Notice2024-17410
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
August 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 21 scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and conservation efforts.
Full Text
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 153 (Thursday, August 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64880-64886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17410]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE166]
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 of application; 13 permit renewals, 2 permit
modifications, and 6 new permits.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 21 scientific
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon,
steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed
research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and
conservation efforts.
DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on September 9,
2024.
ADDRESSES: All written comments on the applications should be sent by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93fdfef5e0bde4f0e1bef2e3e3e0d3fdfcf2f2bdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="620c0f04114c1501104f03121211220c0d03034c050d14">[email protected]</span></a> (please include the permit number in
the subject line of the email).
The applications 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>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diana Dishman, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-
736-4466), email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c78555d525d1278554f54515d527c52535d5d125b534a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ebaf828a858ac5af829883868a85ab85848a8ac58c849d">[email protected]</span></a>). Permit application
instructions are available from the address above, or online at <a href="https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov">https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Species Covered in This Notice
The following listed species are covered in this notice:
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Threatened Puget Sound
(PS); threatened Snake River (SnkR) fall-run; threatened SnkR spring/
summer-run; endangered Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring-run;
threatened Upper Willamette River (UWR); threatened Lower Columbia
River (LCR); endangered Sacramento River (SacR) winter-run; threatened
California Coastal (CC).
Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened Middle Columbia River (MCR);
threatened PS; threatened SnkR Basin; threatened UCR; threatened UWR;
threatened Central California Coast (CCC); threatened California
Central Valley (CCV); threatened Northern California (NC); threatened
LCR.
Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened Hood Canal summer-run (HCS);
threatened Columbia River (CR).
Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened Southern Oregon/Northern
California Coast (SONCC); endangered Central California Coast (CCC);
threatened LCR.
Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): Endangered SnkR; Threatened Ozette Lake
(OL).
Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): Threatened southern (S).
Rockfish: Endangered Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/GB) Boccacio
(Sebastes paucispinis) Distinct Population Segment (DPS); threatened
PS/GB Yelloweye (Sebastes ruberrimus) DPS.
Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): Threatened southern
Distinct Population Segment (SDPS).
Authority
Scientific research permits are issued in accordance with section
10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq) and regulations
governing listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR 222-226). NMFS
issues permits based on findings that such permits: (1) are applied for
in good faith; (2) if granted and exercised, would not operate to the
disadvantage of the listed species that are the subject of the permit;
and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policy of section 2 of the
ESA. The authority to take listed species is subject to conditions set
forth in the permits.
Anyone requesting a hearing on an application listed in this notice
should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that application
would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). Such hearings are held at the
discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS.
[[Page 64881]]
Applications Received
Permit 1386-11M
Under permit 1386-11M, the Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE)
is seeking to modify a permit that would authorize them to continue
taking adult and juvenile PS Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, HCS chum
salmon, OL sockeye salmon, UCR spring-run Chinook salmon, UCR
steelhead, MCR steelhead, SnkR spring/summer-run Chinook salmon, SnkR
fall-run Chinook salmon, SnkR steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho
salmon, LCR steelhead, and CR chum salmon. in order to characterize
toxic contaminants in resident freshwater fish across Washington.
The WDOE conducts this research in order to meet Federal and State
regulatory requirements. This research would benefit listed species by
identifying toxic contaminants in resident and prey fish and thereby
inform pollution control actions. The WDOE proposes to capture fish
using various methods including backpack and boat electrofishing, beach
seining, block, fyke, and gill netting, and angling. All captured
salmon and steelhead would either be released immediately or held
temporarily in an aerated live well to help them recover before
release. The researchers do not propose to kill any fish but a small
number may die as an unintended result of research activities.
Permit 1484-8R
Under permit 1484-8R, the Washington Department of Natural
Resources (WA DNR), Pacific Cascade Region, is seeking to renew for 5
years a permit that would authorize them to continue taking juvenile
MCR steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead, and
CR chum salmon in order to identify fish-bearing streams on WA DNR land
in Southwest Washington. Most streams are typed as fish or non-fish
bearing based on the physical characteristics of average width and
gradient, and connectivity to established fish-bearing waters. This
activity will occur on WA DNR land in Lewis, Pacific, Grays Harbor,
Wahkiakum, Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Klickitat counties in the
state of Washington.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, and would
be captured, handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or
tags), and released. The captured fish would be identified and released
back to the waters from which they came. In some cases, the researchers
may not actually capture any fish but would merely note their presence,
however electrofishing where listed species are observed would still be
reported as take. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the
listed fish being taken, but a small number may be killed as an
inadvertent result of these activities. The information gathered would
be used to determine salmonid presence and distribution and thereby
inform land management decisions on WA DNR holdings. This information
would benefit listed species by helping WDNR identify existing man-made
fish barriers, and ensuring fish-bearing streams receive adequate
riparian buffers.
Permit 1523-5R
Under permit 1523-5R, the National Council for Air and Stream
Improvements (NCASI) is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that
would authorize them to continue taking juvenile and adult UWR Chinook
salmon in order to study water quality and biological conditions in
rivers receiving paper and pulp mill discharges from their facilities.
This work would take place in the upper Willamette and McKenzie Rivers
in Oregon.
Adult and juvenile fish would be collected via backpack
electrofishing or boat electrofishing. Juvenile and adult fish may be
captured, handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags),
and released. In some cases, the researchers may not actually capture
any fish but would merely note their presence, however electrofishing
where listed species are observed would still be reported as take. The
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The goal of the project is to identify changes in physical,
chemical, and biological conditions in discharge watersheds, including
biological assessments of periphyton, macroinvertebrate, and resident
fish communities. Monitoring natural variability as well as changes
resulting from pulp and paper mill discharges will allow researchers to
identify where key sources of fish stress from impaired water quality
are in the context of the larger watershed, and to rank the magnitude
of those stressors. This study focuses on resident fish rather than
migratory species such as ESA-listed salmon and steelhead, however, we
expect that identifying areas with impaired water quality or habitat
will benefit recovery planning for listed as well.
Permit 15205-5R
Under permit 15205-5R, Kwi[aacute]ht the (Center for the Historical
Ecology of the Salish Sea) is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit
that would authorize them to continue taking juvenile PS Chinook salmon
in order to understand long term changes in the food web that supports
Salish Sea Chinook salmon populations. This work would take place on
Lopez Island, Waldron Island, and Decatur Island in San Juan County,
Washington.
Juveniles would be collected via beach seine. Juvenile fish
identified as hatchery-origin would be captured, and may be handled
(measured, weighed, and checked for marks or tags) prior to release.
Captured natural-origin juveniles would be anesthetized, checked for
marks and tags, lavaged for stomach contents, and tissue sampled prior
to release. Scales shed during handling would also be retained. The
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The purpose of this work is to characterize the food web supporting
rearing juvenile Chinook salmon in the nearshore habitats of the San
Juan Islands, and is expected to benefit ESA-listed PS Chinook salmon
by identifying factors that may be limiting the growth and survival of
outmigrating juveniles. A regime shift in regional weather patterns
starting in 2014-2015 may have de-synchronized the relationship between
outmigrating juvenile Chinook salmon and availability of prey, and this
work aims to evaluate whether naturally-produced Chinook salmon can
adapt to changes in key prey resources.
Permit 15230-4R
Under permit 15230-4R, the West Fork Environmental, Inc. is seeking
to renew for 5 years a permit that would authorize them to continue
taking juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead in order to better
understand the seasonal use of various reaches of the Tolt River by
juvenile summer steelhead prior to their outmigration as smolts. These
activities would take place in King County, Washington.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing and hook
and line angling. Juvenile Chinook salmon would be captured, handled
(weighed, measured, checked for marks and tags), and released. Captured
juvenile steelhead would be anesthetized, tissue sampled and PIT-tagged
prior to release. A subset of steelhead will also have scale samples
collected. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the
[[Page 64882]]
listed fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as
an inadvertent result of these activities.
The purpose of this study is to understand the reach-specific
characteristics of juvenile summer steelhead rearing in the Tolt River
across seasons, including information about timing of movement, size at
age, and growth of juvenile steelhead in the upper reach. This work
will also provide a better understanding of juvenile and adult summer
steelhead movement across seasons, and the relative contribution of
hatchery-origin fish to the summer steelhead population. This work is
expected to benefit ESA-listed PS steelhead by informing managers about
factors that may be limiting steelhead production within the Tolt River
basin.
Permit 16298-5R
Under permit 16298-5R, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Fisheries
Department is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that would
authorize them to continue taking adult SnkR spring/summer-run Chinook
salmon and SnkR Basin steelhead in order to measure adult and juvenile
Chinook salmon abundance and other salmon population viability
parameters in Bear Valley Creek, Idaho.
Juveniles would be collected via screw trap, and the majority would
be captured, handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks and
tags), and released. A subsample of captured juveniles would be
anesthetized, tissue sampled, PIT-tagged, and may also have scale
samples collected prior to release. Adults would be observed via a
temporary fish counting station comprising a fish funneling weir, fish
counting chamber, video surveillance system, and PIT tag antenna.
Spawning ground surveys and creel surveys would also be conducted to
enumerate spawning adults. No adult capture, handling, sampling, or
tagging is proposed, but fish may be unintentionally injured or killed
if impinged on or entangled in the weir. The researchers are not
proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small
number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these
activities.
The purpose of this work is to continue maintaining a long-term
dataset for Chinook salmon in Bear Valley Creek that includes
information on abundance, productivity, spatial structure, run-timing,
proportion of hatchery-origin contribution to the population, and
genetic diversity. This work is expected to benefit ESA-listed SnkR
Chinook salmon and steelhead by assisting fishery resource managers in
identifying key factors that are preventing recovery in this basin.
Permit 17062-7R
Under permit 17062-7R, the NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center
(NWFSC) is seeking to renew a permit that would authorize them to
continue taking juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, PS/
Georgia Basin DPS bocaccio, PS/Georgia Basin DPS yelloweye rockfish,
HCS chum salmon, and adult Southern DPS eulachon in order to collect
demographic information and genetic samples from rockfish in Puget
Sound. This work would take place across the main basins of Puget
Sound, Hood Canal, and the San Juan Islands and other coastal areas in
northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the state of
Washington.
Juveniles would be collected via minnow trap, moored mesh bags,
hand or dip nets, and hook and line angling. Any Chinook salmon,
steelhead, or chum collected would be handled (weighed, measured,
checked for marks and tags) and released. Adult eulachon may also be
unintentionally captured via these methods and would be released.
Juvenile rockfish would be intentionally lethally sacrificed for
genetic, tissue, and otolith analysis, and a small number may be from
ESA-listed bocaccio or yelloweye rockfish DPSs. Adult salmon,
steelhead, and rockfish would be collected via hook and line angling.
Adult salmon and steelhead would be released without bringing them on
board research vessels. Adult rockfish would be handled (weighed,
measured, checked for marks and tags), tissue sampled, and floy-tagged
prior to release at depth using a rapid descending device. The
researchers are proposing to kill a small number of listed juvenile
rockfish, and a small number of additional juvenile and adult fish may
be killed as an inadvertent result of these activities.
The goal of this work is to collect biological, genetic,
physiological and habitat information to evaluate bocaccio DPS
structure and investigate how rocky reef, kelp forest, and eelgrass
habitat characteristics affect the relative quality of these areas as
nursery habitat for rockfishes in Puget Sound. This work is expected to
benefit ESA-listed rockfish by providing more information on the
structure of the endangered bocaccio DPS, and on juvenile rearing
habitat quality and trophic relationships of rockfish relevant to
managing yelloweye rockfish and bocaccio for recovery.
This study falls within the scope of the NWFSC research program
that we previously analyzed in Biological Opinion WCRO-2023-01601. In
that opinion, we concluded that the NWFSC research program would not
jeopardize the continued existence of any ESA-listed species or destroy
or adversely modify their critical habitats. In reaching our
conclusion, we also considered activities related to permitting or
authorizing individual studies under that research program for up to 10
years. Therefore, neither this study nor subsequently issuing a section
10(a)(1)(A) permit requires further consultation under the ESA.
Permit 17761-3R
Under permit 17761-3R, the East Bay Municipal Utility District is
seeking to renew a permit that would authorize them to take adult and
juvenile CCV steelhead in order to conduct monitoring and research of
anadromous and resident fishes in the lower Mokelumne River. This work
would take place in the San Joaquin Valley, in California.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, boat
electrofishing, hook and line angling, beach seine, incline plane trap,
screw trap, fish ladder, fyke trap, bypass trap, snorkel survey, and
midwater trawl. All juvenile steelhead captured would be handled
(weighed, measured, checked for marks and tags), and may be
anesthetized as needed to collect accurate measurements, prior to
release. A subsample of captured juveniles would be anesthetized,
tissue sampled, and may be marked with photonic dye, elastomer tags,
coded-wire tags, PIT-tags, acoustic tags, or floy tags prior to
release. A subset of captured juvenile steelhead would also be gastric
lavaged for stomach contents. A batch of hatchery-reared juvenile
steelhead may also be implanted with acoustic tags prior to release.
Adults would be collected via fish weir, boat electrofishing, fish
ladder, hook and line angling, incline plane trap, screw trap, fyke
trap, and midwater trawl. Adults would be captured, handled
(anesthetized, weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and
released. A subsample of captured adults would be anesthetized, tissue
sampled and may be marked with photonic dye, elastomer tags, coded-wire
tags, PIT-tags, acoustic tags, or floy tags prior to release. A subset
of captured adult steelhead would also be gastric lavaged for stomach
contents. Spawned adults or post-spawn carcasses would be enumerated
via spawning surveys. Juvenile and adult fish would also be observed
during snorkel surveys and video monitoring in the fish ladder. The
[[Page 64883]]
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The goals of this project are to measure the success of the Lower
Mokelumne River Restoration Program and determine if the modifications
of the Lower Mokelumne River Project are appropriate for conserving
fish and wildlife resources in the lower Mokelumne River. This project
is expected to benefit ESA-listed species by providing scientific data
to the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) Comprehensive
Assessment and Monitoring Program (CAMP) to evaluate the relative
effectiveness of CVPIA actions in restoring anadromous fish production.
Permit 18852-3R
Under permit 18852-3R, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office is seeking to renew
for 5 years a permit that would authorize them to continue taking
juvenile and adult UCR spring-run Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, and
MCR steelhead in order to define the distribution and status of Pacific
Lamprey, Bull Trout, and other native fish species. This work would
take place in the Yakima, Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, and Okanogan
watersheds in the state of Washington.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, hand or
dip net, fish ladders and weirs, minnow traps, and fyke nets. Most
juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead would not be targeted and, if
captured, would be handled and immediately released. A subsample of
captured juveniles may be anesthetized to identify species, obtain
weights and measurements, and scanned for PIT tags before being
released. Juvenile MCR steelhead trout captured in the Yakima Basin may
be PIT-tagged and tissue sampled as well. Adults would be collected at
dams and other structures and in traps, and may be caught by hook and
line angling. Adult Chinook salmon or steelhead would be captured,
handled (anesthetized, weighed, measured, and checked for marks or
tags), and released, and may be anesthetized to identify species,
obtain weights and measurements, and scanned for PIT tags before being
allowed to recover and released. Spawned adults or post-spawn carcasses
would be enumurated via spawning surveys. Juvenile and adult fish would
also be observed during snorkel surveys. The researchers are not
proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small
number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these
activities.
The purpose of this project is to assess recovery actions including
capture and transport of Bull Trout to upstream of barriers, assessing
fish utilization of restored habitat, and assessing Pacific Lamprey
passage at existing structures and at lamprey-passage-engineered
structures. This work is expected to benefit ESA-listed fish under the
jurisdiction of the USFWS, and also provide information on passage
barriers and habitat use relevant to managing listed Chinook salmon and
steelhead in the UCR and MCR.
Permit 18921-3R
Under permit 18921-3R, the Samish Indian Nation is seeking to renew
a permit that would authorize them to continue taking juvenile PS
Chinook salmon and PS steelhead, and adult southern DPS eulachon in
order to monitor the presence of fish species within and around the
Cypress Island Secret Harbor restoration site. This work would take
place on Cypress Island in Skagit County, Washington.
Juvenile PS Chinook salmon and steelhead and adult eulachon would
be collected via beach seine. Captured fish would be handled (weighed,
measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. The researchers
are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a
small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these
activities.
The purpose of this work is to assess the effectiveness of the
Cypress Island Secret Harbor restoration project over 10 years after it
was completed; particularly forage fish and salmonid habitat use within
the site. Effective restoration at this site is expected to increase
the amount of high quality estuarine habitat available to rearing PS
Chinook salmon and steelhead juveniles, and this monitoring will
provide managers information about whether the intended benefit has
been realized.
Permit 19263-3R
Under permit 19263-3R, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG)
is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that would authorize them to
continue taking juvenile SnkR spring/summer-run Chinook salmon, SnkR
Basin steelhead, and SnkR sockeye salmon in order to determine the
distribution and abundance of various fish species in the Salmon River
basin. This work would take place throughout the Salmon River basin in
Idaho.
Juveniles would be collected via boat electrofishing. Juveniles of
all three ESA-listed species may be anesthetized during capture and
handling, however any SnkR sockeye juveniles will be released without
tagging. A subsample of captured juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead
may be anesthetized, tissue sampled and PIT-tagged prior to release. In
some cases, the researchers may not actually capture any fish but would
merely note their presence, however electrofishing where listed species
are observed would still be reported as take. The researchers are not
proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small
number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these
activities.
The purpose of this project is to address various IDFG priority
fisheries management and research issues relevant to their mandates,
and to evaluate completed habitat restoration activities and prioritize
future restoration actions. Both ESA-listed and resident fish are
expected to benefit from research that will help inform decisions about
how and where to protect and improve habitat conditions throughout the
upper Salmon River basin.
Permit 22944-2R
Under permit 22944-2R, the NMFS NWFSC is seeking to renew a permit
that would authorize them to continue taking juvenile UCR spring-run
Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, MCR steelhead, SnkR spring/summer-run
Chinook salmon, SnkR fall-run Chinook salmon, SnkR Basin steelhead,
SnkR sockeye salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR
steelhead, CR chum salmon, Upper Willamette River Chinook salmon, and
Upper Willamette River steelhead in order to document patterns of
habitat occurrence, diet, and health indicators in juvenile salmon and
steelhead in the Lower Columbia River. This work would take place in
nearshore areas of the Lower Columbia River in Washington and Oregon,
and in the Lower Willamette River in Oregon.
Juvenile salmon and steelhead would be collected via beach seine.
Juvenile fish would be captured, handled (weighed, measured, and
checked for marks and tags), and may be anesthetized to obtain
measurements prior to release. A subsample of captured Chinook salmon
juveniles would be anesthetized and further tissue sampled and PIT-
tagged prior to release, and a small number would also be intentionally
lethally sacrificed to determine their lipid content, conduct otolith
analysis for health and growth assessment, do stomach content diet
analyses, and take tissue samples for genetic stock identification. The
[[Page 64884]]
researchers are proposing to kill a small number of listed fish, and a
small number of fish may also be killed as an inadvertent result of
these activities.
The objectives of the study are to better understand how juvenile
salmonids utilize tidal freshwater habitats in the Columbia, to assess
the quality of representative habitats in the lower river, to provide
baseline data to guide habitat restoration and remediation activities,
and to monitor the success of such activities at selected sites. The
study is expected to benefit ESA-listed fish species by providing
relevant information on (a) how habitat degradation may be affecting
listed stocks that migrate through the Lower Columbia River and (b)
what steps that can be taken to improve habitat quality.
This study falls within the scope of the NWFSC research program
that we previously analyzed in Biological Opinion WCRO-2023-01601. In
that opinion, we concluded that the NWFSC research program would not
jeopardize the continued existence of any ESA-listed species or destroy
or adversely modify their critical habitats. In reaching our
conclusion, we also considered activities related to permitting or
authorizing individual studies under that research program for up to 10
years. Therefore, neither this study nor subsequently issuing a section
10(a)(1)(A) permit requires further consultation under the ESA.
Permit 23629-2R
Under permit 23629-2R, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking
to renew for 5 years a permit that would authorize them to continue
taking adult UWR Chinook salmon and SONCC coho salmon in order to
evaluate contaminant exposure, bioaccumulation, and effects in aquatic
ecosystems and aquatic-dependent wildlife by assessing a wide range of
contaminants (e.g., mercury, lead, copper, selenium, pesticides,
organochlorines, PDBEs, and other emerging contaminants) in various
fish and inland aquatic invertebrate species over a range of habitats
and locations. This work would take place in the Willamette and Rogue
River basins in the state of Oregon.
Juvenile and adult salmon would be collected via backpack
electrofishing, boat electrofishing, hook and line angling, gill net,
beach seine, and minnow trap. This contaminant study targets resident
fish species and does not target ESA-listed salmon and steelhead,
therefore listed fish would be captured, handled (weighed, measured,
and checked for marks or tags), and swiftly released. In some cases,
the researchers may not actually capture any fish but would merely note
their presence, however electrofishing where listed species are
observed would still be reported as take. The researchers are not
proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small
number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these
activities.
The purpose of this work is to evaluate contaminant risks in
aquatic ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest and assess the factors that
influence contaminant exposure and effects in aquatic wildlife. This
work is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon by providing greater
understanding on where and why contaminant threats exist, what impacts
they may have on ecological function, and how management efforts can be
targeted to minimize potential risk and thereby help recovery planning
for these species.
Permit 23843-2R
Under permit 23843-2R the Skagit River System Cooperative is
seeking to renew a permit that would authorize them to take juvenile PS
Chinook salmon and PS steelhead in order to measure changes in fish
densities, smolt production, and habitat attributable to restoration
activities to continue the assessment of restoration efforts within the
Skagit River and its floodplain. This work will take place in multiple
locations across the Skagit River Basin in the State of Washington.
Juveniles PS Chinook salmon and steelhead would be collected via
weir, backpack electrofishing, boat electrofishing, or beach seining.
Juvenile fish would be captured, handled (weighed, measured, and
checked for marks or tags), and released. A subsample of captured
juveniles would marked with a caudal fin clip or dye prior to release.
In some cases, the researchers may not actually capture any fish but
would merely note their presence, however electrofishing where listed
species are observed would still be reported as take. Spawning adults
or post-spawn carcasses would be enumurated via spawning surveys.
Juvenile and adult fish would also be observed during snorkel surveys.
The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The goals of this project are to conduct traditional restoration
effectiveness monitoring following restoration projects in the Skagit
River Basin, and also contribute to development of a fish and habitat
association model to inform restoration design. This work is expected
to benefit ESA-listed fish by informing adaptive management of one
restoration site specifically (Barnaby Slough) to increase the
likelihood it will provide the expected habitat benefits for PS Chinook
salmon and steelhead, and more broadly, improved fish and habitat
association models that incorporate hydrodynamics will inform future
restoration design.
Permit 26776
Under permit 26776, Anchor QEA is seeking a new permit that would
authorize them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead in
order to conduct stream typing and evaluate culverts as potential
barriers to fish passage in support of Pierce County. This work would
be conducted in locations across Pierce County, Washington.
Juvenile PS Chinook salmon and steelhead would be collected via
hand or dip netting and backpack electrofishing. Captured fish would be
handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags) prior to
release. In some cases, the researchers may not actually capture any
fish but would merely note their presence, however electrofishing where
listed species are observed would still be reported as take. The
researchers will only deploy electrofishing if attempts to visually
observe and identify fish from the bank and to sample fish by dip nets
are unsuccessful. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the
listed fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as
an inadvertent result of these activities.
The purpose of this work is to confirm the upper extent of fish
presence in potentially fish-bearing streams, and support the
prioritization of fish passage structures to establish access to
suitable habitat in the upstream extent of fish-bearing habitat. This
work is expected to benefit ESA-listed species by informing the
planning of restoration and enhancement efforts to improve salmonid
habitat, and salmonid access upstream of anthropogenic barriers in
Pierce County.
Permit 27091-2M
Under permit 27091-2M, the Port of Seattle is seeking to modify a
permit that would authorize them to take additional juvenile PS Chinook
salmon and PS steelhead in order to assess juvenile salmonid habitat
use and the presence of key invertebrate prey resources in the Lower
Duwamish Waterway T-117 restoration site. This work would be conducted
solely within the Lower Duwamish River in King County, Washington.
[[Page 64885]]
Juveniles would be collected via fyke net. Juvenile salmon and
steelhead would be anesthetized, tissue sampled and PIT-tagged prior to
release. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed
fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an
inadvertent result of these activities.
The purpose of this project is to characterize salmonid use of the
restoration site during individual tidal cycles and monitor the
physical and biological characteristics of the site to measure whether
the restoration project is meeting its stated objectives. The
restoration of the T-117 site is expected to benefit PS Chinook salmon
and steelhead by increasing the area and functional value of riparian,
estuarine marsh, exposed intertidal substrate, and shallow subtidal
habitats used by salmonids, and this monitoring work will increase the
likelihood the restoration will be managed to provide the expected
habitat benefits.
Permit 27824
Under permit 27824, the USGS is seeking a new permit that would
authorize them to take juvenile SacR winter-run Chinook salmon in order
to conduct egg incubation studies and mark-recapture monitoring
programs to address juvenile production of winter-run Chinook salmon.
This work will be conducted in Battle Creek and the Sacramento River
below Shasta Dam, in the California Central Valley.
Juveniles would be collected via screw traps, and captured
juveniles would be anesthetized, tissue sampled and PIT-tagged prior to
release. Released juveniles may be recaptured using beach seines or
backpack electrofishing, and handled (weighed, measured, checked for
marks and tags) prior to release. Fertilized eggs from Livingston Stone
National Fish Hatchery would be placed in egg boxes and set in
designated redd locations along the Sacramento River. The egg boxes
would be enclosed in mesh and visually observed from fertilization
through emergence, and surviving alevins or fry will be released into
the Sacramento River. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of
the listed fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be
killed as an inadvertent result of these activities.
The purpose of this project is to estimate tributary-level
survival, somatic growth, and movement patterns of Chinook salmon,
focusing on winter-run eggs and juveniles. These studies will help
characterize influences of environmental conditions on salmon
productivity, and are expected to benefit SacR winter-run Chinook
salmon by addressing important data gaps for managers and informing
habitat restoration efforts.
Permit 28055
Under permit 28055 the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
(GRCD) is seeking a new permit that would authorize them to take
juvenile and adult CC Chinook salmon, CCC coho salmon, and CCC
steelhead in order to document the status and trends of salmonid
populations in watersheds of the Sonoma Coast. This work will be
conducted in the Bodega Bay and Russian River basins in coastal
California.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, hook and
line angling, hand or dip net, beach seine, minnow trap, and funnel or
pipe trap. Juvenile fish would be captured, handled (anesthetized,
weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. A
subsample of captured juveniles would also be tissue sampled and PIT-
tagged prior to release. Adults are not being targeted during this
work, but some may be unintentionally collected via funnel or pipe trap
or encountered during electrofishing. Captured adults would be handled
(weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released.
Spawned adults or post-spawn carcasses would be enumerated via spawning
surveys, and tissues may be collected from carcasses encountered during
spawning surveys. Adult and juvenile fish would be observed during
snorkel surveys. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the
listed fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as
an inadvertent result of these activities.
The goals of the restoration projects conducted by the GRCD are
collectively to improve watershed health and resiliency for the benefit
of salmonids, and these studies are intended to improve understanding
of restoration needs by addressing information gaps about the current
status of salmonid species in the targeted watersheds. This work is
expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and steelhead by providing
information on the status and trends of their populations, and their
contributions to broader ESUs, which can be used to better inform ESA-
listed species management and restoration efforts.
Permit 28158
Under permit 28158 the Northwest Straits Foundation is seeking a
new permit that would authorize them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon
and PS steelhead and adult southern DPS eulachon in order to evaluate
the impact of shoreline armoring removal, beach nourishment, vegetation
enhancement and toxic cleanup restoration efforts on nearshore fish
habitat use. This work would take place in Bowman Bay, Cornet Bay, and
Fidalgo Bay in Skagit County and Island County in the state of
Washington.
Juvenile salmon and steelhead and adult eulachon would be collected
via beach seining. Fish would be captured, handled (identified,
weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. The
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The purpose of the restoration projects managed by the Northwest
Straits Foundation is to restore and enhance habitat for nearshore
wildlife, including migrating salmon and their prey species. These
restoration efforts are expected to benefit rearing PS Chinook and
steelhead, and this pre- and post-construction monitoring work will
increase the likelihood the restoration projects will be designed and
managed to provide the expected habitat benefits.
Permit 28199
Under permit 28199 the California State Polytechnic University
Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) is seeking a new permit that would
authorize them to take adult SONCC coho salmon, NC steelhead, CC
Chinook salmon, and SDPS green sturgeon in order to assess the
presence, distribution, migration, habitat preferences, and movement
patterns of sub-adult and adult green sturgeon. This work would take
place in Humboldt Bay, Arcata Bay, Mad River Slough and Mad River
Estuary in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, in California.
Adults of all fish species would be collected via hook and line
angling. This study is not targeting salmon or steelhead, so any CCC
coho salmon, CC Chinook salmon, or NC steelhead captured would be
immediately released. Captured adult green sturgeon would be handled
(weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), tissue sampled and
tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags prior to release. Adults
would also be visually observed through vessel surveys and aerial
surveys, including the use of cameras attached to aerial drones. The
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being
captured, and do not anticipate any will be killed as an inadvertent
result of these activities.
The purpose of this study is to assess the presence, distribution,
and migration patterns of sub-adult and
[[Page 64886]]
adult SDPS green sturgeon in Humboldt and Del Norte County, describe
the habitat preferences, identify potential congregation sites, and
evaluate individual movement patterns and their correlation with
environmental variables. This work is expected to benefit ESA-listed
SDPS green sturgeon by addressing current data gaps about distribution
and habitat use, providing managers information necessary to evaluate
how the species may be affected by future actions that would impact
these bay and estuary habitats.
Permit 28292
Under permit 28292, the City of Portland is seeking a permit that
would authorize them to take adult LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon,
LCR steelhead, UWR Chinook salmon, and UWR steelhead while conducting a
study to determine the levels of contamination in resident fish tissue
and to continue documenting how tissue contamination levels are
changing over the long term in the Columbia Slough. This work will be
conducted within the lower Willamette River in Multnomah County,
Oregon.
Juveniles and adults may be collected via boat electrofishing, and
would be captured, handled, and released. ESA-listed fish are not being
targeted for this study, but some may be unintentionally captured while
targeting resident fish. In some cases, the researchers may not
actually capture any fish but would merely note their presence, however
electrofishing where listed species are observed would still be
reported as take. The researchers are not proposing to kill any listed
fish, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result
of these activities.
The purpose of this work is to assess whether or not upland source
control actions are reducing toxic loads in fish tissue over time. This
study is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and steelhead by
providing data that will guide programmatic and risk management
decisions in contaminated urban waterways and thereby reduce
contaminant exposure and uptake in resident and migrating fish in the
lower Willamette River over time.
This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS
will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments
submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements
of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit
decisions 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.
Dated: August 1, 2024.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-17410 Filed 8-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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