[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 225 (Friday, November 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 82324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25878]



[[Page 82324]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD547]


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 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 December 26, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be addressed to 
the NMFS California Central Valley Office, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-
100, Sacramento, CA 95814. Comments may also be submitted via email to 
[email protected]. Include in the subject line of the email 
comment the following identifier: Comments on SJRRP 10(a)(1)(A) 
Enhancement Permit EA. When commenting on the draft environmental 
assessment, please refer to the specific page number and line number of 
the subject of your comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meiling Colombano, Sacramento, CA, at 
phone number: (916) 930-3695, 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).
    Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): threatened, naturally 
produced southern distinct population segment (sDPS).

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 ESA, and have associated 4(d) take provisions (78 FR 
79622; December 31, 2013). 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 in 2024, 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 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-
2R) were made available for public review and comment on March 7, 2023 
(88 FR 14147). On June 26, 2023, 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 Section 10(a)(1)(A) Permit 20571-2R 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: November 17, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-25878 Filed 11-22-23; 8:45 am]
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