[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 211 (Monday, November 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67386-67389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27854]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE232


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce that the Proposed Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) Recovery Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Proposed Plan) 
is available for public review and comment. The Proposed Plan addresses 
the Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Onchorhynchus tshawytscha) 
evolutionarily significant unit (ESU), which is listed as threatened 
under the ESA. The geographic area covered by

[[Page 67387]]

the Proposed Plan is the lower and middle mainstem Snake River and 
tributaries as well as the mainstem Columbia River below its confluence 
with the Snake River. As required under the ESA, the Proposed Plan 
contains objective, measurable delisting criteria, site-specific 
management actions necessary to achieve the Proposed Plan's goals, and 
estimates of the time and cost required to implement recovery actions. 
We are soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested 
parties on the Proposed Plan.

DATES: We will consider and address, as appropriate, all substantive 
comments received during the comment period. Comments on the Proposed 
Plan must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time on 
January 4, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Public Draft Recovery Plan by 
the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via: [email protected]. Please 
include ``Comments on Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan'' 
in the subject line of the email.
     Mail: Patricia Dornbusch, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1201 NE. Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.
     Facsimile: (503) 230-5441.
    Instructions: Electronic copies of the Proposed Plan are available 
on the NMFS Web site at: http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/salmon_steelhead/recovery_planning_and_implementation/snake_river/current_snake_river_recovery_plan_documents.html. Persons wishing to 
obtain an electronic copy on CD ROM of the Proposed Plan may do so by 
calling Bonnie Hossack at (503) 736-4741 or by emailing a request to 
[email protected] with the subject line ``CD ROM Request for 
Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Dornbusch, NMFS Snake River 
Fall Chinook Salmon Recovery Coordinator, at (503) 230-5430, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    We are responsible for developing and implementing recovery plans 
for Pacific salmon and steelhead listed under the ESA of 1973, as 
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means that the listed 
species and their ecosystems are sufficiently restored, and their 
future secured, to the point that the protections of the ESA are no 
longer necessary. Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that recovery 
plans include, to the extent practicable: (1) Objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the 
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific 
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3) 
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions. 
The ESA requires the development of recovery plans for each listed 
species unless such a plan would not promote its recovery.
    We believe it is essential to have local support of recovery plans 
by those whose activities directly affect the listed species and whose 
continued commitment and leadership will be needed to implement the 
necessary recovery actions. We therefore support and participate in 
collaborative efforts to develop recovery plans that involve state, 
tribal, and federal entities, local communities, and other 
stakeholders. For this Proposed Plan for threatened Snake River Fall 
Chinook Salmon, we worked collaboratively with state, tribal, and 
federal partners to produce a recovery plan that satisfies the ESA 
requirements. We have determined that this Proposed ESA Recovery Plan 
for Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon meets the statutory requirements 
for a recovery plan and are proposing to adopt it as the ESA recovery 
plan for this threatened species. Section 4(f) of the ESA, as amended 
in 1988, requires that public notice and an opportunity for public 
review and comment be provided prior to final approval of a recovery 
plan. This notice solicits comments on this Proposed Plan.

Development of the Proposed Plan

    For the purpose of recovery planning for the ESA-listed species of 
Pacific salmon and steelhead in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, NMFS 
designated five geographically based ``recovery domains.'' The Snake 
River Fall Chinook Salmon ESU spawning range is in the Interior 
Columbia domain. For each domain, NMFS appointed a team of scientists, 
nominated for their geographic and species expertise, to provide a 
solid scientific foundation for recovery plans. The Interior Columbia 
Technical Recovery Team included biologists from NMFS, other federal 
agencies, states, tribes, and academic institutions.
    A primary task for the Interior Columbia Technical Recovery Team 
was to recommend criteria for determining when each component 
population within an ESU or distinct population segment (DPS) should be 
considered viable (i.e., when they are have a low risk of extinction 
over a 100-year period) and when ESUs or DPSs have a risk of extinction 
consistent with no longer needing the protections of the ESA. All 
Technical Recovery Teams used the same biological principles for 
developing their recommendations; these principles are described in the 
NOAA technical memorandum Viable Salmonid Populations and the Recovery 
of Evolutionarily Significant Units (McElhany et al., 2000). Viable 
salmonid populations (VSP) are defined in terms of four parameters: 
abundance, productivity or growth rate, spatial structure, and 
diversity.
    We also collaborated with state, tribal, and federal biologists and 
resource managers to provide technical information used to develop the 
Proposed Plan. In addition, NMFS established a multi-state (Idaho, 
Oregon, and Washington), tribal, and federal partners' regional forum 
called the Snake River Coordination Group that addresses the four ESA-
listed Snake River salmon and steelhead species. They met twice a year 
to be briefed and provide technical and policy information to NMFS. We 
presented regular updates on the status of this Proposed Plan to the 
Snake River Coordination Group and posted draft chapters on NMFS' West 
Coast Region Snake River recovery planning Web page. We also made full 
drafts of the Proposed Plan available for review to the state, tribal, 
and Federal entities with whom we collaborated to develop the plan.
    In addition to the Proposed Plan, we developed and incorporated the 
Module for the Ocean Environment (Fresh et al. 2014) as Appendix D to 
address Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon recovery needs in the Columbia 
River estuary, plume, and Pacific Ocean. To address recovery needs 
related to the Columbia River Hydropower System, we developed and 
incorporated the Supplemental Recovery Plan Module for Snake River 
Salmon and Steelhead Mainstem Columbia River Hydropower Projects (NMFS 
2014b) as Appendix E of this Proposed Plan. To address recovery needs 
related to the Lower Columbia River mainstem and estuary, we 
incorporated the Columbia River Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for 
Salmon and Steelhead (NMFS 2011a) as Appendix F. To address recovery 
needs for fishery harvest management in the mainstem Snake and Columbia 
Rivers, Columbia River estuary, and ocean, we developed and 
incorporated the Snake River Harvest Module (NMFS 2014a) as Appendix G.

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    The Proposed Plan, including the recovery plan modules, is now 
available for public review and comment.

Contents of Proposed Plan

    The Proposed Plan contains biological background and contextual 
information that includes description of the ESU, the planning area, 
and the context of the plan's development. It presents relevant 
information on ESU structure, guidelines for assessing salmonid 
population and ESU status, and a brief summary of Interior Columbia 
Technical Recovery Team products on population structure and species 
status. It also presents NMFS' proposed biological viability criteria 
and threats criteria for delisting.
    As described in Chapter 2 of the Proposed Plan, the historical 
Snake River fall Chinook salmon ESU consisted of two populations. The 
population above the Hells Canyon Dam Complex is extirpated, leaving 
only one extant population--the Lower Mainstem Snake River population. 
An ESU with a single population would be at greater extinction risk 
than an ESU with multiple populations. This is a key consideration in 
the proposed Snake River fall Chinook salmon biological viability 
criteria, since there is more than one possible scenario for achieving 
the criteria. The proposed viability criteria include two possible 
scenarios and a placeholder for developing additional scenarios that 
would be consistent with delisting. Scenario A focuses on achieving ESA 
delisting with two populations (i.e., the extant Lower Mainstem Snake 
River population and a recovered Middle Snake population above the 
Hells Canyon Complex). Scenario B illustrates a single-population 
pathway to delisting. The placeholder scenario describes a framework 
under which additional single-population scenarios could be developed 
that would involve developing natural production emphasis areas that 
would have a low percentage of hatchery-origin spawners. NMFS is 
interested in comments on how such additional scenarios might be 
developed, potentially for inclusion in the final recovery plan.
    The Proposed Plan also describes specific information on the 
following: Current status of Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon; limiting 
factors and threats throughout the life cycle that have contributed to 
the species decline; recovery strategies and actions addressing these 
limiting factors and threats; and a proposed research, monitoring, and 
evaluation program for adaptive management. For recovery actions, the 
Proposed Plan includes a table summarizing each proposed action, life 
stage affected, estimated costs, timing, and potential implementing 
entities. It also describes how implementation, prioritization of 
actions, and adaptive management will proceed. The Proposed Plan also 
summarizes time and costs (Chapter 9) required to implement recovery 
actions. In some cases, costs of implementing actions could not be 
determined at this time and NMFS is interested in additional 
information regarding scale, scope, and costs of these actions. We are 
also particularly interested in comments on establishing appropriate 
forums to coordinate implementation of the recovery plan.

How NMFS and Others Expect To Use the Plan

    With approval of the final recovery plan, we will commit to 
implement the actions in the plan for which we have authority and 
funding; encourage other federal and state agencies and tribal 
governments to implement recovery actions for which they have 
responsibility, authority, and funding; and work cooperatively with the 
public and local stakeholders on implementation of other actions. We 
expect the recovery plan to guide us and other federal agencies in 
evaluating federal actions under ESA section 7, as well as in 
implementing other provisions of the ESA and other statutes. For 
example, the plan will provide greater biological context for 
evaluating the effects that a proposed action may have on a species by 
providing delisting criteria, information on priority areas for 
addressing specific limiting factors, and information on how the ESU 
can tolerate varying levels of risk.
    When we are considering a species for delisting, the agency will 
examine whether the section 4(a)(1) listing factors have been 
addressed. To assist in this examination, we will use the delisting 
criteria described in Section 3.2 and Section 3.3 of the Proposed Plan, 
which include both biological criteria and criteria addressing each of 
the ESA section 4(a)(1) listing factors, as well as any other relevant 
data and policy considerations.
    We will also work with the proposed implementation structure, as 
described in Chapter 8 of the Proposed Plan, to coordinate among 
existing forums, develop implementation priorities, and address science 
and adaptive management issues.

Conclusion

    Section 4(f)(1)(B) of the ESA requires that recovery plans 
incorporate, to the extent practicable, (1) objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the 
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific 
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3) 
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions. 
We conclude that the Proposed Plan meets the requirements of ESA 
section 4(f) and are proposing to adopt it as the ESA Recovery Plan for 
Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon.

Public Comments Solicited

    We are soliciting written comments on the Proposed Plan. All 
substantive comments received by the date specified above will be 
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, prior to our decision 
whether to approve the plan. While we invite comments on all aspects of 
the Proposed Plan, we are particularly interested in comments on 
developing specific scenarios to address the placeholder recovery 
scenario, comments on the cost of recovery actions for which we have 
not yet determined implementation costs, and comments on establishing 
an appropriate implementation forum for the plan. We will issue a news 
release announcing the adoption and availability of the final plan. We 
will post on the NMFS West Coast Region Web site (www.wcr.noaa.gov) a 
summary of, and responses to, the comments received, along with 
electronic copies of the final plan and its appendices.

Literature Cited

Fresh, K. et al. 2014. Module for the Ocean Environment. NMFS 
Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/recovery_planning/salmon_steelhead/domains/interior_columbia/snake/ocean_module.pdf.
McElhany, P., M.H. Ruckelshaus, M.J. Ford, T.C. Wainwright, and E.P. 
Bjorkstedt. 2000. Viable salmon populations and the recovery of 
evolutionarily significant units. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech. 
Memo., NMFS NWFSC 42, 156 p.
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 2011. Columbia River 
Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon and Steelhead. NMFS 
Northwest Region. Portland, OR. January. Prepared for NMFS by the 
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (contractor) and PC Trask & 
Associates, Inc., subcontractor. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/recovery_planning/salmon_steelhead/domains/interior_columbia/snake/estuary-mod.pdf.
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 2014a. Supplemental 
recovery plan module for Snake River salmon and steelhead mainstem 
Columbia River

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hydropower projects. Portland, OR. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/recovery_planning/salmon_steelhead/domains/interior_columbia/snake/hydro_supplemental_recovery_plan_module_063014.pdf.
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 2014b. Snake River Harvest 
Module. Portland, OR. http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/recovery_planning/salmon_steelhead/domains/interior_columbia/snake/harvest_module_062514.pdf.

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

    Dated: October 27, 2015.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-27854 Filed 10-30-15; 8:45 am]
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