[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 20042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09570]



[[Page 20042]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG128


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a draft environmental assessment; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has prepared a draft 
environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) describing the potential effects of the continued operation 
of one hatchery program in the San Joaquin River Basin of California. 
The Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP) for the program was 
prepared and submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). All 
comments and other information received will become part of the public 
record and will be available for review.

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 June 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft EA should be addressed to the 
NMFS California Central Valley Office, Attn: San Joaquin Hatchery EA, 
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 in the subject line of the 
email comment the following identifier: Comments on San Joaquin 
Hatchery EA. When commenting on the draft EA, please refer to the 
specific page number and line number of the subject of your comment. 
The documents are available on the internet at 
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Cranford, Sacramento, CA, at 
phone number: (916) 930-3706, via fax: (916) 930-3629, or via email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice

    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened, naturally 
produced and artificially propagated Central Valley spring-run (CVSR).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened, naturally produced and 
artificially propagated California Central Valley (CCV).

Background

    The USFWS and CDFW, under the auspices of the San Joaquin River 
Restoration Program (SJRRP), are working to restore a CVSR Chinook 
salmon population in the San Joaquin River. The reintroduced CVSR 
Chinook salmon, taken from one or more out-of-basin stocks, are 
designated as a non-essential, experimental population under section 
10(j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and have associated 4(d) 
take provisions (78 FR 79622). The SJRRP determined that a conservation 
hatchery would be the preferred and primary strategy for reintroducing 
CVSR Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River. The San Joaquin River 
Salmon Conservation and Research Program (Conservation Program) 
involves the operation of two facilities: the Salmon Conservation and 
Research Facility (SCARF) currently under construction, with completion 
expected summer of 2018, and an interim SCARF (Interim Facility) 
currently in operation. The Conservation Program is operated as an 
Integrated-Recovery hatchery program, intended to help meet fisheries 
management objectives while achieving restoration and recovery goals.
    This CVSR Chinook salmon HGMP submitted by the USFWS and CDFW, 
pursuant to 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 part 
222), provides guidance on the management and operation of the SCARF 
and Interim Facility in the San Joaquin River Basin. The HGMP and the 
associated section 10(a)(1)(A) enhancement permit application (20571) 
were made available for public review and comment on July 27, 2017 (82 
FR 34931). On August 8, 2017, NMFS determined that the submitted HGMP 
was sufficient for consideration under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA. 
The draft environmental assessment available for comment evaluates the 
potential effects of approving the CVSR Chinook salmon HGMP and issuing 
an ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) Permit 20571 to the USFWS and CDFW.

Authority

    NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct an environmental analysis 
of their proposed actions to determine if the actions may affect the 
human environment. Therefore, NMFS is seeking public input on the scope 
of the required NEPA analysis, including the range of reasonable 
alternatives and associated impacts of any alternatives.

    Dated: May 1, 2018.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-09570 Filed 5-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P