[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 53477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16962]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD224]


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 permit application and request for 
public comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received an update to an 
application for a direct take permit, in the form of a Hatchery and 
Genetic Management Plan (HGMP) for hatchery plans rearing and releasing 
Sockeye salmon into the Snake River basin. The permits describe 
hatchery programs operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game 
(IDFG), Shoshone-Bannock Tribe (SBT), National Marine Fisheries 
Service's Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) and Oregon 
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). This document serves to notify 
the public of the availability and opportunity to comment on a draft 
Environmental Assessment (EA) and an HGMP on the proposed hatchery 
program.

DATES: Comments must be received at the appropriate address (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on September 7, 2023. 
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 the 
Snake River sockeye hatchery program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andreas Raisch at (503) 230-5405 or by 
email at [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice

     Snake River Sockeye (O. nerka): endangered, naturally and 
artificially propagated.
     Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 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.

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 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 
(50 CFR 222.308).
    The operators and funding agencies, including IDFG, SBT, ODFW, 
NMFS's NWFSC and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), submitted an 
HGMP to NMFS pursuant to NMFS' ESA Section 10(a)(1)(A) for hatchery 
activities in the Snake River basin. An EA was also prepared pursuant 
to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by NMFS for the Snake 
River sockeye salmon hatchery program.
    The programs are intended to contribute to the survival and 
recovery of Snake River Sockeye salmon in the Snake River basin. The 
proposed program would maintain the Snake River sockeye salmon captive 
broodstock, collect and spawn adult sockeye salmon returning to the 
Snake River basin, rear juveniles, and release eggs, juveniles, and 
adult fish in upper Salmon River basin lakes as well as into Tanner 
Creek. The proposed continuation of the program would indicate best 
management practices to minimize adverse effects on the ESU.

Authority

    16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.

    Dated: August 3, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-16962 Filed 8-7-23; 8:45 am]
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