67 FR 148 pgs. 49906-49908 - Receipt of Two Applications for Direct Take Permits (1395 and1396)
Type: NOTICEVolume: 67Number: 148Pages: 49906 - 49908
Docket number: [I.D. 072402A]
FR document: [FR Doc. 02-19431 Filed 7-31-02; 8:45 am]
Agency: Commerce Department
Sub Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 072402A]
Receipt of Two Applications for Direct Take Permits (1395 and1396)
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice of availability.
SUMMARY:
NMFS has received applications for direct take permits (Permits) fromthe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, asamended (ESA) (permit numbers 1395 and 1396, respectively). Chelan CountyPublic Utilities District (PUD) and Douglas County PUD are co-applicantswith WDFW for permit 1395 as agreed to in the Habitat Conservation Plans(HCPs) developed for the operation of Rock Island, Rocky Reach and Wellshydro electric projects; the USFWS is the applicant for permit 1396. Asrequired by the ESA, the WDFW, Chelan PUD, Douglas PUD and USFWS haveprepared conservation plans (Plans) designed to minimize and mitigate anysuch take of endangered or threatened species. The Permit applications arefor the direct and incidental take of ESA-listed adult and juvenilesalmonids associated with carrying out hatchery programs for endangeredUpper Columbia River steelhead in the upper Columbia River and itstributaries in the state of Washington. The duration of the proposed Plansand Permits is 5 years. NMFS is furnishing this notice in order to allowother agencies and the public an opportunity to review and comment on thesedocuments. All comments received will become part of the public record andwill be available for review pursuant to the ESA.
DATES:
Written comments from interested parties on the Permit applications andPlans must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES ) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time on September 3, 2002.
ADDRESSES:
Written comments on the applications and Plans should be sent toKristine Petersen, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 525 N.E. Oregon Street,Suite 510, Portland, OR 97232. Comments may also be sent via fax to503/872-2737. Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or theInternet. Requests for copies of the permit applications and ConservationPlans should be directed to the Sustainable Fisheries Division, 525 N.E.Oregon Street, Suite 510, Portland, OR 97232. The documents are alsoavailable on the Internet at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ .Comments received will also be available for public inspection, byappointment, during normal business hours by calling503/230-5409.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristine Petersen, Portland, OR (ph: 503/230-5409, fax:503/872-2737, e-mail: Kristine.Petersen@noaa.gov ).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Section 9 of the ESA and Federal regulations prohibit the"taking" of a species listed as endangered or threatened. Theterm "take" is defined under the ESA to mean harass, harm,pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attemptto engage in any such conduct. NMFS may issue permits, under limitedcircumstances, to take listed species for scientific purposes or to enhancethe propagation or survival of the species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of theESA. NMFS regulations governing permits for threatened and endangeredspecies are promulgated at 50 CFR 222.307.
Species Covered in This Notice
The following evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) are included inthe Plan and Permit application:
Steelhead ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ): endangered, naturallyproduced and artificially propagated Upper Columbia River (UCR).
Chinook salmon ( O. tshawytscha ): endangered, naturallyproduced and artificially propagated, UCR spring-run.
Applications Received
Two section 10(a)(1)(A) permits for artificial propagation and releaseof endangered Upper Columbia River Basin ESU steelhead will expire on May31, 2003. In anticipation of this expiration date, the WDFW and USFWS areapplying for new permits covering similar actions. Upper Columbia RiverBasin ESU steelhead were listed as endangered on August 18, 1997 (62 FR43937). Included in the listing decision was the determination that theWells Hatchery stock was part of the ESU and essential for recoveryefforts.
On June 12, 2002, WDFW submitted an application to NMFS for an ESAsection 10(a)(1)(A) permit for the take of ESA-listed anadromous fishspecies associated with operation of hatchery programs producing hatcherysteelhead for release into the Columbia River at Ringold Springs Rearingfacility and upstream of Rock Island Dam from the Wenatchee River to theOkanogan River Basin from 2002 to 2007. Incidental take would includeendangered spring chinook salmon in the Upper Columbia River ESU. Theproposed programs produce steelhead of native stock to enhance localnaturally spawning salmon populations.
On June 11, 2002, USFWS submitted an application to NMFS for an ESAsection 10(a)(1)(A) permit for the direct take of ESA-listed anadromousfish species associated with operation of hatchery programs producingendangered steelhead for release into the Methow River from 2002 to 2007.Incidental take would include endangered spring chinook salmon in the UpperColumbia River ESU. The proposed programs produce steelhead of nativestock to enhance local naturally spawning salmon populations.
Conservation Plans
The Conservation Plans prepared by WDFW and USFWS describe measuresdesigned to monitor, minimize, and mitigate the take of ESA-listedanadromous steelhead and the incidental takes of ESA-listed salmonassociated with the following steelhead hatchery programs that are proposedto be implemented from 2002 through 2007:
Eastbank Fish Hatchery Steelhead Program
The hatchery began operation in 1989 to mitigate for steelhead andsalmon smolt losses resulting from the operation of Rock Island Dam. Thehatchery is used for incubation and rearing of anadromous fish. EastbankFish Hatchery is located on the east side of the Columbia River near RockyReach Dam at river mile 475, 7 miles north of Wenatchee, Washington.Artificial propagation of steelhead is intended to recover and enhance thenatural steelhead population in the Wenatchee River Basin. Up to 208 adultsteelhead are collected for broodstock at Tumwater and Dryden dams on theWenatchee River. Holding and spawning of broodstock is conducted atEastbank or Wells hatcheries. There are no on-station releases of fish atEastbank Hatchery. Fish reared at Eastbank Hatchery and transferred toother locations for acclimation/release or scatter planted using tanktrucks. The proposed steelhead program goal is 200,000 smolts releasedinto the Wenatchee River basin in April or May.
Turtle Rock Fish Hatchery Steelhead Program
The Turtle Rock Hatchery is located immediately downstream of RockyReach Dam on the Columbia River. The steelhead rearing ponds are locatedon Turtle Rock Island at river mile 475 in the Rocky Reach Dam pool on theColumbia River. The hatchery is operated as a mitigation facility forfishery impacts caused by the construction and operation of Rocky ReachDam. Artificial propagation of steelhead at this facility are intended toenhance the natural steelhead population in the Wenatchee River Basin.Broodstock are not collected at Turtle Rock Hatchery. Currently,broodstock for the program is provided annually through the EastbankHatchery steelhead program. Rearing occurs on Columbia River water whichprovides the juvenile steelhead natural water temperature regimes and mayincrease smolt to adult survival and increase the hatchery rearedsteelhead's ability to reproduce in the wild. The annual hatcheryproduction goals are 200,000 juvenile steelhead for release in theWenatchee River Basin in April and May.
Wells Fish Hatchery Steelhead Program
Wells Hatchery is located on the mainstem Columbia River just belowWells Dam at river mile 515. The hatchery operates as a mitigationfacility for anadromous fish impacts caused by Wells Dam. The artificialpropagation program is intended to enhance and assist in the recovery ofnatural populations in the Methow and Okanogan River Basins. Steelheadadults collected as broodstock for the enhancement program are trapped eachyear in July through November at Wells Dam fish ladders or as volunteers tothe hatchery trap. Progeny of spawners trapped at Wells Hatchery areincubated on-station and reared on-station or transferred as eyed eggs toother WDFW facilities with final rearing and release at Ringold Springsfacility, or transferred as eyed eggs to Winthrop National Fish Hatcheryfor rearing and release. The annual Wells Fish Hatchery release goal is450,000 juvenile steelhead. Juvenile steelhead are released at variouslocations throughout the Methow and Okanogan basins.
Winthrop National Fish Hatchery Steelhead Program
Winthrop National Fish Hatchery (NFH) is operated by USFWS and locatedon the Methow River at river mile 50, near the town of Winthrop. Thehatchery operates as a mitigation facility for anadromous fish impactscaused by the Grand Coulee Fish Maintenance Project. Artificially producedsteelhead are intended to enhance and recover natural steelhead populationsin the Methow River. This program receives 125,000 eyed eggs from WDFWWells Fish Hatchery steelhead program for rearing and release. The annualprogram release goal is 100,000 juvenile steelhead. Juvenile hatcherysteelhead are released from Winthrop NFH into the Methow River.
Ringold Steelhead Program
The program's purpose is to provide a genetic reserve of UCR ESUsteelhead. Approximately 240,000 eyed eggs from Wells Fish Hatchery willbe transferred to other WDFW facilities for incubation and early rearing.Final rearing and release will occur at Ringold Springs Rearing Pond. Theprogram goal is the release of 180,000 steelhead smolts in April orMay.
Mortalities of ESA-listed fish associated with the steelhead hatcheryprograms are requested at levels specified in the Permit applications andin the Conservation Plans. The WDFW is proposing to limit broodstockcollection and juvenile fish production and release methods applied at thehatcheries such that the direct impacts on ESA-listed salmonids will beminimized.
Broodstock Management Techniques
It is possible that in some years returns to the hatchery may exceed thenumber of returns necessary to produce the number of offspring consideredadvisable for release into this ESU. Therefore, this surplus may bydefinition not be essential for recovery efforts. Measures to managehatchery adult returns include collection at specific sites fortransplantation into landlocked lakes and limited harvest.
This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS willevaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments submittedthereon to determine whether the application meets the requirements ofsection 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA. If it is determined that the requirementsare met, permits will be issued to WDFW and USFWS for the steelheadenhancement programs in the Upper Columbia River. NMFS will publish arecord of its final action in the Federal Register .
Dated: July 26, 2002.
Phil Williams,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-19431 Filed 7-31-02; 8:45 am]
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