[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15719-15720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6451]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB080


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of issuance of permits.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has issued permit 15542 to Normandeau Associates, 
Incorporated [Responsible Party: Tim Salamunovich], 890 L Street, 
Arcata, CA 95521; permit 16608 to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) 
[Responsible Party: Michelle Banonis], 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1727 
Sacramento, CA 95825; and permit 16531 to FISHBIO Environmental, LLC 
[Responsible Party: Andrea Fuller], 599 Hi-Tech Pkwy, Oakdale, CA 
95361; for purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: Permits and related documents are available for review, upon 
written request or appointment in the following office(s): Permits, 
Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS,

[[Page 15720]]

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226; Phone 
(301) 713-2289; Fax (301) 427-2521; and Protected Resources Division, 
NMFS, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814; Phone (916) 
930-3600; Fax (916) 930-3629.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shirley Witalis at phone number (916) 
930-3606, or email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5f2c37362d333a267128362b3e33362c1f31303e3e71383029"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d2a1babba0beb7abfca5bba6b3bebba192bcbdb3b3fcb5bda4">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is relevant to Federally-listed 
threatened California Central Valley (CCV) steelhead (Oncorhynchus 
mykiss). Permits 15542, 16608 and 16531 have been issued under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et. seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, 
importing and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR 
parts 222-226).

Permits

    Permit 15542 was issued to Normandeau Associates, Incorporated 
(NAI) on October 24, 2011, authorizing the take of ESA-listed juvenile 
and adult CCV steelhead during fish monitoring surveys in lower Putah 
Creek, a tributary to the Sacramento River, Central Valley, California. 
The surveys are conducted under the auspices of the Lower Putah Creek 
Coordinating Committee (LPCCC) to evaluate LPCCC flow management 
actions on the abundance, distribution, condition, and health of fishes 
in lower Putah Creek. Sample fish will be captured by boat and raft-
mounted electrofisher, anesthetized, identified to species, examined 
for marks and tags, measured and weighed, and released back into lower 
Putah Creek. Permit 15542 will expire on November 1, 2016.
    Permit 16608 was issued to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) on 
January 26, 2012, authorizing the take of ESA-listed juvenile and adult 
CCV steelhead during implementation of the San Joaquin River 
Restoration Program Steelhead Monitoring Plan (SJRRP SMP). USBR, in 
affiliation with the SJRRP, will monitor for the presence of steelhead 
within the SJRRP action area, defined as the mainstem San Joaquin 
River, from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River, in 
Central Valley, California. CCV steelhead will be captured prior to 
entering non-restored habitat, by raft-mounted electrofisher, fyke nets 
and trammel nets; identified to gender; sampled for tissues and scales; 
assessed for condition and the presence of marks and tags; and receive 
a coded floy tag. Captured CCV steelhead will then be transported by 
truck and released into suitable habitat in the San Joaquin River 
downstream of the confluence of the Merced River. Permit 16608 will 
expire on March 31, 2014.
    Permit 16531 was issued to FISHBIO Environmental, LLC (FISHBIO) on 
February 24, 2012, authorizing the take of ESA-listed CCV steelhead in 
scientific research studies linking salmonid habitat and spatial 
variability in the Merced River, a tributary to the San Joaquin River, 
in the Central Valley, California. Research investigations will 
evaluate: (1) The effects of attraction flow augmentation on adult 
salmonid migration timing and on salmonid spawning and rearing 
habitats; and (2) the effects of current flow management on salmonid 
fry and juvenile abundance, outmigration, and survival in the lower 
Merced River. Authorized activities include: (1) Passive monitoring 
(observations and enumeration at a fish counting weir; snorkel surveys; 
and underwater DIDSON sonar camera monitoring), and (2) active 
monitoring (capture of CCV steelhead by rotary screw trap, the 
application of anesthesia, species identification, the taking of length 
measurements and weights, and release of sampled juvenile and adult 
steelhead back into the Merced River). Permit 16531 will expire on 
December 31, 2016.

    Dated: March 13, 2012.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-6451 Filed 3-15-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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