR and 
CVSR Chinook salmon sized captures would be tissue sampled for genetic 
analysis, and a subsample of hatchery

[[Page 45198]]

juvenile SRWR and CVSR Chinook salmon sized captures would be 
sacrificed (i.e., intentional directed mortality) in order to collect 
coded wire tag data for management purposes and for stock confirmation. 
To reduce handling mortality, investigators would conduct water to 
water transfers, use fish-friendly nets, avoid handling when possible, 
and would not release fish from a vessel under way.

Permit 13675-2R

    The Fishery Foundation of California is seeking to renew permit 
13675 to annually take juvenile CVSR Chinook salmon, SRWR Chinook 
salmon, CCV steelhead, and sDPS green sturgeon while conducting 
research designed to monitor the use of the Fremont Landing 
Conservation Bank (FLCB) at the confluence of the Sacramento and 
Feather rivers in California's Central Valley. The requested permit 
would authorize take for a period of five years. FLCB is a restored 
area that provides mitigation for impacts to listed salmonid species in 
the Central Valley. The proposed monitoring would evaluate the use of 
the FLCB by listed fish, provide data directly related to success 
criteria described in the FLCB management plan, and benefit listed fish 
by informing adaptive management strategies being conducted at the 
FLCB. The researchers would use beach seines and fyke nets to capture 
listed fish. Once captured, all listed fish would be identified to 
species and released. A subsample would be measured for fork length. No 
anesthesia would be used, and no additional handling procedures would 
be implemented. Captured fish would remain completely wetted at all 
times to minimize stress. Any fish exhibiting signs of physiological 
stress would be immediately released. The researchers are not proposing 
to kill any of the fish they capture, but some may die as an unintended 
result of the research.

Permit 13791-2R

    The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Stockton Fish 
and Wildlife Office (SFWO), has requested to renew Permit 13791 for a 
period of four years. The permit would authorize SFWO to annually take 
juvenile and smolt CVSR Chinook salmon, SRWR Chinook salmon, CCV 
steelhead, and juvenile and larval sDPS green sturgeon while conducting 
seven research studies. The purpose of the studies is to evaluate/
monitor the: (1) Abundance, temporal and spatial distribution, and 
survival of salmonids and other fishes in the lower Sacramento and San 
Joaquin rivers and the San Francisco Estuary (SFE); (2) occurrence and 
habitat use of fishes, especially early life history stages, within the 
Liberty Island and Cache Slough Complex, (3) relative gear efficiencies 
for all IEP fish survey nets, and also the distribution of delta smelt; 
(4) littoral habitat use of juvenile Chinook salmon within the Delta; 
(5) the effect of projected water operations on delta smelt; (6) length 
at date race criteria of SRWR Chinook salmon sized juvenile Chinook 
salmon; and (7) SRWR and CVSR Chinook salmon floodplain usage in the 
Yolo bypass. These studies would result in capture/handle/release take, 
tissue sampling, and/or intentional directed mortality. Intentional 
directed mortality would apply to only juvenile hatchery adipose 
clipped salmonids and larval green sturgeon. Capture methods would 
include Kodiak trawl, midwater trawl, beach seine, zooplankton net, 
larval net, gill net, fyke net, purse seine, and boat electrofishing. 
All listed fish except adipose fin clipped SRWR and CVSR Chinook salmon 
would be immediately collected from the sampling gears, placed in 
containers filled with river water collected at the location being 
sampled, processed, held in a recovery container filled with aerated 
river water, and subsequently released at the sampled location. A fin 
tissue sample would be collected from a subset of natural origin SRWR 
and CVSR Chinook salmon for stock determination. The purpose of 
intentional mortality of hatchery origin (adipose clipped) SRWR and 
CVSR Chinook salmon would be to collect coded wire tags (CWT), and up 
ten green sturgeon larvae would be killed during larval fish 
collections in order to identify the contents of the larval trawl net, 
which can only be achieved in the lab. The data provided by these 
studies would provide natural resource managers real-time biological 
and population data on fishes to evaluate the effect of water 
operations and fish management practices within the SFE, thereby 
benefiting listed fish.

Permit 14516-2R

    Dr. Jerry Smith, Associate Professor in the Department of 
Biological Sciences at San Jose State University, is requesting to 
renew permit 14516 for a period of five years. The permit would 
authorize Dr. Smith to annually take multiple life stages of CCC coho 
salmon and CCC steelhead while conducting two studies: (1) Stream and 
lagoon surveys in Gazos Creek, Waddell Creek, and Scott Creek; and (2) 
lagoon surveys in Pescadero Creek Lagoon and San Gregorio Lagoon. The 
purpose of the studies is to: (1) Provide an annual index of relative 
abundance for juvenile listed salmonids, provide data on lagoon and 
upstream habitat utilization and growth, and provide an assessment of 
trends and year to year response to variations in habitat conditions; 
and (2) determine juvenile listed salmonid abundance and growth, and 
provide adult life history information in the lagoons. Capture methods 
would include backpack electrofishing, and beach seine. Captured 
salmonids would be measured, and a subset of juvenile captures and all 
adults would have scale samples taken, before being released at the 
capture location. A subsample of juvenile steelhead would also be 
marked via caudal fin clip to perform a mark-recapture analysis. Scale 
and fin tissue samples would be taken from adult fish carcasses. 
Captured live fish would be held in flow-through live cars, covered 
with a towel to provide shade and cover to calm fish. Adult fish would 
be processed and released first. In lagoons, live cars would be kept in 
deeper water with cooler temperatures and less turbidity to prevent 
warming above ambient temperatures or a decrease in dissolved oxygen. 
The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, 
but a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 15215

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Fisheries 
Branch, Fish Health Laboratory, is applying for a permit to take 
endangered SRWR Chinook salmon, CCC coho salmon and SC steelhead for a 
period of five years. The purpose of the proposed research is to 
investigate wild fish kills/disease outbreaks that could occur in 
California that involve federally listed endangered species. The 
research would benefit the listed species by providing fisheries 
managers with the necessary information to help alleviate future 
outbreaks of fish disease through proper management of fishery and 
water resources. The proposed research would only be conducted in the 
event of elevated and unexplained endangered species mortality or the 
presence of clinically diseased animals. Given such a triggering event, 
endangered fish would be collected in any of the state waters of 
California in which a disease outbreak/fish die-off occurred. Adult and 
juvenile endangered fish would be collected by hand or dip-net, as only 
dead and/or moribund fish, or fish displaying clinical signs of 
disease, would be collected. Moribund or clinically diseased fish would 
be euthanized (i.e., intentional directed mortality). Trained CDFW 
pathologists and veterinarians would assess

[[Page 45199]]

moribund or diseased fish prior to euthanasia, and only fish that would 
likely die regardless of the actions proposed by CDFW would be 
euthanized. Necropsies would be performed on dead and euthanized 
captured fish either in the laboratory or in the field, fish would be 
examined for signs of parasitic and bacterial infections, and fin and/
or internal tissues would be collected for virology, histopathology, 
immunological testing and/or DNA testing.

Permit 16274

    The Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC) is seeking to renew Permit 
1181-Modification 1 for a period of five years. The permit would 
authorize MRC to take CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, CCC coho 
salmon, NC steelhead, and CCC steelhead while conducting research and 
monitoring to assess juvenile and adult populations of salmonids and 
their distribution in streams within MRC's property. Research would be 
conducted in several watersheds within Mendocino and northern Sonoma 
counties. The data gathered would benefit listed fish by informing a 
better understanding of salmonid distribution, abundance, and habitat 
utilization in these areas. Juvenile salmonids would be captured by 
backpack electrofishing, anesthetized, weighed, measured to fork 
length, and released. A subsample of juvenile salmonids would be fin 
clipped to mark and to collect tissue samples for genetic analysis. 
Live adults and/or juveniles would be observed via snorkel surveys and 
spawning surveys. Carcasses would be measured and then marked to ensure 
duplicate measurements were not made. Outmigrant trapping would be 
conducted using a rotary screw trap or weir/pipe trap; captured 
outmigrants would be anesthetized, measured, and released. A subsample 
of outmigrants would be marked (dye, elastomer, or fin clip) or Passive 
Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagged. All anesthetized fish would be 
allowed to recover in a bucket containing aerated natal water prior to 
being released back into the stream from which they were taken. The 
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but 
a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 17063

    The United States Forest Service (USFS), Redwood Sciences 
Laboratory is requesting to renew permit 1071 for a period of five 
years to perform eight studies that together would take CC Chinook 
salmon, SONCC coho salmon, CCC coho salmon, NC steelhead, CC steelhead, 
and SC steelhead. The purposes of the eight studies are: (1) To 
investigate the invasion history of non-listed speckled dace in the Van 
Duzen River and the Eel River, (2) to investigate the invasion history 
of non-listed California roach in the Van Duzen River and the Eel 
River, (3) to develop an Individual Based Modeling (IBM) approach to 
predict the effects of management practices on salmonid population in 
Northern California, (4) to link abiotic factors (e.g., distance to 
spawning ground) to the expression of an anadromous or resident life 
history for O. mykiss in the Eel River, (5) to link the distribution 
and movement of watershed products (e.g., wood, sediment, and water) in 
tributaries and mainstem channels to fish diversity and abundance in 
Northern California rivers, (6) to provide managers with insights into 
the status and relatedness of Sacramento sucker populations in northern 
California, (7) to document the speckled dace invasion of the Mad 
River, and (8) to provide managers with a tool to predict the effects 
of management decisions on Santa Ana suckers in the Santa Ana River. 
Listed adult and juvenile salmonids would be observed via snorkel 
surveys. Listed juvenile salmonids would be captured via backpack and/
or boat electrofishing for all eight studies, and also via beach seine 
and/or fyke net for Study 6 (i.e., Sacramento sucker relatedness and 
distribution). For most studies, listed salmonids that are captured 
would be anesthetized, measured and/or weighed, and released. Captured 
fishes would be held in multiple live cars to prevent overcrowding and 
to maintain acceptable water quality conditions. In addition to 
capturing, handling and releasing fish, Study 4 (i.e. factors affecting 
the expression of an anadromous versus resident life history in O. 
mykiss) would also include intentional directed mortality for otolith 
microchemical analyses. A maximum of four O. mykiss would be sacrificed 
from each of seventy sample streams distributed throughout the Eel 
River, which would include both anadromous (listed as threatened) and 
resident (non-listed) life history forms.

Permit 17077-2R

    Dr. Peter Moyle, with the University of California at Davis, 
Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, has applied for 
a five year renewal of Permit 17077 to take listed species while 
conducting research designed to develop a better understanding of how 
physical habitat, flow and other factors interact to maintain 
assemblages of native and non-native aquatic species in the upper SFE. 
This study would provide knowledge about food web and habitat support 
for native fishes, including listed anadromous fish, which are 
suspected of utilizing such habitats during development. While listed 
fish are not the target species for this study, the study would benefit 
listed fish by improving management decisions regarding creating 
additional habitat, and helping to anticipate the effects of drought 
and climate change on food and habitat availability. Sampling would be 
conducted in three distinct regions of the SFE: (1) The Cache-Lindsey 
complex, (2) the Sherman Lake complex and (3) Suisun Marsh, and would 
take juvenile and adult CVSR Chinook salmon, SRWR Chinook Salmon, CCV 
steelhead, and sDPS green sturgeon. Capture methods would be similar 
for each of these regions, and would include otter trawling, beach 
seining and boat electrofishing, however electrofishing would be 
suspended immediately upon encountering a listed species. All sampled 
fish would be placed in a bucket with ambient water and an aerator, 
examined for responsiveness and returned to the water as soon as 
possible with a minimum of handling, after identification and length 
estimates were made. Juvenile SRWR and CVSR Chinook salmon would be 
identified using published size-at-date criteria. Only adult green 
sturgeon captures would receive additional processing beyond 
identification and measuring for length. Adult green sturgeon would be 
scanned for the presence of a PIT tag, and a soft pelvic fin tissue 
sample would be collected. The researchers are not proposing to kill 
any of the fish they capture, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 17219

    The NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Fishery Ecology 
Division (FED), requests a five-year renewal of permit 1044-
Modification 4 for research throughout California that would include 
take of SRWR Chinook salmon, CVSR Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, 
CCC coho salmon, NC steelhead, CCC steelhead, CCV steelhead, S-CCC 
steelhead, SC steelhead, and juvenile sDPS green sturgeon. The proposed 
research would benefit listed fish by supporting conservation and 
management of listed anadromous salmonids and green sturgeon in 
California by directly addressing information needs identified by NMFS 
and other agencies. FED studies address priority topics identified

[[Page 45200]]

in NMFS technical recovery team reports, NMFS recovery plans, joint 
programs such as the California Coastal Monitoring Program developed by 
NMFS and CDFW, and state programs such as the Fisheries Restoration 
Grant Program. Research objectives of specific proposed studies 
include: (1) Estimating population abundance and dynamics; (2) 
evaluating factors affecting growth, survival, and life-history; (3) 
assessing life-stage specific habitat use and movement; (4) collecting 
data necessary to construct various types of models (e.g., population, 
life-cycle, bioenergetics, and habitat-use models); (5) determining 
genetic structure of populations; (6) evaluating the effects of 
activities such as water management and habitat restoration on 
populations; and (7) developing improved sampling and monitoring 
methods.
    Research and take would involve various life stages (juvenile, 
smolt, adult, and carcass). Listed fish would be observed during 
spawning surveys, and captured by electrofishing, beach seine, rotary 
screw trap, and/or hook-and-line. The majority of captured fish would 
be anesthetized, measured to fork length, and released. A subsample of 
captured fish would be further sampled by collection of scales, fin 
clips, gill clips or stomach contents; and/or marking or tagging 
including fin tissue clips, PIT tags, elastomer tags, acoustic tags, or 
radio tags. Species care after capture would include use of aerated 
buckets or live cars for holding and recovery, and minimization of 
handling time. The majority of fish captured would be released alive at 
their point of capture following recovery from handling. However, in 
limited cases some fish would be: (1) Retained in enclosures in streams 
for short-term growth and survival experiments and then released, or 
(2) euthanized for analysis of otoliths and/or parasitological/
pathological studies of parasites and diseases of wild juvenile 
steelhead.

Permit 17272

    The USFWS, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fisheries Program (AFWO) 
is seeking to renew permit 1068-Modification 2 for a period of five 
years. The requested permit would authorize AFWO to take multiple life 
stages of hatchery and wild SONCC coho salmon via monitoring and 
research activities in Northwest California. Five studies are proposed, 
the purposes of which are to monitor: (1) Chinook salmon fry production 
and disease incidence in the Klamath River below Iron Gate dam, (2) 
Chinook salmon escapement in the mainstem Klamath River below the 
Shasta River confluence, (3) Chinook salmon escapement in the mainstem 
Klamath River from Iron Gate dam to the Shasta River confluence, (4) 
coho salmon escapement between Iron Gate Dam and the Indian Creek 
confluence, and (5) long-term salmonid disease incidence in the lower 
Klamath River. Trained AFWO crews would conduct redd surveys, on foot 
and from rafts, which could observe/harass spawning SONCC coho salmon. 
Crews would spend minimal time around redds and avoid walking on redds. 
Trained AFWO crews would also capture juvenile SONCC coho salmon using 
rotary-screw traps, frame nets, and beach seines. Traps would be 
thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. Juvenile coho salmon would be 
held in aerated holding buckets filled with fresh river water then 
anesthetized, measured for fork length, weighed, and released back into 
the river. There would be some intentional mortality of hatchery 
juvenile coho salmon for disease analysis. Aside from these hatchery 
fish, the researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they 
capture, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the 
activities. The proposed studies would benefit listed coho salmon by 
informing the AFWO goal to develop conservation strategies for aquatic 
resources and to evaluate the success of aquatic habitat restoration 
efforts that will lead to the recovery and conservation of fish 
populations and fisheries in northern California.

Permit 17351

    The Green Diamond Resource Company (GDRC) has applied for a five 
year renewal of research permit 1060-Modification 1 to take listed 
salmonids while conducting research and monitoring under an existing 
Aquatic Habitat Conservation Plan (AHCP). The AHCP, which was approved 
in 2007 and is valid until 2057, identifies potential threats to three 
listed fish species that may result from GDRC's timber harvest 
activities and describes minimization and mitigation measures and 
effectiveness monitoring to address potential threats. The requested 
take limits would allow for implementation of monitoring and research 
activities in several northern California watersheds including the 
Winchuk River, Smith River, Lower Klamath basin tributaries, Mad River, 
Little River, several Humboldt Bay tributaries, and Eel River. The 
three species identified which would be taken as a direct result of 
this monitoring are CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, and NC 
steelhead. Research and take would involve various life stages (fry, 
juvenile, smolt, adult, and carcass). Trained GDRC crews would observe 
listed salmonids during snorkel surveys and spawning surveys. Crews 
would avoid walking in suitable spawning habitats (e.g., riffle 
crests). Listed salmonids would be captured by various capture methods 
including backpack electrofishing, kick net sampling, rotary screw 
trapping, v-notch weir outmigrant trapping, and minnow trapping. Most 
captured fish would be measured and released. A subsample of captured 
fish would be anesthetized, then marked via dorsal fin clip, fin tissue 
sampled, scale sampled, and/or PIT tagged. Anesthetized individuals 
would be allowed to recover in mesh containers placed in the stream 
channel prior to release. Data collected would be used to document 
long-term population trends and better understand the potential impacts 
on the covered species and their habitats that may result from AHCP 
covered activities. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of 
the fish they capture, but a small number may die as an unintended 
result of the activities.

Permit 17396

    The USFWS, Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP) has applied 
for a five year permit to take listed fish while conducting research 
designed to: (1) Provide data necessary to evaluate the effectiveness 
of AFRP restoration projects, including appraisal of spawning gravel 
augmentation, in-channel and floodplain habitat enhancement actions, 
and water allocation/flow regime alteration actions; and (2) provide 
reconnaissance-level population and biological data on contemporary 
anadromous fish population patterns within the Central Valley of 
California, in order to prioritize and select future restoration 
projects to benefit anadromous salmonids. All AFRP restoration 
monitoring projects would serve to benefit anadromous salmonids by 
providing data on restoration project effectiveness, and providing 
valuable information relating to adaptive management procedures. Take 
of listed species including various life stages of CVSR Chinook salmon, 
CCV steelhead, and sDPS green sturgeon would result from activities in 
the following five proposed projects: (1) Bobcat flat restoration 
effectiveness monitoring in the lower Tuolumne River; (2) adult 
sturgeon acoustic telemetry in the lower San Joaquin basin; (3) San 
Joaquin River sturgeon spawning habitat assessment; (4) steelhead 
sampling and acoustic tracking in the lower Stanislaus, Tuolumne and 
Merced Rivers; and (5) fish reconnaissance in the San Joaquin River 
system. Observe/harass take

[[Page 45201]]

would result from snorkel surveys. Capture methods would include beach 
seine, trammel nets, gill nets, fyke nets, hook-and-line, egg mats, 
benthic d-nets, and boat and backpack electrofishing. The majority of 
captured listed fish would be handled and released; a subsample of 
captures would be anesthetized, scale sampled, fin clipped (to mark and 
to collect fin tissue for genetic analysis), acoustic tagged, and/or 
subject to intentional directed mortality. Green sturgeon eggs (n = 
100) and larvae (n = 5) would be intentionally sacrificed, which would 
be necessary to provide voucher tissue specimens, and would benefit the 
species by providing critical information on green sturgeon spawning 
habitat. To minimize physiological stress, all sturgeon would be held 
in a net pen submerged in river or with flowing water through their 
gills while waiting to be handled. All listed salmonids would be 
immediately collected from the sampling gears, placed in five gallon 
buckets filled with fresh river water from the location being sampled, 
processed, held in another container filled with fresh river water for 
recovery, and subsequently released in the sampled location. The new 
information on these species generated by these projects would help 
prioritize future restoration projects, thus benefiting listed species.

Permit 17867

    The Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC) is seeking to renew permit 1074-
Modification 1 for a period of five years. The permit would authorize 
HRC to take juvenile and adult CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon and 
NC steelhead while conducting research and monitoring that satisfies 
two objectives: (1) To comply with CDFW's Restorable Class I policy by 
sampling reaches through snorkel and electrofishing methods to identify 
Class I habitat within proposed timber harvest plans, and (2) to 
monitor fish occupancy trends at the reach, sub basin, watershed and 
HRC property level over time by repeated snorkel surveys at index and 
randomly selected reaches. Adult and juvenile salmonids would be 
observed during snorkel surveys, and juvenile salmonids would be 
captured by backpack electrofishing. Snorkel surveys would be the 
preferred method of detecting presence/absence of fish species. 
Captured fish would be identified, and transported upstream of the 
project area. All captured specimens would be kept in aerated buckets, 
observed closely, and not released until fully recovered. The proposed 
monitoring would help to achieve HRC's fisheries program's general 
goal, which is to determine the occurrence, distribution, population 
and habitat conditions of anadromous fishes on HRC lands as well as to 
monitor, protect, restore and enhance the anadromous fishery resources 
in watersheds owned by HRC. The researchers are not proposing to kill 
any of the fish they capture, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 17877

    The United States Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is requesting to 
renew Permit 1072--Modification 2 for a period of five years. BOR is 
applying for this permit as a contingent of the Trinity River 
Restoration Program (TRRP), an inter-agency partnership of the BOR, 
USFWS, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Yurok Tribe, CDFW, Trinity County, USFS, 
NMFS, and the California Department of Water Resources. The TRRP 
benefits listed species by conducting large-scale channel restoration 
and habitat restoration activities in the Trinity River mainstem and 
watershed as a means of restoring declining fishery resources. The 
following six specific studies are proposed: (1) Trinity River juvenile 
salmonid outmigrant monitoring, (2) juvenile Chinook salmon density 
monitoring, (3) Trinity River Chinook salmon redd and carcass survey, 
(4) Trinity River invasive brown trout predation on coho investigation, 
(5) Trinity River juvenile coho salmon ecology study, and (6) watershed 
rehabilitation/research. The requested permit would authorize BOR to 
take juvenile, smolt, adult and carcasses of SONCC coho salmon via: (1) 
Observation/harassment by way of snorkel surveys, hand netting that 
specifically targets other species, and spawning surveys; and (2) 
capture by rotary screw trap, boat electrofishing, hook-and-line, beach 
seine, fyke net, or minnow trapping. Fin tissue samples would be 
collected from carcasses. The majority of captured juvenile coho salmon 
would be anesthetized, measured to fork length and released, but a 
subsample would also be PIT tagged. Tagged fish would be held in 
recovery pens post tagging to monitor and enhance post-tagging health. 
The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, 
but a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 17916

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arcata Field Office, is 
seeking to renew permit 1088-Modificaiton 1 for a period of five years 
to monitor the effects of current management actions related to the 
Northwest Forest Plan's Aquatic Conservation Strategy on anadromous 
salmonids and their habitats. In order to monitor land management 
actions and implement the Northwest Forest Plan in northern California, 
BLM needs to obtain updated information on fish distribution and 
habitat. Sampling would occur in various watersheds, including the 
Mattole River, Eel River, Lost Coast region tributaries to the Pacific 
Ocean, and Humboldt Bay tributaries. Take of CC Chinook salmon, SONCC 
coho salmon, and NC steelhead would result from this monitoring and 
research. The preponderance of requested take would result from 
spawning surveys, snorkel surveys, and presence/absence surveys from 
the bank, all of which would result in observe/harass take of juvenile 
and/or adult salmonids. Capture methods that would take juvenile 
salmonids include backpack electrofishing and beach seine. A small 
number of salmonid fry may also be captured during kick net activities 
intended to sample invertebrates. Electrofishing would be used only 
when stream conditions prohibit less invasive sampling methods, and 
electrofishing activities would follow the NMFS 2000 Electrofishing 
Guidelines. Personnel handling fish would have wet hands and experience 
in fish handling. After length measurements were complete, fish would 
be placed in a bucket of freshwater for longer than 30 minutes to allow 
for recovery prior to being released. Recovering fish would be kept in 
cool, shaded, aerated water and would not be overcrowded. This research 
would benefit listed fish by informing adaptive management strategies 
intended to aid in the recovery of at-risk anadromous salmonids. The 
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but 
a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 18012

    The CDFW, Bay Delta Region (Region III), requests a five year 
renewal of permit 10094 to authorize take related to two research 
projects, the Watershed Restoration Project (WRP) and the Fisheries 
Management Project (FMP), designed to assess and restore the 
productivity of CC Chinook salmon, CCC coho salmon, NC steelhead, CCC 
steelhead, and S-CCC steelhead in Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, Marin, San 
Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in north central California. 
Program staff would accomplish this goal by conducting habitat and

[[Page 45202]]

salmonid surveys to determine potential limiting factors and stock 
status in order to identify the specific measures and actions needed to 
protect and increase production of listed salmonids. Proposed studies 
include: (1) Juvenile salmonid occurrence, distribution and habitat 
monitoring; (2) adult salmonid occurrence, passage, and distribution; 
(3) spawning ground surveys; (4) life cycle station monitoring; and (5) 
juvenile steelhead lagoon beach seining. Listed fish would be observed/
harassed during snorkel surveys, spawning surveys, carcass surveys, and 
by the use of electronic counting stations (i.e., DIDSON camera, Vaki 
Riverwatcher and/or video weir). Listed salmonids would be captured 
using backpack electrofishing, beach seining, rotary screw traps, fyke/
pipe traps, and potentially adults may be captured using a resistance 
board weir. When electrofishing, the avoidance and impact minimization 
measures outlined in the NMFS 2000 electrofishing guidelines would be 
followed. The majority of juvenile captures would be handled (measured 
for fork length and weighed), and released. A subset of juvenile 
salmonid captures would be anesthetized, fin tissue sampled to collect 
tissue for genetic analysis, scale sampled, marked with an upper caudal 
fin clip, and/or PIT tagged. Only healthy fish with no signs of stress 
or injury would be subjected to marking or tagging. All fish would be 
allowed to recover fully and would be observed carefully for injury 
prior to release. Captured adult salmonids would be handled (i.e., 
identified, measured, weighed, and scale and tissue samples taken), 
tagged (bi-colored Floy tags and/or opercular-hole-punched) and 
released upstream of the weir. All fish handled would be held in clean 
and decontaminated containers that are supplied with cool, aerated 
water and would be released back into the stream reach from which they 
were collected after recovery. Implementation of these activities under 
the WRP and the FMP would benefit listed species by informing 
recommendations on proposed habitat restoration projects and by 
determining the impacts of various management actions. The researchers 
are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 18712

    H.T. Harvey & Associates has requested a permit to complete a 
project that is intended to meet three Marine Protected Area (MPA) 
monitoring goals set by the MPA Monitoring Enterprise: (1) To assess 
trends in the condition of ecosystems inside and outside of MPA's, (2) 
to evaluate the effects of specific MPA design criteria such as MPA 
size and distance between MPAs, and (3) to evaluate the effect of 
visitors on MPAs. The project would contribute to the goals of the 
monitoring enterprise by describing the baseline biological community 
in four northern California estuaries: (1) Mad River Estuary in 
Humboldt County, (2) South Humboldt Bay State Marine Recreational 
Management Area in Humboldt County, (3) Ten Mile Estuary State Marine 
Conservation Area (SMCA) in Mendocino County, and (4) Big River Estuary 
SMCA in Mendocino County. Sampling related to this project may take 
juvenile and smolt CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, CCC coho 
salmon, NC steelhead, and adult sDPS eulachon. Beach seines and fyke 
nets would be used to capture fish whereby take (i.e., capture/handle/
release) of listed salmonids would occur. Handling would consist of 
identifying and measuring fish to fork length. To ensure that handled 
fish would experience minimal adverse effects as a result of the 
sampling process, fish would be allowed to recover briefly either in 
live wells or in shaded, aerated buckets. The researchers are not 
proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but a small number may 
die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 18937

    The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, 
San Diego, California Sea Grant (CSG) College Program is seeking a five 
year permit to annually take listed CC Chinook salmon, CCC coho salmon, 
and CCC steelhead while monitoring the status and trends of listed 
salmonids in the Russian River watershed. CSG is proposing to collect 
data to estimate population metrics such as abundance, survival, 
growth, and spatial distribution of multiple life stages of salmonids, 
and relate them to different recovery actions including hatchery 
releases, habitat enhancement projects, and stream flow improvement 
projects. Data collection would be designed to meet four specific study 
objectives: (1) Evaluation of the Russian River Coho Salmon Captive 
Broodstock Program, (2) implementation of the California Coastal 
Salmonid Monitoring Plan, (3) comparing juvenile coho salmon oversummer 
survival with stream flow, and (4) evaluation of habitat enhancement 
projects. The four proposed studies would provide resource agencies 
with valuable information that would help guide future decisions 
regarding recovery actions. Fish populations would be monitored in many 
tributaries of the Russian River watershed and several methods that 
could observe/harass and/or capture fish would be employed, including: 
Snorkel surveys, spawning surveys, redd surveys, downstream migrant 
trapping (pipe/funnel trap), minnow trapping, operation of PIT tag 
detection systems (i.e., PIT tag arrays and PIT tag wand surveys), and 
backpack electrofishing. Handling of live fish captured in traps or 
during electrofishing surveys would include anesthetization, measuring 
for fork length, scanning for CWT and PIT tags, fin tissue sampling, 
scale sampling, PIT tagging, and/or gastric lavage. Adult salmonid 
carcasses encountered during spawning surveys would be scanned for PIT 
tags, measured, fin clipped, scale sampled, and otoliths would be 
extracted. All live fish would be released back into the stream 
following recovery in aerated buckets of cold water. Specific measures 
that would be taken to reduce the risk of injury or mortality to fish 
include following the NMFS 2000 Electrofishing Guidelines, minimizing 
the time that fish are handled, placing potential predators in separate 
holding buckets, running aerators in buckets, avoiding overcrowding in 
buckets, changing water in the anesthesia bucket frequently, placing a 
thermometer in holding buckets and replacing water frequently if the 
temperatures are rising, wetting measuring boards and weigh pans, 
processing listed species first, checking traps at least once per day 
and more frequently in high flow or windy conditions, and placing flow 
deflectors inside the trap box to provide refugia for fish. The 
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but 
a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 19121

    The United States Geological Survey, California Water Survey has 
applied for a five year permit for take associated with completing two 
main objectives: (1) To examine research applications of the SmeltCam 
that have been developed and coordinated with the IEP, and (2) to 
provide fisheries science support for the BOR's compliance with 
Biological Opinions. The studies are intended to: (1) Provide new 
quantitative data addressing the potential benefits of habitat 
restoration to the SFE and Delta ecosystem and its native fish 
populations, and (2) determine the vertical and lateral distribution of 
delta smelt, and the continued evaluation and application of SmeltCam 
technology for

[[Page 45203]]

studies of delta smelt and other fishes. The results of these studies 
are expected to provide net benefits to listed species by improving our 
understanding of their ecology and habitat use, and by informing the 
development of new research tools that can guide management decisions 
and habitat restoration actions. Sampling would be conducted in Suisun 
Bay, and would take multiple life stages of CVSR Chinook salmon, SRWR 
Chinook salmon, CCV steelhead, and sDPS green sturgeon. Capture methods 
would include beach seine, fyke trap, larval net, otter trawl, midwater 
trawl, boat electrofishing, set line, and gill net. All sampling would 
follow methods and protocols designed to minimize take of listed 
species while conducting research and monitoring. For example, sampling 
gear such as gill nets would be watched closely to monitor the status 
of any fishes entangled in the net. Set times would be short 
(approximately one hour), and nets would be set in habitats that listed 
fish are unlikely to inhabit. Listed salmonids captured in the course 
of sampling would be identified, carefully measured for length and 
released. Green sturgeon would be anesthetized using MS-222, scanned 
for a presence of a PIT tag, PIT tagged if no PIT tag is present, 
tissue sampled, and allowed to recover prior to release. All fishes 
collected in any sampling gear would be handled as gently as possible 
to facilitate safe release back to the water. The researchers are not 
proposing to kill any of the fish they capture, but a small number may 
die as an unintended result of the activities.

Permit 19400

    ICF consulting has requested a five year permit to take juvenile 
CVSR Chinook salmon and SRWR Chinook salmon while conducting a study to 
investigate if longfin smelt in San Pablo Bay shift their vertical 
distribution under different environmental and biological conditions. 
Although this study principally targets longfin smelt, ESA listed 
Chinook salmon would be encountered during sampling. ICF proposes to 
collect data that would be useful to local researchers on captured and/
or photographed listed Chinook salmon, including abundance, length, and 
potentially tissue samples. Fish would be sampled using a midwater 
trawl, however the majority of tows would be conducted with only a 
video device (i.e., SmeltCam) acting as the codend. Therefore, the 
majority of take would be observe/harass. The fish camera image program 
would be able to determine the length, and thereby an estimate of the 
race/run/listing status, of salmon that pass through the net. In order 
to verify the results of the SmeltCam, some tows would be conducted 
with both the video device and a traditional codend. Physically 
captured juvenile salmonids would be placed in a bucket with aerated 
water, handled (i.e., measured to fork length and possibly fin tissue 
sampled for genetic analysis), and released. The researchers are not 
proposing to kill any of the fish they capture.
    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: July 22, 2015.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-18600 Filed 7-28-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P