Endangered Species; Permits

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 030298B]

Endangered Species; Permits

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

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for a scientific research permit (1122,

1137) and modifications to permits 948 and 994.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management,

Roseburg District Office at Roseburg, OR (BLM) (1122) and the Fish

Ecology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS at Seattle,

WA (NWFSC) (1137) have applied in due form for permits; and that the

Northern Wasco County People's Utility District at The Dalles, OR

(NWCPUD) (948) and the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research

Unit at Moscow, ID (ICFWRU) (994) have applied in due form for

modifications to permits that would authorize takes of listed species

for the purpose of scientific research.

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these

applications must be received on or before April 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for

review in the following offices, by appointment:

Protected Resources Division (PRD), F/NWO3, NMFS, 525 NE Oregon

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

Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway,

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

Written comments or requests for a public hearing should be

submitted to the Chief, PRD, Portland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permit 1122 - Tom Lichatowich, PRD

(503-230-5438);

For permits 1137, 948, and 994 - Robert Koch, PRD (503-230-5424).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BLM (1122) and NWFSC (1137) request permits;

and NWCPUD (948) and ICFWRU (994) request modifications to permits

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).

BLM (1122) requests a five-year permit for an annual direct take of

juvenile, endangered, Umpqua River cutthroat trout (URCT) Oncorhynchus

clarki clarki associated with a research project designed to determine

sub-basin contribution to the migratory population. This information

will benefit wild populations by identifying important habitat areas

where restoration efforts will have the most impact. BLM proposes to

use screw traps to estimate abundance from selected sub-basins and will

radio-tag up to 20 of the fish captured in each sub-basin to determine

whether the fish are resident, fluvial, or anadromous. The proposal

will concentrate on Canton, Rock, Calapooya and Myrtle Creeks as well

as Little River of the Umpqua River during the outmigration period of

March through June. URCT will be captured, anesthetized, handled

(measured, tagged, marked as appropriate) and allowed to recover before

release. ESA-listed juvenile fish

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indirect mortalities associated with the scientific research activities

are also requested.

NWFSC (1137) requests a one-year scientific research permit for

takes of juvenile, endangered, Snake River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus

nerka); juvenile, threatened, naturally produced and artificially

propagated, Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus

tshawytscha); juvenile, threatened, Snake River fall chinook salmon

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); juvenile, endangered, naturally produced

and artificially propagated, upper Columbia River steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss); juvenile, threatened, Snake River steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss); and juvenile lower Columbia River steelhead

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) (currently proposed as threatened) associated

with four scientific research studies at hydropower dams on the Snake

and Columbia Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the four

studies are: (Study 1) to evaluate a prototype fish separator at Ice

Harbor Dam; (Study 2) to establish biological design criteria for fish

passage facilities at McNary Dam; (Study 3) to evaluate vertical

barrier screens, outlet flow control devices, and methods of debris

control at McNary and Little Goose Dams; and (Study 4) to evaluate

extended-length bar screens at the first powerhouse of Bonneville Dam.

ESA-listed juvenile fish would be captured, handled with some tagged

with passive integrated transponders, and released. The applicant

requests lethal take of ESA-listed juvenile fish, as well as indirect

mortalities of ESA-listed juvenile fish associated with the research

activities.

NWCPUD requests modification 2 to scientific research permit 948.

Permit 948 authorizes NWCPUD annual takes of juvenile, ESA-listed,

Snake River salmon associated with a study designed to assess run-of-

the-river juvenile anadromous fish condition after passage through the

screened turbine intake channel at The Dalles Dam, located on the

Columbia River. For modification 2, NWCPUD requests an annual take of

juvenile, endangered, naturally produced and artificially propagated,

upper Columbia River steelhead and juvenile, threatened, Snake River

steelhead associated with the research. ESA-listed juvenile steelhead

are proposed to be captured, handled, and released. ESA-listed juvenile

steelhead indirect mortalities associated with the research are also

requested. Modification 2 is requested to be valid for the duration of

the permit which expires on September 30, 1999.

ICFWRU requests modification 3 to scientific research permit 994.

Permit 994 authorizes ICFWRU annual takes of adult, ESA-listed, Snake

River salmon associated with a study designed to assess the passage

success of migrating adult salmonids at the four dams and reservoirs in

the lower Columbia River, evaluate adult fish responses to specific

flow and spill conditions, and evaluate measures to improve adult fish

passage. For modification 3, ICFWRU requests an increase in the take of

adult, threatened, Snake River spring/summer and fall chinook salmon

associated with the research. Also for modification 3, a new study is

proposed. The new study is designed to determine if adult salmon

successfully return to natal streams or hatcheries and if homing is

affected by mode of seaward migration (in-river versus transport). ESA-

listed adult salmon are proposed to be captured at Lower Granite Dam on

the Snake River, fitted with radio transmitters and identifier tags,

and released. Once returned to the river, ESA-listed adult fish will be

tracked electronically to hatcheries and spawning grounds. Modification

3 is requested to be valid for the duration of the permit which expires

on December 31, 2000.

To date, protective regulations for threatened Snake River

steelhead under section 4(d) of the ESA have not been promulgated by

NMFS. This notice of receipt of applications requesting takes of this

species is issued as a precaution in the event that NMFS issues

protective regulations that prohibit takes of Snake River steelhead.

The initiation of a 30-day public comment period on the applications,

including their proposed takes of Snake River steelhead, does not

presuppose the contents of the eventual protective regulations. To

date, a listing determination for lower Columbia River steelhead under

the ESA has not been promulgated by NMFS. This notice of receipt of an

application requesting a take of this species is issued as a precaution

in the event that NMFS issues a listing determination. The initiation

of a 30-day public comment period on the application, including its

proposed take of lower Columbia River steelhead, does not presuppose a

listing determination.

Those individuals requesting a hearing (see ADDRESSES) should set

out the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be

appropriate. The holding of such hearing is at the discretion of the

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and

opinions contained in this application summary are those of the

applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

Dated: March 2, 1998.

Marta F. Nammack,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98-5835 Filed 3-5-98; 8:45 am]

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