21858 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 19, 2011 / Notices 

Authority 

Scientific research permits are issued 

in accordance with section 10(a)(1)(A) 

of the ESA of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531– 

1543) and regulations governing listed 

fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 

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 which 

are the subject of the permits; and 

(3) are consistent with the purposes and 

policies set forth in 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. 

Application Received 

Permit 16128 

United States Geological Survey 

(USGS), California Coop Fish & Wildlife 

Research Unit, is requesting a 5-year 

permit to take adult and juvenile CC 

Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, 

and NC steelhead associated with three 

research projects in two watersheds in 

northern California. In the three studies 

described below, researchers do not 

expect to kill any listed fish but a small 

number may die as an unintended result 

of the research activities. 

Project 1 is a study to estimate 

abundance and survival of all life stages 

of CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho 

salmon, and NC steelhead in Prairie 

Creek (Humboldt County). Annually, 

USGS proposes to observe (snorkel 

survey), capture (backpack 

electrofisher), handle (identify), and 

release fish to estimate juvenile 

abundance. Escapement of adults will 

be estimated annually from the capture 

(resistance board weir), handle (identify 

and measure), marking (PIT tagging), 

and releasing of fish. Carcasses will be 

captured, handled, and released; live 

adults and redds will be observed 

(spawning surveys) annually. Smolt 

abundance will be estimated annually 

through the capture (screw trap), 

handling (identify, measure), marking 

(dye injection), and release of fish. 

Samples (scale collection) will be 

collected from NC steelhead smolts 

when captured. Data collected by this 

research will inform managers of the 

status and trends in abundance and 

survival of these species. 

Project 2 is a study that will estimate 

adult CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho 

salmon, and NC steelhead escapement 

in Redwood Creek (Humboldt County) 

using dual frequency identification 

sonar (DIDSON). Adult CC Chinook 

salmon, SONCC coho salmon, and NC 

steelhead will be observed annually 

through the operation of a small sonar 

device from the edge of the river 

channel to record fish passing upstream. 

The research will inform managers of 

the status and trends in abundance of 

these species. 

Project 3 is a study that will 

document the importance of cool water 

habitats in the Klamath River watershed 

(Humboldt County). The study will be 

performed in two different locations in 

the Klamath River basin; tributary 

mouths in the Lower Klamath River and 

estuary, and at the confluence of 

Independence Creek and the Klamath 

River. USGS proposes to gather 

information on juvenile Chinook salmon 

(not ESA listed), juvenile steelhead (not 

ESA listed), and SONCC coho salmon 

use of cool water habitats. Annually, 

intensive sampling will occur at the 

confluence of Independence Creek and 

the Klamath River. Sampling will be 

carried out weekly during the months of 

July, August, and September. Intensive 

sampling will monitor the movements 

of juvenile salmonids in and out of cool 

water habitats and their feeding 

behaviors in those habitats. Juvenile 

salmonids will be captured (beach 

seine), handled (identify, measure, 

weigh), marked (PIT tagged), and 

released. A portion of the fish captured 

(no more than 20) will have their 

stomachs pumped to determine relative 

feeding success. Abundance of juvenile 

salmonids and the frequency of their 

feeding behaviors will be estimated 

through observation (snorkel survey). 

Less intensive sampling will occur once 

every two weeks during the months of 

July, August, and September in the 

Lower Klamath River, its tributaries, 

and the estuary and will consist of 

capture (beach seine), handle (identify, 

measure, weigh), and release of fish. 

The information gathered will inform 

managers on the importance of cool 

water habitats in planning for 

restoration of the river. 

This notice is provided pursuant to 

section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS will 

evaluate the application, associated 

documents, and comments submitted to 

determine whether the application meet 

the requirements of section 10(a) of the 

ESA and Federal regulations. 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. 

Dated: April 14, 2011. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9456 Filed 4–18–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA375 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Applications for seven new 

scientific research permits and one 

permit modification. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has received eight scientific 

research permit application requests 

relating to Pacific salmon. 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. 

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 

May 19, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

applications should be sent to the 

Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 

1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, 

Portland, OR 97232–1274. Comments 

may also be sent via fax to 503–230– 

5441 or by e-mail to 

nmfs.nwr.apps@noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Garth Griffin, Portland, OR ph.: 503– 

231–2005, Fax: 503–230–5441, e-mail: 

Garth.Griffin@noaa.gov. Permit 

application instructions are available 

from the address above, or online at 

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov http:// 

www.nwr.noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Species Covered in This Notice 

The following listed species are 

covered in this notice: 

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 

tshawytscha): Threatened lower 

Columbia River (LCR), threatened upper 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 19, 2011 / Notices 21859 

Willamette River (UWR), endangered 

upper Columbia River (UCR), threatened 

Snake River (SR) spring/summer (spr/ 

sum), and threatened Puget Sound (PS). 

Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened 

Columbia River (CR). 

Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened 

LCR, threatened UWR, threatened 

middle Columbia River (MCR), 

threatened SR, threatened UCR. 

Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened 

LCR, threatened Oregon Coast (OC), 

threatened Southern Oregon/Northern 

California coasts (SONCC). 

Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): 

Endangered SR. 

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 14271—3M 

The Washington State Department of 

Ecology (Ecology) is seeking to modify 

and extend their 2-year scientific 

research permit that currently 

authorizes them to take juvenile and 

adult LCR Chinook, CR Chum, LCR 

coho, MCR Steelhead, and LCR 

steelhead, PS Chinook salmon, PS 

steelhead, HC chum salmon, UCR 

steelhead and Chinook, SR sockeye. The 

modification would extend the permit 

for one more year (through 2012), 

increase the number of MCR steelhead 

they may take, and allow them to take 

SR steelhead, SR fall Chinook, and SR 

spr/sum Chinook. The purpose of the 

project is to continue developing a 

sampling plan to report on the status of 

watershed health and salmon recovery 

efforts at three spatial scales: Water 

Resource Inventory Area, Salmon 

Recovery Region, and statewide. The 

goal is to develop a quality assurance 

monitoring plan for statewide 

probability-based sampling of aquatic 

habitat conditions and species diversity 

and abundance. This status and trends 

monitoring plan is mandated by a 

Washington State Governor’s executive 

order. The information gathered by this 

research would benefit listed salmonids 

by helping resource managers evaluate 

the effectiveness of habitat restoration 

efforts and monitor aquatic species 

status and trends. The applicant 

proposes to capture fish using backpack 

and boat electrofishing equipment. 

Listed fish would be enumerated and 

immediately released. The applicant 

does not propose to kill any listed fish 

species, but a small number may die as 

an unintended result of the activities. 

Permit 15486 

Forest and Channel Metrics (FCM) 

Inc. is seeking a 2-year permit to capture 

and handle juvenile UCR Chinook and 

steelhead, LCR Chinook and steelhead, 

SR Chinook (spr/sum) and steelhead, PS 

Chinook, and LCR coho salmon during 

the course of headwater stream surveys 

over wide parts of Washington State. 

The work they would conduct is 

substantially similar to work previously 

conducted under another permit— 

Permit 13375. The purpose of the 

research is to provide owners of 

industrial forest lands and the major 

state lands managers in Washington 

with accurate maps of where threatened 

and endangered salmonids are found on 

State and industrial Forest lands. The 

work would benefit the salmon and 

steelhead by helping land managers 

plan and carry out their activities in 

ways that would have the smallest effect 

possible on the listed fish. The fish 

would be captured using backpack 

electrofishing equipment and released 

without tagging or even handling more 

than is necessary to ensure that they 

have recovered from the effects of being 

captured. The FCM researchers do not 

intend to kill any listed salmonids, but 

a small number may die as an 

unintended result of the activities. 

Permit 16122 

The Colville Confederated Tribes 

(CCT) are seeking a 5-year permit to take 

juvenile UCR steelhead in the Okanogan 

River, Washington. The purpose of the 

research is to monitor steelhead 

populations in the basin. The 

researchers are seeking to estimate 

natural production and productivity and 

calculate annual population estimates, 

egg-to-emigrant survival, and emigrantto-adult survival rates. The population 

estimates will be used to evaluate the 

effects of supplementation programs in 

the Okanogan River Basin and provide 

managers with the data they need to 

develop a rigorous spawner-recruit 

relationship. The research would benefit 

the fish by giving state and Federal 

managers information on UCR steelhead 

status and the degree to which they are 

being affected by supplementation 

programs in the area. The fish would be 

captured at screw trapping sites on the 

Okanogan River. All captured fish will 

be identified and checked for marks and 

tags. A subsample of selected fish will 

be measured and weighed before being 

released back into the Okanogan River. 

A further subsample will be marked 

with a brown dye, released upstream of 

the screw traps, and recaptured for the 

purpose of determining trap efficiency. 

The researchers do not intend to kill any 

listed salmonids, but a small number 

may die as an unintended result of the 

activities. 

Permit 16142 

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm 

Springs Reservation (CTWSR) are 

seeking a 5-year permit to capture, 

handle, and release juvenile MCR 

steelhead in the John Day River, Oregon. 

The purpose of the research is to 

monitor anadromous fish response at 

habitat restoration projects throughout 

the John Day Basin. Currently, many 

watershed restoration actions are taking 

place in the basin (generally, they are 

being conducted by Soil and Water 

Conservation Districts, Watershed 

Councils, and State, Tribal and Federal 

Agencies). However there is some 

question regarding how effective these 

projects are in terms of helping recover 

the listed salmonids. The researchers 

would estimate the density of juvenile 

salmonids at the project level and 

thereby monitor any changes in rearing 

juvenile abundance occurring in 

response to the restoration actions. All 

treatment (restoration) sites will be 

paired with control sites. The research 

would benefit the fish by helping 

managers determine the most effective 

ways to restore habitat. The CTWSR 

would capture the fish by the means of 

beach seines, dip nets, and backpack 

electrofishing. They would also conduct 

some snorkel surveys. The researchers 

do not intend to kill any listed 

salmonids, but a small number may die 

as an unintended result of the activities. 

Permit 16181 

Dr. Christopher Peery is seeking a 5- 

year permit to handle and tag adult SR 

sockeye at the adult fish trap at Lower 

Granite Dam, Washington. The purpose 

of the study is to identify what 

conditions affect sockeye migration 

success and thereby allow managers to 

better determine when (and if) 

transporting adult sockeye upstream 

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21860 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 19, 2011 / Notices 

would be safer for them than allowing 

them to migrate upriver naturally. The 

researchers propose to evaluate the 

relationship between timing, fish 

condition, the river environment, and 

migration success in the river reaches 

upstream from Lower Granite Dam. 

Sockeye salmon seen at the Lower 

Granite Dam facility often do not reach 

their spawning grounds; the research 

would benefit the fish by determining 

the reasons for this and thereby helping 

managers either address the problem or, 

as noted, determine when it may be 

safer to transport the fish to the 

spawning grounds. The fish would be 

taken from the adult fish trap at Lower 

Granite Dam, anesthetized, measured, 

weighed, tissue sampled, fitted with 

radio tags, allowed to recover, and 

returned to the river. The researchers do 

not intend to kill any listed salmonids, 

but a small number may die as an 

unintended result of the activities. 

Permit 16298 

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (SBT) 

are seeking a 5-year permit to annually 

take juvenile and adult SR spr/sum 

Chinook and juvenile SR steelhead in 

Bear Valley Creek, Idaho. The purpose 

of the research is to estimate fish 

abundance, smolt-to-adult return rates, 

and adult productivity in Bear Valley 

Creek with a high degree of accuracy. 

The researchers are seeking to generate 

information that may be used widely 

throughout the Salmon River subbasin. 

This monitoring project was 

recommended as part of the 

‘‘Anadromous Salmonid Monitoring 

Strategy Viable Salmonid Population 

Criteria and Subset of Tributary Habitat 

and Hatchery Effectiveness,’’ developed 

through the Columbia Basin 

Coordinated Anadromous Monitoring 

Workshop. The work will benefit fish by 

giving managers key information about 

population status in the Salmon River 

subbasin which, in turn, will be used to 

inform recovery plans and landmanagement activities. The SBT would 

count and monitor adult spr/sum 

Chinook at a video station and they 

would handle, measure, and tissue 

sample juvenile SR spr/sum Chinook 

and steelhead at a screw trap. They 

would also do some harvest monitoring 

(creel surveys) and spawning ground 

surveys. The researchers do not intend 

to kill any listed salmonids, but a small 

number may die as an unintended result 

of the activities. 

Permit 16329 

The Oregon Department of 

Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking 

a 5-year permit to take adult and 

juvenile fish of every species in this 

notice except for UCR Chinook and 

steelhead and SR sockeye. The fish 

would be taken during the course of five 

possible projects: (1) The National 

Streams and Rivers Assessment. This 

EPA-sponsored survey uses a random 

sampling design to estimate the health 

(in terms of water quality and other 

physical and biological parameters) of 

streams and rivers around the region 

and nation. The fish portion of the 

project looks at species assemblage as an 

indicator of a system’s overall ecological 

integrity, evaluates presence of invasive 

fish species, and evaluates toxic 

contamination of fish tissue. Field work 

is planned for this project in 2013 and 

2014 and may involve as many as 60 

sites. (2) Oregon Toxics Monitoring 

Program. This program looks at a range 

of pollutants in water, river sediments, 

and fish tissues—including current use 

and legacy pesticides, estrogenic 

compounds, pharmaceutical and 

personal care products, metals, and 

industrial chemicals such as PCBs, 

dioxins and furans. The species targeted 

for this work are typically bass and 

pikeminnow. Survey sites are typically 

at the downstream portion of larger 

rivers and tributaries. This work may 

involve as many as 20 sites per year. (3) 

Basins Biological Assessments. The DEQ 

is developing a monitoring program that 

looks at a range of environmental health 

indicators (such as fish species) on a 

basin scale. This work would feed into 

that effort. (4) Mixing Zone Surveys. 

Mixing zones are sections of water 

bodies downstream of municipal and 

industrial effluent discharges. The DEQ 

occasionally monitors fish use and 

health within and outside mixing zones 

to evaluate how effectively waste 

treatment protocols and processes are 

protecting the environment. Mixing 

zones are typically found in larger 

rivers. This work may involve as many 

as 10 sites per year. (5) Spill Impact and 

Cleanup Effectiveness Evaluations. The 

DEQ occasionally studies water bodies 

that have received toxic spills. These 

surveys could potentially occur in any 

state water body and could involve as 

many as five sites per year. 

The work would benefit fish in a 

number of different ways—from helping 

evaluate watershed health to generating 

information on contaminant 

concentrations to determining if current 

water quality protection regulations and 

methods are sufficiently effective. The 

DEQ researchers would capture fish 

using a variety of methods—boat- and 

backpack electrofishing, hook-and-line 

angling, and seines. No drugs or 

anesthesia would be used on the 

captured fish. The fish would be held 

very briefly and, except for brief 

transfers and some minimal measuring 

and weighing, the animals would not be 

handled out of water. All fish would be 

returned to the capture sites as quickly 

as possible. The researchers do not 

intend to kill any listed salmonids, but 

a small number may die as an 

unintended result of the activities. 

Permit 16383 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) is seeking a permit to annually 

take listed salmonids while conducting 

research designed to (a) determine if 

there is any disease transmission 

between wild and hatchery fish in the 

upper Columbia River and (b) gather 

baseline information on pathogen 

presence in the local fish populations. 

This research has been conducted for 

over nine years under a previous 

scientific research permit—Permit 1423. 

The research will take place in the 

Methow and Entiat River subbasins, 

Washington. The research will benefit 

listed fish by increasing our knowledge 

of disease presence and transmission in 

the Upper Columbia River and thereby 

help managers reduce the risks 

associated with those diseases. The fish 

will be captured using a variety of 

methods: Nets, traps, boat- and 

backpack electrofishing, and hook-andline angling. Many of the captured fish 

will be killed and sampled for 

pathogens, but the majority will 

immediately be released back to the site 

of their capture. 

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: April 14, 2011. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–9454 Filed 4–18–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

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