Notice2024-05561
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 18, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received a permit application (25803) from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Ecology Division (FED) to continue hatchery activities associated with the Southern Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program (SCSCBP, or program) in accordance with its Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP). The application has been submitted pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. NMFS has also prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) describing the potential effects of NMFS' proposed issuance of the Permit associated with the submitted HGMP. NMFS is furnishing this notice in order to allow other agencies, Tribes, and the public an opportunity to review and comment on these documents.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 53 (Monday, March 18, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 53 (Monday, March 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19297-19298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05561]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD772]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt and availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received a permit
application (25803) from NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Fisheries Ecology Division (FED) to continue hatchery activities
associated with the Southern Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program
(SCSCBP, or program) in accordance with its Hatchery and Genetic
Management Plan (HGMP). The application has been submitted pursuant to
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. NMFS has also
prepared a draft
[[Page 19298]]
environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) describing the potential effects of NMFS' proposed issuance
of the Permit associated with the submitted HGMP. NMFS is furnishing
this notice in order to allow other agencies, Tribes, and the public an
opportunity to review and comment on these documents.
DATES: Written comments on the EA must be received at the appropriate
address (see ADDRESSES) on or before 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on
April 17, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the permit application and draft
EA by the following methods:
<bullet> Email: Include ``Permit 25803'' in the subject line.
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#94defbf1f8bad7f5e7f5f3e6f5faf0f1d4fafbf5f5baf3fbe2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f45606a63214c6e7c6e687d6e616b6a4f61606e6e21686079">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to National Marine Fisheries
Service, West Coast Region, Coastal California Office, 777 Sonoma
Avenue, Room 325, Santa Rosa, California 95404; Attn: Joel Casagrande.
<bullet> The permit application, and attached HGMP, may be viewed
online at: <a href="https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm">https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm</a>.
<bullet> The draft EA document is available at: <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected-resource-regulations">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected-resource-regulations</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joel Casagrande, Santa Rosa, CA, (707)
575-6016, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="84eeebe1e8aae7e5f7e5e3f6e5eae0e1c4eaebe5e5aae3ebf2">[email protected]</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch): Endangered, Central California
Coast (CCC) Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU).
Background
The FED has applied for an enhancement permit under section
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA for a period of 10 years that would allow take
of multiple life stages of CCC coho salmon. Hatchery activities would
be permitted pursuant to the HGMP for the SCSCBP, which is attached to
the application.
The purpose of the SCSCBP is to advance the conservation,
viability, and recovery of the CCC coho salmon ESU, with an emphasis on
populations in the Santa Cruz Mountains Diversity Stratum. The
activities proposed for the SCSCBP are consistent with both the Federal
recovery plan and state recovery strategy for coho salmon. The SCSCBP
directly addresses recovery action ScC-CCC-10.1.1.6 in the Final CCC
Coho Salmon ESU Recovery Plan (NMFS 2012) by using captive rearing to:
reduce the risk of extinction due to genetic and demographic processes;
preserve locally adapted phenotypes and genotypes; and promote regional
recovery via the release of hatchery fish into streams from which they
have been extirpated.
The program is jointly operated by FED and the Monterey Bay Salmon
and Trout Project (MBSTP), with technical support provided by U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, NMFS, and the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife. The program consists of the following main activities:
broodstock collection; propagation; tissue collection for genetic
analyses and other pathology screenings; captive rearing of coho
salmon; fish marking and tagging; and the release of coho salmon (egg
to adult life stages) into program streams in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The broodstock are derived predominantly from hatchery-reared coho
salmon juveniles from artificial propagation, as well as a small number
of natural-origin coho salmon from coastal streams of the Santa Cruz
Mountains, and a small number of coho salmon from the Russian River
Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program (natural origin fish sourced
from the Russian River or Lagunitas/Olema Creek basins) used as
outbreeders to improve genetic diversity. Captive broodstock are
initially propagated and reared at the Kingfisher Flat Hatchery (KFH)
in Santa Cruz County until they are yearlings, whereupon they are
divided among three facilities and subsequently reared to maturity. The
three facilities are: KFH; Don Clausen Fish Hatchery in Sonoma County;
and FED laboratory facility in the City of Santa Cruz, California.
Previously, the FED and MBSTP conducted program activities under
section 10 (a)(1)(A) permits 1112 and 1083, respectively.
Activities that constitute take of CCC coho salmon and would be
permitted include: (1) handling and transport of broodstock and
production fish between program facilities and the natural environment;
(2) captive rearing and associated activities, including tissue sample
collection, marking, and tagging; and (3) sacrifice for artificial
propagation and routine pathology screenings. The HGMP includes
measures to minimize take and both genetic and ecological effects to
naturally produced CCC coho salmon and CCC steelhead (O. mykiss)
resulting from operations at the facilities and as a result of fish
releases into program streams.
References Cited
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2012. Final Recovery Plan
for Central California Coast coho salmon Evolutionarily Significant
Unit. National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Region, Santa Rosa,
California.
Authority
Section 9 of the ESA and Federal regulations prohibit the taking of
a species listed as endangered or threatened. The ESA defines ``take''
to mean harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture,
or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. NMFS may issue
permits for scientific purposes or for the enhancement of the
propagation or survival of the affected endangered or threatened
species authorizing the taking, importation, or other acts otherwise
prohibited by section 9 of the Act (50 CFR 222.308). The final permit
decision will not be made until after the end of the 30-day comment
period. NMFS will publish notice of its final action in the Federal
Register.
NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct an environmental analysis
of their proposed actions to determine if the actions may affect the
human environment (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR 1500-1508; and
Companion Manual for NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A). Therefore, NMFS
is seeking public input on the scope of the required NEPA analysis in
the EA, including the range of reasonable alternatives and associated
impacts of any alternatives.
Dated: March 12, 2024.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-05561 Filed 3-15-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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