[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12594-12595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06316]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG917


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.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received seven plans for 
hatchery operations rearing and releasing Chinook salmon and summer 
steelhead hatchery programs rearing salmon and steelhead in the Upper 
Columbia River Basin. The plans describe programs operated by the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Douglas Public Utility District (PUD). 
The programs are funded by the Douglas PUD, Chelan PUD, Grant PUD, and 
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBOR). This document serves to notify the 
public of the availability of these materials, including the draft EA, 
for review and comment prior to a decision by NMFS on approval of the 
plan and issuance of the permits.

DATES: Comments must be received at the appropriate address (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on May 2, 2019. 
Comments received after this date may not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Written responses to the addendum should be addressed to the 
NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Portland, OR 
97232. Comments may be submitted by email. The mailbox address for 
providing email comments is: [email protected]. 
Include in the subject line of the email comment the following 
identifier: Comments on Upper Columbia Hatchery programs approvals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emi Kondo at (503) 736-4739 or by 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
     Upper Columbia River Spring-run Chinook (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha): Endangered, naturally and artificially propagated
     Upper Columbia River Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened, 
naturally and artificially propagated

Background

    Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Federal 
regulations prohibit the ``taking'' of a species listed as endangered 
or threatened. The term ``take'' is defined under the ESA to mean 
harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or 
collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. NMFS may make 
exceptions to the take prohibitions in section 9 of the ESA for 
programs that are approved by NMFS under section 4(d) of the ESA.
    The co-managers and funding agencies, including the PUDs, WDFW, 
USFWS, and USBOR, have submitted hatchery and genetic management plans 
(HGMP) to NMFS pursuant to sections 4(d), 10(a)(1)(A), and 10(a)(1)(B) 
of the ESA for hatchery activities in the Upper Columbia River basin. 
For the programs considered under section 10, the HGMPs serve as permit 
applications.
    The HGMPs describe actions involving hatchery activities (with 
associated monitoring and evaluation) in the Upper Columbia River 
basin. The programs are intended to contribute to the survival and 
recovery of Upper Columbia River Basin steelhead in the Upper Columbia 
River basin, and to responsibly enhance fishing opportunity on 
hatchery-origin summer/fall and fall Chinook salmon and steelhead 
returns.

Authority

    NMFS will evaluate each application, associated documents, and 
comments submitted thereon to determine whether the applications meet 
the requirements of section 4(d) of the ESA, Limit 5, and sections 
10(a)(1)(A) and 10(a)(1)(B) of ESA. If it is determined that the 
requirements are met under the sections mentioned above, one HGMP will 
be approved for the purpose of carrying out the hatchery programs and 
the relevant section 10 permits will be issued. NMFS will publish a 
record of its final action in the Federal Register.


[[Page 12595]]


    Dated: March 27, 2019.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-06316 Filed 4-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P