[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 162 (Monday, August 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56603-56604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19890]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE806


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received one permit 
application from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to 
enhance the propagation and survival of species listed under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended, for a 10 year period. 
As part of this permit application, USFWS has submitted two HGMPs. The 
HGMPs specify methods for the operation of two

[[Page 56604]]

hatchery programs at Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery (LSNFH); 
the Winter Chinook Integrated-Recovery Supplementation Program, and the 
Winter Chinook Captive Broodstock Program. LSNFH is located on the 
Upper Sacramento River in California's Central Valley. This document 
serves to notify the public of the availability of the permit 
application and associated HGMPs for review and comment, prior to a 
decision by NMFS whether to issue the permit. The permit application 
and associated HGMPs 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 September 21, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be submitted to 
the California Central Valley Office, NMFS, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-
100, Sacramento, CA 95814. Comments may also be submitted via fax to 
916-930-3629 or by email to [email protected] (include the 
permit number in the subject line of the fax or email).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Cranford, Sacramento, CA (ph.: 
916-930-3706), Fax: 916-930-3629, 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 Central 
Valley spring-run (CVSR); endangered Sacramento River winter-run 
(SRWR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened California Central Valley (CCV).

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.

Permit Application(s) Received

Permit 16477

    The USFWS has applied for a permit under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the 
ESA for a period of 10 years that would allow take of adult and 
juvenile SRWR Chinook salmon, from the endangered Sacramento River 
Evolutionarily Significant Unit pursuant to HGMPs, which were developed 
with technical assistance from NMFS. Take of adult CVSR Chinook salmon 
and adult CCV steelhead may also occur as a result of hatchery 
activities at LSNFH. The HGMPs will be implemented as part of the 
existing Integrated-Recovery Supplementation Program and Captive 
Broodstock Program at LSNFH. Actions taken pursuant to the permit are 
designed to enhance the survival of SRWR Chinook salmon residing in the 
Upper Sacramento River below Keswick Dam. The HGMPs incorporate two 
main components: Artificial propagation activities and research, 
monitoring and evaluation (RM&E).
    Artificial propagation activities that could lead to the take of 
ESA-listed salmonids include; adult broodstock collection, spawning, 
rearing, handling, evaluation, tagging and release of progeny. 
Additionally, USFWS will maintain a Captive Broodstock Program at LSNFH 
sourced from fish originating from the Integrated-Recovery 
Supplementation Program. Release of captive broodstock will not be 
authorized under Permit 16477. Release of these fish will be permitted 
through separate section 10(a)(1)(A) Permits or authorizations, as 
needed. The HGMPs include measures to minimize the likelihood of 
genetic or ecological effects to naturally produced, ESA-listed 
salmonids resulting from hatchery operations and propagation of SRWR 
Chinook salmon.
    RM&E activities will collect necessary data to document achievement 
of performance indicators specified in the HGMPs. USFWS is currently 
involved with the following research and monitoring projects directly 
involved with evaluating the effects of the hatchery programs at LSNFH: 
(1) The Adult Acoustic Telemetry Study to monitor the movements of 
adult winter-run Chinook salmon that are captured at the Keswick Dam 
Fish Trap and not retained for broodstock; and (2) the Juvenile 
Acoustic Tracking Study using acoustic tags to study emigration 
patterns and survival of juvenile hatchery-origin winter-run Chinook 
salmon. For a more detailed discussion of the RM&E activities, please 
see the permit application package.

Public Comments Solicited

    NMFS invites the public to comment on the permit application and 
associated HGMPs during a 30 day public comment period beginning on the 
date of this notice. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) 
of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1529(c)). All comments and materials received, 
including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative 
record and may be released to the public. We provide this notice in 
order to allow the public, agencies, or other organizations to review 
and comment on these documents.

Next Steps

    NMFS will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and 
comments submitted to determine whether the applications meet the 
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA and Federal regulations. 
The final permit decisions will not be made until after the end of the 
30-day public comment period and after NMFS has fully considered all 
relevant comments received. NMFS will publish notice of its final 
action in the Federal Register.

    Dated: August 15, 2016.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-19890 Filed 8-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P