Notice2026-11014
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
June 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Notice is hereby given that NMFS received a Hatchery and Genetics Management Plan (HGMP) for a hatchery program rearing and releasing summer-run chum salmon in the Dungeness River basin, operated by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in collaboration with the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe as co-managers. Following the public comment period this document serves to notify the public of the availability of an Evaluation and Recommended Determination Document (ERD) on implementing the proposed hatchery program the associated HGMP, which concludes that it will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery nor modify or destroy critical habitat of Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon, Puget Sound Chinook salmon, or Puget Sound steelhead.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32952-32953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11014]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XF817]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notification; availability of an evaluation and recommended
determination.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS received a Hatchery and
Genetics Management Plan (HGMP) for a hatchery program rearing and
releasing summer-run chum salmon in the Dungeness River basin, operated
by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in collaboration
with the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe as co-managers. Following the public
comment period this document serves to notify the public of the
availability of an Evaluation and Recommended Determination Document
(ERD) on implementing the proposed hatchery program the associated
HGMP, which
[[Page 32953]]
concludes that it will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of
survival and recovery nor modify or destroy critical habitat of Hood
Canal summer-run chum salmon, Puget Sound Chinook salmon, or Puget
Sound steelhead.
DATES: June 2, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The document is available on the internet at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/dungeness-hatcheries-plans">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/dungeness-hatcheries-plans</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Morgan Robinson, (253) 307-2670,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#85e8eaf7e2e4ebabf7eae7ecebf6eaebc5ebeae4e4abe2eaf3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="127f7d6075737c3c607d707b7c617d7c527c7d73733c757d64">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Endangered Species Act (ESA)-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
<bullet> Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta):
threatened, naturally and artificially propagated;
<bullet> Puget Sound Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): threatened,
naturally and artificially propagated;
<bullet> Puget Sound Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened, naturally
and artificially propagated.
Background
The term ``take'' is defined under the ESA to mean harass, harm,
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to
attempt to engage in any such conduct. The ESA prohibits the take of
endangered salmonids and, pursuant to ESA section 4(d), ESA regulations
can be extended to prohibit the take of threatened salmonids. However,
NMFS may make exceptions to the take prohibitions for hatchery programs
that are approved by NMFS under the limits on the prohibitions outlined
in 50 CFR 223.203(b). The operators, WDFW collaborating with Tribal co-
manager Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, have submitted an HGMP to NMFS
pursuant to NMFS' limit 6 of the 4(d) rule of the ESA for hatchery
activities in the Dungeness River basin, Washington. The ERD is NMFS'
determination for how the HGMP addresses the criteria in 50 CFR
223.203(b)(5).
The hatchery program under review is designed to contribute to the
reintroduction and recovery of Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon in the
Dungeness River basin. This hatchery program is intended to contribute
to fulfilling Federal trust responsibilities toward Tribes with rights
guaranteed through treaties, as affirmed in United States v. Washington
(1974), by contributing to the recovery of ESA-listed salmon. Included
in the HGMP is research and monitoring activities to study the effect
of the program on the recovery of Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon,
Puget Sound Chinook salmon, and Puget Sound steelhead.
As required in 50 CFR 223.203(b)(6), of the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), exemption 6 of the section 4(d) rule for salmon and steelhead,
the Secretary of Commerce published notice of NMFS' proposed evaluation
and pending determination (PEPD) together with a discussion of the
biological analysis underlying that determination. NMFS received no
public comments on that PEPD.
Classification
Under section 4 of the ESA, the Secretary of Commerce may issue
regulations for the conservation of listed threatened species. The ESA
salmon and steelhead 4(d) rule (50 CFR 223.203(b)) specifies categories
of activities that contribute to the conservation of listed salmonids
and sets out the criteria for such activities. The rule further
provides that the prohibitions of paragraph (a) of the rule do not
apply to actions undertaken in compliance with a plan developed jointly
by a State and a Tribe and determined by NMFS to be in accordance with
the salmon and steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.
Dated: May 29, 2026.
Jennifer Leigh Quan,
Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-11014 Filed 6-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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