Notice2025-04799
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
Primary source
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Published
March 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received nine 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. The applications may be viewed online at: https:/ /apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13146-13148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04799]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE728]
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 applications for two permit renewals, two
permit modifications, and five new permits.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received nine 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. 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>.
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 April 21,
2025.
ADDRESSES: All written comments on the applications should be sent by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e987848f9ac79e8a9bc48899999aa987868888c78e869f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="026c6f64712c7561702f63727271426c6d63632c656d74">[email protected]</span></a>. Please include the permit number in
the subject line of the email.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Clapp, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-231-
2314), Fax: 503-230-5441, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1c4e737e796e68325f707d6c6c5c72737d7d327b736a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5604393433242278153a372626163839373778313920">[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 (spr/sum); endangered Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring-run;
threatened Upper Willamette River (UWR); threatened Lower Columbia
River (LCR); threatened California Coastal (CC); threatened Central
Valley spring-run (CVS).
Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened Middle Columbia River (MCR);
threatened PS; threatened SnkR; threatened UCR; threatened UWR;
threatened Northern California (NC); threatened LCR; threatened
California Central Valley (CCV).
Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened Hood Canal summer-run (HCS);
threatened Columbia River (CR).
Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened Oregon Coast (OC); threatened
LCR; southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC).
Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): Endangered SnkR; threatened Ozette Lake
(OL).
Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): Threatened southern Distinct
Population Segment (SDPS).
Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): Threatened SDPS.
Rockfish (Sebastes spp.): Endangered Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/
GB) boccacio (Sebastes paucispinis); threatened PS/GB Yelloweye
rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus).
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.
Applications Received
Permit 1336-10M
Port Blakely Tree Farms (PBTF) is seeking to modify a permit that
would authorize them to continue taking juvenile OC and LCR coho
salmon; LCR, UWR, and PS Chinook salmon; LCR, PS, and UWR steelhead;
and CR chum salmon in order to evaluate factors limiting fish
distribution and water quality in streams owned by PBTF. This
[[Page 13147]]
activity will occur in the lower Columbia River and Puget Sound basins.
PBTF is seeking to modify the permit by adding several locations where
Port Blakely has recently acquired timberlands, and thus electrofishing
may be required to determine stream typing before any forest management
activities. Under the modification, they would also increase requested
take for UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, LCR coho salmon, and OC
coho salmon.
Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, handled
for identification, and released. The fish would be released back to
their capture sites. The goal of the project is to determine the
physical characteristics of uppermost fish habitats and quantify
conditions that limit their distribution on lands owned in Washington
and Oregon. The work is expected to benefit listed species by producing
data to be used in conserving and restoring critical habitat. 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.
Permit 18696-6R
Idaho Power is seeking to renew a five-year permit that currently
allows them to annually capture juvenile and adult SnkR fall-run
Chinook salmon, SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon, SnkR steelhead, and SnkR
sockeye salmon while studying bull trout and juvenile white sturgeon in
and near Lower Granite Reservoir on the Snake River. The action would
continue to take place from the confluence of the Snake and Grande
Ronde Rivers up to the first of the Hells Canyon Complex of dams.
The researchers would use small-mesh gill nets, D-ring plankton
nets, benthic otter trawls, and hook-and-line angling to capture the
fish. The gill net fishing would take place at times (October and
November) and in areas (the bottom of the reservoir) that have
purposefully been chosen to have the least possible impact on listed
fish. When the nets are pulled to the surface, listed species would
immediately be released (including by cutting the net, if necessary)
and allowed to return to the reservoir. D-ring fishing would take place
in June and July, but the same restrictions (immediately releasing
listed fish, etc.) would still apply. The same is true for the otter
trawls that would take place solely in July and the angling that would
be performed from December-March. The research targets species that are
not listed, but it would benefit listed salmonids by generating
information about the habitat conditions in the Snake River and by
helping managers develop conservation plans for all the species that
inhabit the area. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the
fish they capture, but a small number of individuals may be killed as
an inadvertent result of the activities.
Permit 20047-3R
The University of Washington is seeking to renew a permit that
would authorize them to continue to take annually juvenile PS Chinook
salmon, PS steelhead, PS/GB DPS bocaccio, PS/GB DPS yelloweye rockfish,
HCS chum salmon, and adult SDPS eulachon in order to study the fish
communities associated with tidal flats (with and without seagrass) in
Puget Sound and coastal Washington.
Juvenile salmon, steelhead, rockfish, and adult eulachon would be
collected via beach seine, handled (weighed, measured, and checked for
marks or tags), and released. This study would fill current information
gaps on how habitat structure impacts higher trophic levels in
nearshore habitats in the Pacific Northwest. It would benefit ESA-
listed salmon and steelhead recovery by reducing the uncertainty around
current ecosystem linkages that are used to select habitat sites to
preserve and restore. 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.
Permit 28047-2M
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking to modify a
five-year permit that currently allows them allow them to take juvenile
LCR, UWR, PS, and CC Chinook salmon; CR and HCS chum salmon; LCR, PS,
UWR, and NC steelhead; and LCR, OC, and SONCC coho. The fish are taken
during efforts to determine the uppermost ranges of several species of
fish in more than 20 subbasins in western Oregon and Washington and
northern California. The USFWS is seeking to modify the permit by
adding several basins, largely in eastern Oregon, and juveniles from
several species: UCR chinook and steelhead, SnkR spr/sum and fall
Chinook and steelhead, and MCR steelhead. Under the modification, they
would also substantially reduce the amount of take they are permitted
in western Oregon and Washington and would take no fish in California.
The researchers would continue to use backpack electrofishing units
to capture the fish. Once captured, all listed salmonids would simply
be identified and immediately released. In all cases, the researchers
would be operating near what is already considered to be the upper
limit of salmonid trout distribution, so they are unlikely to encounter
many listed fish in any case. Regardless, 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 research would produce a large amount of presence/
absence data on listed fish and thus help managers plan and carry out
land management actions across a broad portion of three states.
Permit 28265
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking a
five-year permit that would authorize them to take juvenile and adult
LCR Chinook salmon, PS Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead,
PS steelhead, UCR steelhead, MCR steelhead, and UCR spring-run Chinook
salmon in order to understand the distribution, abundance, and
population trends associated with inland freshwater fishes and
shellfishes throughout Washington.
Juvenile and adult fish would be collected via backpack-, boat-, or
barge-mounted electrofishing units. All listed fish that are captured
would be identified by species, allowed to recover, and immediately
released back to the site of their capture. The goals of this study are
to: (1) identify and quantify freshwater fish and shellfish
distributions in Washington streams and rivers, (2) generate data that
will inform multispecies occupancy models to understand the
relationships between occupancy, habitat, and landscape metrics, (3)
develop a statewide database, and (4) develop standardized monitoring
methodologies. This work is expected to benefit listed species by
providing standardized survey data that would inform conservation and
management decisions throughout the state of Washington. 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.
Permit 28375
The USFWS is seeking a five-year permit that would authorize them
to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and juvenile and adult PS steelhead
in order to assess relative salmon predation vulnerability based on the
presence of artificial light at night (ALAN) and to evaluate the
attraction of predatory fishes to ALAN. This work will be conducted in
Lake Washington in Washington State.
Juvenile and adult fish would be collected via gill nets and
angling, and
[[Page 13148]]
captured fish would be handled, measured, and have their stomach
contents analyzed gastric lavage. Gill netting will likely result in
the mortality of all fish captured, and the researchers are proposing
to kill a small number of ESA-listed fish. Any listed fish found alive
upon the retrieval of the nets will be removed quickly and released
back into Lake Washington. The goal of this study is to understand the
effects of ALAN on juvenile salmon behavior and its impacts on
depredation success by non-native species in the Lake Washington
system. This work is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and
steelhead recovery by providing information on the impacts predation
has on salmon, and that information, in turn, would be used to help
future management actions account for and reduce those impacts.
Permit 28588
The University of Idaho is seeking a five-year permit that would
allow them to take SnkR spr/sum Chinook and steelhead while conducting
a study on Chinook downstream migration timing and its effects on
species productivity. The information would be used to bolster life-
cycle modeling for the species and monitor population status in a
relatively pristine (and remote) watershed--Big Creek, a tributary to
the Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho.
The researchers would use backpack electrofishing units to capture
the fish. Once captured, the fish would be anesthetized, tagged with
passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, measured, allowed to
recover, and released. The research would generate information on the
species' migration strategies and thus help managers better design
recovery strategies and land management plans. It would also generate
baseline population information to help managers maintain an
understanding of the species' status. The researchers are not proposing
to kill any of the fish they capture, but a small number of individuals
may be killed as an inadvertent result of the activities.
Permit 28615
The Washington State Department of Ecology is seeking a 5-year
permit that would authorize them to take juvenile LCR, SnkR Basin, MCR,
UCR, and PS steelhead; LCR, SnkR fall-run, SnkR spr/sum, and UCR
spring-run Chinook salmon; CR and HCS summer-run chum salmon, LCR coho
salmon, and OL sockeye salmon in order to conduct watershed health
monitoring that will provide data on the physical, biological, and
chemical aspects of Washington's rivers and streams. This work is
conducted throughout the state of Washington.
Juvenile Chinook, chum, coho, sockeye, and steelhead would be
collected via backpack electrofishing, handled (measured), and
released. The goal of this work is to establish a sampling framework
that provides a basis for the quantitative evaluation of the health of
Washington's rivers and streams and can provide information on the
status, trends, and limiting factors for Washington's fisheries. This
work is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and steelhead by
providing insights into species distribution and habitat quality across
the state. 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.
Permit 28772
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a 5-year
permit that would authorize them to take juvenile and adult SDPS green
sturgeon, juvenile CVS Chinook salmon, and CCV steelhead in order to
assess spawning frequency and spatial and temporal distribution among
green sturgeon, and to evaluate the extent to which Oroville Facilities
operations influence sturgeon spawning and rearing through effects on
flow, temperature, and habitat. This work will be conducted in the
Feather River Basin, California.
Juvenile and adult green sturgeon would be collected and observed
via ARIS and DIDSON sonar cameras, video, side-scanning sonar,
telemetry, hook and line sampling, artificial substrates, D-ring
plankton nets, and otter trawls. A small number of green sturgeon eggs
and larvae would be intentionally sacrificed for genotyping. This study
would not target salmon or steelhead, so any CVS Chinook salmon, or CCV
steelhead captured would be immediately released. Juvenile and adult
green sturgeon would be captured, handled (anesthetized, weighed,
measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. A subsample of
captured green sturgeon would also be tissue sampled and tagged (PIT,
acoustic) prior to release. With the exception of the small number of
eggs and larvae that would be intentionally killed, the researchers are
not proposing to kill any of the juvenile or adult fish being captured,
but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of
these activities.
The goals of this study are to: (1) evaluate migration patterns
including residence times and factors affecting them, (2) identify
spatial and temporal distribution of all life stages, (3) estimate
annual adult green sturgeon abundance, (4) investigate whether sturgeon
spawn annually in the Feather River, and (5) identify habitat
preferences for all life stages. This work is expected to benefit green
sturgeon by providing information to inform management decisions
concerning future monitoring programs, operational changes at the
Oroville facilities, and habitat enhancement in the lower Feather
River.
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: March 17, 2025.
Lisa Manning,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04799 Filed 3-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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