Endangered and Threatened Species; Extension of Comment Periods; and Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Listing and Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for West Coast Chinook, Chum, and Sockeye and on Proposed Listing of West Coast Steelhead

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 222, 226, and 227

[I.D. 022398C]

Endangered and Threatened Species; Extension of Comment Periods;

and Notice of Public Hearing on Proposed Listing and Proposed

Designation of Critical Habitat for West Coast Chinook, Chum, and

Sockeye and on Proposed Listing of West Coast Steelhead

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; public hearing and extension of public comment

periods.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is extending the public comment periods and a public

hearing will be held on the proposed listings and designations of

critical habitat for west coast chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha),

sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon and

on the proposed listings of west coast steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

NMFS has received a request for an additional public hearing to allow

further opportunity for the public to participate in the exchange of

information and opinion among interested parties and to provide oral

and written testimony. NMFS, finding the request reasonable, has

scheduled a public hearing and extended the public comment periods to

facilitate the reception of public views.

DATES: The meeting date is June 11, 1998, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Written

comments on the proposed chinook, sockeye, and chum listing and

critical habitat designation and on the proposed steelhead listing must

be received by June 30, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Cunha Intermediate School, Kelly

and Church Streets, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019. Written comments on the

proposed chinook rule and requests for reference materials should be

sent to Chief, Protected Species Division, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon Street,

Suite 500, Portland, OR 97232-2737.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, (503) 231-2005; Craig

Wingert, (562) 980-4021; or Joe Blum, (301) 713-1401. Copies of the

Federal Register documents cited herein and additional salmon-related

materials are available via the Internet at www.nwr.noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On March 9, 1998 (63 FR 11482), NMFS issued a proposed rule to list

and designate critical habitat for the California Central Valley,

spring-run and the Washington Upper Columbia River, spring-run

Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) as endangered and for the

Central Valley fall-run, the Southern Oregon and California Coastal,

the Puget Sound, the Lower Columbia River, and the Upper Willamette

River ESUs as threatened, and to redefine the Snake River fall-run

chinook salmon ESU to include fall chinook salmon populations in the

Deschutes River, to list this redefined ESU as threatened, and to

revise its existing critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act

(ESA). That proposal does not affect the current definition and

threatened status of the listed Snake River fall chinook salmon ESU.

On March 10, 1998, NMFS published proposed rules listing the Hood

Canal summer-run and the Columbia River Chum ESUs as threatened and

designating critical habitat (63 FR 11774), listing the Ozette Lake

sockeye as threatened and designating critical habitat (63 FR 11750),

and listing the Middle Columbia River and the Upper Willamette River

ESUs as threatened (63 FR 11798).

Proposed critical habitat for all four species' ESUs is their

current freshwater and estuarine range, certain marine areas for

chinook, and all waterways, substrate, and adjacent riparian zones

below longstanding, impassible, natural barriers.

On April 7, 1998 (63 FR 16955), NMFS announced the schedule for 20

public hearings in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and

California to discuss the chinook, chum, sockeye, and steelhead

proposals. On May 18, 1998, NMFS received a request for an additional

public hearing for the chinook proposal from the Pacific Coast

Federation of Fishermen's Association. The reason given for the request

was to allow the many fishermen who could be most effected by the

chinook proposed rule and who were participating in the salmon fishery

at the time of the public hearings in California the opportunity to

comment firsthand with NMFS' officials. NMFS finds that the request

reasonable and has scheduled a public hearing, and extended the public

comment period for not only the chinook proposal but also the chum,

sockeye, and steelhead proposals.

NMFS is soliciting specific information, comments, data, and/or

recommendations on any aspect of the March 9 and 10, 1998, proposals

from all interested parties. In particular, NMFS is requesting

information or data as described in the Federal Register notice

announcing the proposed listings and designations of critical habitat

(see 63 FR 11482, 63 FR 11774, 63 FR 11750, and 63 FR 11798). This

information is considered critical in helping NMFS make final

determinations on the proposed listings and proposed designations of

critical habitat. NMFS will consider all information, comments, and

recommendations received during the comment period or at the public

hearings before reaching a final decision.

Dated: May 28, 1998.

Rolland A. Schmitten,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries

Service.

[FR Doc. 98-14870 Filed 6-3-98; 8:45 am]

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