[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60405-60407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25693]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

XRIN 0648-XG463


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 of one permit application for enhancement and 
monitoring purposes, including an

[[Page 60406]]

associated Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP), and notice of 
availability of a draft Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce receipt of a permit application (21501) to 
enhance the propagation and survival of species listed under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended, from the California 
Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the United States Army Corps 
of Engineers (Corps). Under permit application 21501, CDFW and the 
Corps is requesting to continue, for the next 10 years, the ongoing 
broodstock hatchery program in the Russian River and tributaries, and 
in other target streams in coastal Sonoma and Marin Counties. The 
permit application is expected to advance recovery of the Central 
California Coast (CCC) coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Evolutionary 
Significant Unit (ESU).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the application 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on December 26, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be submitted to 
the California Coastal Office, NMFS, 777 Sonoma Ave., 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: Bob Coey, Santa Rosa, CA (ph.: 707-
575-6090; 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 ESA-listed species are covered in this notice:
     Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch): Endangered Central 
California Coast (CCC) evolutionarily significant unit (ESU)
     Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytcha): Threatened 
California Coastal (CC) ESU
     Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Threatened CCC Distinct 
Population Segment (DPS), and threatened Northern California (NC) DPS.

Authority

    Enhancement permits are issued in accordance with Section 
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1539(a)(1)(A)) and regulations 
governing listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR part 222, subpart 
C). 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; (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies of 
Section 2 of the ESA; (4) whether the permit would further a bona fide 
and necessary or desirable scientific purpose or enhance the 
propagation or survival of the endangered species, taking into account 
the benefits anticipated to be derived on behalf of the endangered 
species; and additional issuance criteria (as listed at 50 CFR Sec.  
222.308(c)(5-12)). The authority to take listed species is subject to 
conditions set forth in the permit.
    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 Received

Permit 21051

    CDFW and the Corps have applied for an enhancement permit under 
Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA for a period of 10 years that would 
allow take, associated with activities conducted through the broodstock 
program, of multiple life stages of CCC coho, CC Chinook salmon, CCC 
and NC steelhead. The permit would authorize these activities described 
in the permit application, which is accompanied by an HGMP. The HGMP 
describes fish hatchery operations, capture/release activities and 
monitoring activities conducted through the broodstock program which 
would be permitted pursuant to the final HGMP. Fish hatchery operations 
included in the permit application such as spawning and rearing 
conducted by the Corps would result in take of CCC cohoonly. Capture 
and release activities in the permit application include capture of 
endangered CCC coho broodstock by CDFW from various streams within 
Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino counties; and release of endangered CCC 
coho broodstock, offspring and post-spawn individuals into various 
streams within Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino counties. Broodstock 
capture and release, and monitoring and in-river research activities, 
also described in the application, could result in take of CCC coho, CC 
Chinook salmon, CCC and NC steelhead. Some of these activities are 
covered under separate research permits as discussed below.
    Since the initiation of the broodstock program in 2001, CDFW and 
the Corps have collected captive broodstock from streams in the Russian 
River and Lagunitas/Olema Creek watersheds and artificially propagated 
them at the DCFH. The broodstock is derived from hatchery-reared CCC 
coho juveniles retained from artificial propagation at DCFH, and the 
capture of natural-origin young-of-year (YOY) CCC coho from various 
tributaries within the Russian River and the Lagunitas/Olema Creek 
basins (used primarily for outbreeding), and the very few CCC coho 
returning to the DCFH as adults. Currently, surplus broodstock from the 
broodstock program are used to supplement populations in the Russian 
River as well as salmon, Walker and Redwood creeks. In addition, the 
broodstock program holds and rears CCC coho from Scott Creek,\1\ 
without propagation. Through the broodstock program, CDFW and the Corps 
conducted these activities under ESA 10(a)(1)(A) permits 1067 and 
10094. Permit 1067 was issued September 26, 2001, and authorized the 
collection of CCC coho from streams located in the Russian River and 
Marin County watersheds for developing captive broodstock and rescue 
rearing at DCFH. Permit 10094 was issued September 23, 2008, and 
authorized scientific research and monitoring of ESA-listed anadromous 
salmonids in California including CCC coho. Under the proposed HGMP 
these activities would continue.
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    \1\ The DCFH rears CCC coho salmon and returns them to 
Kingfisher Flat Hatchery (KFH) where they then are released to Scott 
Creek. KFH operates under permit 1112.
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    CDFW and the Corps' proposed HGMP for the broodstock program also 
includes new provisions that would authorize collection, captive 
rearing, broodstock spawning, and release in focus and supplemental CCC 
coho populations identified in the HGMP and NMFS' recovery plan for CCC 
coho (see https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/salmon_steelhead/recovery_planning_and_implementation/north_central_california_coast/central_california_coast_coho_recovery_plan.html).
    Prospective populations of CCC coho identified in the HGMP that 
permit 21501 would also include are the Garcia, Navarro, Gualala River 
CCC coho populations, and other focus or supplemental populations 
identified in the NMFS Recovery Plan for CCC coho. CDFW and the Corps 
propose to

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conduct these new activities in order to achieve the goals of the 
broodstock program, which are to: (1) Prevent extirpation of CCC coho 
in the Russian River; (2) preserve genetic, ecological, and behavioral 
attributes of CCC coho in the Russian River; and (3) build self-
sustaining CCC coho populations in the Russian River and throughout the 
CCC coho ESU.
    CDFW and the Corps' proposed HGMP for the broodstock program 
includes provisions for a monitoring program. The proposed monitoring 
program is designed to determine the success of the broodstock program 
and has been in existence since the first release of program CCC coho 
in 2004. The proposed monitoring program is composed of two elements, 
hatchery and field monitoring.
    Hatchery monitoring is associated with hatchery rearing and 
spawning activities and is conducted by Corps' hatchery staff. During 
spawning, hatchery staff record data on individual spawner performance 
(i.e. fecundity and fertility rates). During hatchery rearing, which is 
after spawning through release, hatchery staff collects data on life 
stage-specific survival. The hatchery staff retain two randomly chosen 
juvenile CCC coho from each family group (up to 1,500 fish) for 
potential use as broodstock in the event sufficient natural-origin fish 
from the same brood year are not available. All CCC coho collected and 
intended for use as broodstock at DCFH (including Scott Creek fish) are 
physically segregated at all times. Mortalities that occur during the 
routine operation of the program are removed from their respective 
rearing containers on a daily basis, and hatchery staff records and 
evaluates these daily mortalities to ensure that the number of 
mortalities among fry and more advanced life stages does not exceed 0.2 
percent of any program production over any 24-hour period. Compliance 
with all applicable hatchery operations and health guidelines, as well 
as required specific effluent testing, is monitored and recorded by 
hatchery staff year-round. In addition, hatchery staff performs, 
monitors, and records all marking and tagging of CCC coho including: 
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging of all fish collected from 
the natural environment; disk-tagging of all adults used for artificial 
spawning; coded-wire tagging of all broodstock program progeny to 
facilitate distinguishing between hatchery-origin and natural-origin 
fish; PIT tagging of [hairsp]>=15 percent (minimum 30,000) of 
broodstock program progeny released to allow smolt-to-adult-return 
(SAR) calculations; and floy tagging of all adults that are released to 
allow identification of hatchery-reared adult CCC coho during spawner 
surveys.
    Field monitoring is associated with the post-release performance of 
the broodstock program and has been conducted annually in a minimum of 
four index streams in the Russian River basin since 2004. This ongoing 
field monitoring, conducted by California Sea Grant under contract to 
the Corps, is a substantial complimentary monitoring element that is 
described in the HGMP, and helps to inform management of the broodstock 
program, but is operating independently under separate permits. The 
HGMP describes future monitoring efforts in out-of-basin streams to 
include at a minimum presence/absence surveys following release of fish 
of an appropriate life stage (e.g., summer juvenile surveys following 
YOY spring release, redd surveys following adult release), appropriate 
genetic analysis, or other evaluation of success as funding is 
available.
    Under the application for Permit 21501, proposed take activities 
for CCC coho include monitoring; collecting broodstock and non-
broodstock CCC coho; conducting routine hatchery activities including 
artificial propagation, rearing, tissue sampling, and marking; 
transporting and releasing of early life stage progeny (eyed eggs and/
or unfed fry), juveniles (broodstock surplus), and adult (captive 
rearing and broodstock surplus) CCC coho into Russian River tributaries 
and other target streams.

Public Comments Solicited

    NMFS invites the public to comment, including any written data, 
views, or arguments, on the permit application and associated HGMP 
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. 1539(c)), 50 CFR 222.303. 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 also meet other legal 
requirements prior to taking final action, including preparation of a 
biological opinion. NMFS will publish notice of its final action in the 
Federal Register.

    Dated: November 20, 2018.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-25693 Filed 11-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P