[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 125 (Friday, June 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31049-31050]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13759]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[0648-XR005]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice; availability of a draft Environmental Assessment, 
Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination, and Hatchery and Genetic 
Management Plans for public comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 16 plans for 
hatchery programs rearing and releasing Chinook salmon, coho salmon, 
and summer steelhead in the Snake River basin. The plans describe 
hatchery programs operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game 
(IDFG), Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), and Washington Department of Fish and 
Wildlife (WDFW). This document serves to notify the public of the 
availability and opportunity to comment on a draft Environmental 
Assessment (EA), four Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs), 
and three Proposed Evaluation and Determination Documents (PEPDs) on 
the proposed hatchery programs.

DATES: Comments must be received at the appropriate address (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on July 29, 2019. 
Comments received after this date may not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Written comments 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 Snake 
River hatchery programs.

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

     Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened, 
naturally and artificially propagated;
    [cir] Snake River Fall-run (O. tshawytscha): threatened, naturally 
and artificially propagated;
    [cir] Snake River Spring/Summer run: threatened, naturally and 
artificially propagated;
     Snake River Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened, naturally 
and artificially propagated;
     Snake River Sockeye (O. nerka): endangered, 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

[[Page 31050]]

``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 (50 CFR 223.203(b)).
    Twelve of the plans are submitted pursuant to the Tribal 4(d) Rule 
or limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule. Four of the plans are submitted pursuant 
to limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. The plans describe hatchery programs 
operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Nez Perce 
Tribe (NPT), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The 
programs are funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS) through the Lower Snake Compensation Plan (LSRCP), Idaho Power 
Company (IPC), and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The 
operators and funding agencies, including the NPT, WDFW, IDFG, LSRCP, 
IPC, and BPA, have submitted HGMPs to NMFS pursuant to NMFS' 4(d) Rule 
of the ESA for hatchery activities in the Snake River basin.
    The programs are intended to contribute to the survival and 
recovery of Snake River Spring/summer Chinook salmon and Snake River 
Basin steelhead in the Snake River basin, and enhance fishing 
opportunity.

Authority

    Under section 4 of the ESA, the Secretary of Commerce is required 
to adopt such regulations as he deems necessary and advisable for the 
conservation of species listed as threatened. The ESA salmon and 
steelhead 4(d) Rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 
37160, June 28, 2005) specifies categories of activities that 
contribute to the conservation of listed salmonids and sets out the 
criteria for such activities. The Tribal 4(d) Rule (65 FR 42481, July 
10, 2000) (50 CFR 223.204) states that the ESA section 9 take 
prohibitions will not apply to Tribal Plans that will not appreciably 
reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery for the listed species.

    Dated: June 7, 2019.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-13759 Filed 6-27-19; 8:45 am]
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