Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2013 / Notices 1201 

draft HGMP. The HGMP specifies 

methods for the operation of the Iron 

Gate hatchery coho salmon program, 

located along the Klamath River, within 

the State of California. This document 

serves to notify the public of the 

availability of the permit application 

and HGMP for public review and 

comment prior to a decision by NMFS 

whether to issue the permit. 

This notice also announces the 

availability for public review and 

comment of a Draft Environmental 

Assessment (EA) regarding issuance of 

the permit, which involves take of coho 

salmon listed as threatened under the 

ESA. 

DATES: Written comments on the permit 

application, draft HGMP, and draft EA 

must be received at the appropriate 

address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) 

no later than 5 p.m. Pacific standard 

time on February 7, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

application, draft HGMP or draft EA 

should be submitted to Jim Simondet, 

Klamath Branch Supervisor, NMFS 

Northern California Office, 1655 

Heindon Rd, Arcata, California 95521. 

Comments may also be submitted via 

fax (707) 825–4840, or you may transmit 

your comment as an attachment to the 

following email address: IronGate

HGMP.SWR@noaa.gov. 

Copies of the draft EA and HGMP are 

available for public review during 

regular business hours from 9:00 a.m. to 

5 p.m. at the NMFS Arcata office, 1655 

Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521, (707) 

825–5171. The permit application may 

be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.

noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_

comment.cfm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Simondet, Klamath Branch Supervisor, 

NMFS, telephone (707) 825–5171, 

email: jim.simondet@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1538) 

and Federal regulations prohibit the 

take of fish or wildlife species listed as 

endangered or threatened. The term 

‘‘take’’ is defined under the ESA to 

mean to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, 

shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or 

collect, or to attempt to engage in any 

such conduct (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). 

NMFS may issue permits to take listed 

species for scientific purposes or to 

enhance the propagation or survival of 

the affected species under section 

10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 

1539(a)(1)(A)). NMFS regulations 

governing such permits are found at 50 

CFR 222.308. 

The CDFG and PacifiCorp have 

applied for a permit under section 

10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA for a period of 10 

years that would allow CDFG to take 

adult and juvenile coho salmon in the 

threatened Southern Oregon/Northern 

California Coast Evolutionarily 

Significant Unit pursuant to a HGMP, 

which was developed with technical 

assistance from NMFS. The HGMP will 

be implemented as part of the existing 

coho salmon artificial propagation 

program at Iron Gate Hatchery. Actions 

taken pursuant to the permit are 

designed to enhance the survival of 

coho salmon residing in the Upper 

Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam. 

The HGMP incorporates two main 

components: Artificial propagation and 

monitoring and evaluation (M&E). 

Artificial propagation activities that 

could lead to the take of listed coho 

salmon include: Adult broodstock 

collection, spawning, rearing, handling, 

evaluation, tagging and release of 

progeny. The HGMP includes measures 

to increase the fertilization of eggs and 

survival rate for each life stage and to 

minimize the likelihood of genetic or 

ecological effects to listed natural fish 

resulting from the hatchery operations 

and propagation of hatchery fish. 

Monitoring and evaluation will occur 

by conducting coho spawning ground 

and carcass surveys in the mainstem 

Klamath River and tributaries that 

comprise habitat for the Upper Klamath 

River coho salmon population unit. 

These data will be used to estimate 

adult natural and hatchery escapement 

levels and spawn timing to each stream 

for the Upper Klamath population unit 

as a whole. M&E activities will also 

collect necessary data to document 

achievement of performance indicators 

specified in the HGMP. For a more 

detailed discussion of the project please 

see the permit application package. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Compliance 

Proposed permit issuance triggers the 

need for compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

NMFS has prepared a draft EA which 

evaluates the impacts of the proposed 

issuance of the permit and 

implementation of the HGMP, as well as 

the No Action Alternative in which the 

permit would not be issued and the 

HGMP may not be fully implemented. 

Public Comments Solicited 

NMFS invites the public to comment 

on the permit application, draft HGMP, 

and draft EA during a 30 day public 

comment period beginning on the date 

of this notice. All comments and 

materials received, including names and 

addresses, will become part of the 

administrative record and may be 

released to the public. This notice is 

provided pursuant to section 10(c) of 

the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1529(c)) and 

regulations for implementing NEPA (40 

CFR 1506.6). We provide this notice in 

order to allow the public, agencies, or 

other organizations to review and 

comment on these documents. 

Next Steps 

NMFS will evaluate the application, 

associated documents, and comments 

submitted to determine whether the 

application meets the requirements of 

section 10(a)(1)(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 

and after NMFS has fully considered all 

relevant comments received during the 

comment period. NMFS will publish 

notice of its final action in the Federal 

Register. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00137 Filed 1–7–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XC425 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Applications for two new 

scientific research permits and four 

research permit renewals. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has received six 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 

February 7, 2013. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with 
1202 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2013 / Notices 

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 email to nmfs.nwr.apps@

noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob 

Clapp, Portland, OR (ph.: 503–231– 

2314), Fax: 503–230–5441, email: 

Robert.Clapp@noaa.gov). Permit 

application instructions are available 

from the address above, or online at 

https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Species Covered in This Notice 

The following listed species are 

covered in this notice: 

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 

tshawytscha): endangered upper 

Columbia River (UCR); threatened 

Snake River (SR) spring/sum (spr/ 

sum); threatened SR fall; 

Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened UCR; 

threatened SR; threatened middle 

Columbia River (MCR). 

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 1124—5R 

The Idaho Department of Fish and 

Game (IDFG) is seeking to renew for five 

years a permit under which they have 

been conducting six research projects in 

the Snake River basin for more than 10 

years. The permit would continue to 

cover the following actions: One general 

fish population inventory; one project 

designed to monitor fish health 

throughout the state; two projects 

looking at natural and hatchery Chinook 

salmon production (in which sockeye 

may rarely be captured); one project 

monitoring natural steelhead; and one 

project centering on recovering sockeye 

salmon in Idaho. Much of the work 

being conducted under these projects is 

covered by other ESA authorizations; 

the work contemplated here is only the 

work that may affect sockeye salmon. 

The purposes of the research are 

therefore to monitor listed salmonid 

health, help guide sockeye salmon 

recovery operations, and out rightly 

rescue sockeye salmon in need of help 

due to circumstances such as being 

trapped by low flows. The benefits to 

the salmon will come in the form of 

information to help guide resource 

managers in restoring the listed fish 

and, as stated, in directly rescuing them 

from peril. The fish would be captured 

by various methods–screw traps, 

electrofishing, hook-and-line-angling, 

mid-water trawl–and most would 

immediately be released. A few of the 

captured fish may die as a result of the 

research. 

Permit 1134—6R 

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish 

Commission (CRITFC) is seeking to 

renew for five years a permit under 

which they have been conducting 

research for nearly 15 years. The permit 

would continue covering five study 

projects that, among them, would 

annually take adult and juvenile 

threatened SR fall Chinook salmon, 

adult and juvenile threatened SR spring/ 

summer Chinook salmon, and adult and 

juvenile threatened SR steelhead in the 

Snake River basin. There have been 

some changes in the research over the 

last ten years; nonetheless, the projects 

proposed are largely continuations of 

ongoing research. They are: Project 1— 

Adult Spring/summer and Fall Chinook 

Salmon and Summer Steelhead Ground 

and Aerial Spawning Ground Surveys; 

Project 2—Cryopreservation of Spring/ 

summer Chinook Salmon and Summer 

Steelhead Gametes; Project 3—Adult 

Chinook Salmon Abundance Monitoring 

Using Video Weirs, Acoustic Imaging, 

and PIT tag Detectors in the South Fork 

Salmon River; Project 4—Snorkel, 

Seine, fyke net, Minnow Trap, and 

Electrofishing Surveys and Collection of 

Juvenile Chinook Salmon and 

Steelhead; and Project 5—Juvenile 

Anadromous Salmonid Emigration 

Studies Using Rotary Screw Traps. 

Under these tasks, listed adult and 

juvenile salmon would be variously (1) 

observed/harassed during fish 

population and production monitoring 

surveys; (2) captured (using seines, 

trawls, traps, hook-and-line angling 

equipment, and electrofishing 

equipment) and anesthetized; (3) 

sampled for biological information and 

tissue samples, (4) PIT-tagged or tagged 

with other identifiers, (5) and released. 

The research has many purposes and 

would benefit listed salmon and 

steelhead in different ways. However, in 

general, the studies are part of ongoing 

efforts to monitor the status of listed 

species in the Snake River basin and to 

use those data to inform decisions about 

land- and fisheries management actions 

and to help prioritize and plan recovery 

measures for the listed species. Under 

the proposal, the studies would 

continue to benefit listed species by 

generating population abundance 

estimates, allowing comparisons to be 

made between naturally reproducing 

populations and those being 

supplemented with hatchery fish, and 

helping preserve listed salmon and 

steelhead genetic diversity. The CRITFC 

does not intend to kill any of the fish 

being captured, but a small percentage 

may die as a result of the research 

activities. 

Permit 1480—3R 

The United States Geological Survey 

(USGS) is seeking to renew for five years 

a permit under which they have been 

conducting research for more than a 

decade. The renewed permit would 

continue to allow the USGS to annually 

take adult and juvenile endangered UCR 

Chinook and threatened UCR steelhead 

in nine tributaries to the Methow River 

(and its mainstem) in Washington State. 

The purpose of the research is to 

monitor the contribution these streams 

make to Chinook and steelhead 

production in the Methow subbasin— 

both before and after human-made 

passage barriers in the streams have 

been removed. The research would 

benefit the fish by generating 

information on the effectiveness of such 

restoration actions in the area and that 

information, in turn, would be used to 

guide other such efforts throughout the 

region. The USGS proposes to capture 

the fish—using weirs/traps, nets, and 

electrofishing equipment—anesthetize 

them, PIT-tag them (if they are large 

enough), allow them to recover, and 

release them. Several instream PIT-tag 

interrogation sites would be put into 

place to monitor the fish in the 

tributaries. In addition, tissue samples 

would be taken from some of the fish. 

The USGS does not intend to kill any 

of the fish being captured, but a small 

percentage may die as an unintended 

result of the research activities. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with 
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 5 / Tuesday, January 8, 2013 / Notices 1203 

Permit 13380—2R 

The NWFSC is seeking to renew for 

five years a permit that currently allows 

them to annually take natural juvenile 

SR spring/summer Chinook salmon and 

SR steelhead in the Salmon River 

subbasin in Idaho. This research has 

been in progress for over ten years and 

is designed to assess three alternative 

methods of nutrient enhancement 

(Salmon carcasses, carcass analogues, 

and nutrient pellets) on biological 

communities in Columbia River 

tributaries. In general, the purpose of 

the research is to learn how salmonids 

acquire nutrients from the carcasses of 

dead spawners and test three methods 

of using those nutrients to increase 

growth and survival among naturally 

produced salmonids. The research 

would benefit the fish by helping 

managers use nutrient enhancement 

techniques to recover listed salmonid 

populations. Moreover, managers would 

gain a broader understanding of the role 

marine-derived nutrients play in 

ecosystem health as a whole. This, in 

turn, would help inform management 

decisions and actions intended to help 

salmon recovery in the future. 

Under the proposed research, the fish 

would variously be (a) captured (using 

seines, nets, traps, and possibly, 

electrofishing equipment) and 

anesthetized; (b) measured, weighed 

and fin-clipped; (c) held for a time in 

enclosures in the stream from which 

they are captured; and (d) released. A 

number of the captured fish would also 

be intentionally killed so the researchers 

may conduct stable isotope, otolith, and 

diet analyses with the purpose of 

linking growth and survival to habitat 

conditions. It is also likely that a small 

percentage of the fish being captured 

would unintentionally be killed during 

the process; in such instances, any 

unintentional mortalities would be used 

in place of any fish that would 

otherwise be lethally taken. In addition, 

tissue samples would be taken from 

adult carcasses. 

Permit 16979 

The Washington Department of Fish 

and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking a fiveyear permit to collect data on UCR 

Chinook and steelhead abundance, 

status, distribution, diversity, species/ 

ecological interactions, and behavior in 

the Columbia River from its confluence 

with the Yakima River upstream to 

Chief Joseph Dam. The research will 

benefit fish by helping managers (a) 

understand the distribution and 

proportion of hatchery and natural 

origin steelhead, and Chinook in UCR 

tributaries, (b) understand the 

influences of other biotic and abiotic 

factors with respect to recovering listed 

species, (c) understand the potential 

effects of proposed land use practices, 

(d) determine appropriate regulatory 

and habitat protection measures in the 

areas where land use actions are 

planned, (e) project the impacts of 

potential hydraulic projects, and (f) 

evaluate the effectiveness of local forest 

practices and instream habitat 

improvement projects in terms of their 

ability to protect and enhance listed 

salmonid populations. 

The researchers would capture fish 

via a wide variety of means (snorkeling, 

dip netting, seining, using electrofishing 

equipment, traps and weirs, and 

barbless hook-and-line sampling). The 

captured fish would be variously tissue 

sampled, measured, tagged, allowed to 

recover, and released. The researchers 

do not intend to kill any of the fish 

being captured, but a small percentage 

of them may inadvertently be killed as 

a result of the proposed activities. 

Permit 17306 

The Oregon Department of Fish and 

Wildlife (ODFW) is seeking a five-year 

permit to capture threatened MCR 

steelhead (adults and juveniles) in the 

upper Deschutes River, Oregon. The 

various proposed activities would 

include adult and juvenile snorkel 

surveys throughout the basin, screw 

trapping, backpack and boat 

electrofishing and mark/recapture 

studies, hook and line surveys, 

telemetry, seining, spawning ground 

surveys using weirs and redd counts, 

monitoring habitat restoration projects, 

and setting traps and nets in reservoirs 

for population monitoring. Data 

collected from this work would be used 

to inform management decisions. 

Biologists from the ODFW have been 

conducting this work in the area for 

decades without the need for a permit, 

but since threatened MCR steelhead 

have recently been reintroduced to the 

area, they are seeking a permit that 

would allow them to continue it. The 

researchers do not intend to kill any of 

the fish being captured, but a small 

percentage may be killed as an 

inadvertent result of the activities. 

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. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00138 Filed 1–7–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XC426 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Issuance of five scientific 

research permits. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has issued Permit 14808 to the 

California Department of Fish and Game 

(CDFG), Permit 15573 to the GlennColusa Irrigation District (GCID), Permit 

16543 to the California Department of 

Water Resources (CDWR), Permit 13791 

to the United States Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS), and Permit 17077 to 

Dr. Peter Moyle with the University of 

California, Davis (UCD). 

ADDRESSES: The approved application 

for each permit is available on the 

Applications and Permits for Protected 

Species (APPS), https:// 

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov Web site by 

searching the permit number within the 

Search Database page. The applications, 

issued permits and supporting 

documents are also available upon 

written request or by appointment: 

Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 

650 Capitol Mall, Room 5–100, 

Sacramento, CA 95814 (phone: (916) 

930–3600, fax: (916) 930–3629). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amanda Cranford at 916–930–3706, or 

email: Amanda.Cranford@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority 

The issuance of permits and permit 

modifications, as required by the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

U.S.C. 1531–1543) (ESA), is based on a 

finding that such permits/modifications: 

(1) Are applied for in good faith; (2) 

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 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with