Endangered Species; Permits

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[I.D. 070196A]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing and extension of comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on an application

from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at La Grande, OR (ODFW)

for a scientific research/enhancement permit has been requested and

will take place. The public comment period for the permit application

is extended.

DATES: The public hearing is scheduled for July 24, 1996 from 6 p.m. -

9:30 p.m., or until all comments have been heard. The comment period

for the permit application is extended through July 29, 1996 to allow

concerned parties the opportunity to respond to the testimony presented

at the public hearing.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Oregon Department of

Transportation Building, Region 5, 3012 Island Avenue, La Grande,

Oregon, 97850. The permit application and related documents are

available for review in the following offices, by appointment:

Office of Protected Resources, F/PR8, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway,

Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401); and

Environmental and Technical Services Division, 525 NE Oregon

Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-4169 (503-230-5400).

Send written comments to the Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources at the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice was published on May 20, 1996 (61 FR

25208) that an application had been filed by ODFW (P211J) for a

scientific research/enhancement permit under the authority of section

10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543)

and the NMFS regulations governing ESA-listed fish and wildlife permits

(50 CFR parts 217-227). ODFW requests authorization to collect

juvenile, threatened, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) associated with a captive broodstock program

for three populations of chinook salmon in the Grande Ronde River

Basin. The captive broodstock program has been proposed to forestall

the possible extinction of the local populations and to preserve the

overall stock structure of Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon.

ODFW proposes to collect juveniles for the captive broodstock program

annually from tributaries of the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, and

the upper Grande Ronde River. ODFW proposes to rear and maintain the

ESA-listed fish in hatcheries until mature, spawn the fish, rear and

raise the resulting progeny to smolts, and release the offspring in

their respective parental streams.

During the public comment period for the permit application, NMFS

received the request for a public hearing from the Confederated Tribes

of the Umatilla Indian Reservation at Pendleton, OR. The Umatilla

Tribes are concerned that the issuance of the permit would be premature

because of the experimental nature of captive broodstock programs. They

also believe that Rapid River hatchery stock, determined not to be an

evolutionarily significant unit by NMFS, should not be omitted from

recovery efforts.

Anyone wishing to make a presentation at the public hearing should

register upon arrival and be prepared to provide a written copy of

their testimony at the time of presentation. Depending on the number of

persons wishing to speak, a time limit may be imposed. All statements

and opinions summarized in this notice are those of the applicant and/

or concerned parties and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

Special Accommodations

The hearing will be physically accessible to people with

disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Keren Holtz at (503) 230-5424 at

least five days prior to the date of the hearing.

[[Page 35728]]

Dated: July 1, 1996.

Robert C. Ziobro,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96-17272 Filed 7-5-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F