This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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section.

Notices Federal Register

9260 

Vol. 80, No. 34 

Friday, February 20, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD77 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; availability of joint 

state/tribal hatchery plans and request 

for comment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Washington Department of Fish and 

Wildlife and the Jamestown S’Klallam 

Tribe have submitted three Hatchery 

and Genetic Management Plans, to be 

considered jointly, to NMFS pursuant to 

the limitation on take prohibitions for 

actions conducted under Limit 6 of the 

4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead 

promulgated under the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA). The plans specify 

the propagation of three species of 

salmon in the Dungeness River 

watershed of Washington State. This 

document serves to notify the public of 

the availability for comment of the 

proposed evaluation of the Secretary of 

Commerce (Secretary) as to whether 

implementation of the joint plan will 

appreciably reduce the likelihood of 

survival and recovery of ESA-listed 

Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget 

Sound steelhead. 

This notice further advises the public 

of the availability for review of a draft 

Environmental Assessment of the effects 

of the NMFS determination on the 

subject joint plans. 

DATES: Comments must be received at 

the appropriate address or fax number 

(see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. 

Pacific time on March 23, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

proposed evaluation and pending 

determination should be addressed to 

the NMFS Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, 510 Desmond Dr., Suite 103, 

Lacey, WA 98503. Comments may be 

submitted by email. The mailbox 

address for providing email comments 

is: DungenessHatcheries.wcr@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the email 

comment the following identifier: 

Comments on Dungeness River hatchery 

programs. Comment may also be sent 

via facsimile (fax) to (360) 753–9517. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Tynan at (360) 753–9579 or email: 

tim.tynan@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This 

Notice 

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 

tshawytscha): Threatened, naturally 

produced and artificially propagated 

Puget Sound. 

Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened, 

naturally produced and artificially 

propagated Puget Sound. 

Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened, 

naturally produced and artificially 

propagated Hood Canal summer-run. 

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus): 

Threatened Puget Sound/Washington 

Coast. 

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and 

the WDFW have submitted to NMFS 

plans for three jointly operated hatchery 

programs in the Dungeness River basin. 

The plans were submitted in January 

2013, pursuant to limit 6 of the 4(d) 

Rule for the listed Puget Sound Chinook 

salmon evolutionarily significant unit 

(ESU) and listed Puget Sound steelhead 

distinct population segment (DPS). The 

plans reflect refinements of existing 

plans provided previously and 

evaluated pursuant to the 4(d) Rule. The 

hatchery programs release ESA-listed 

Chinook salmon and non-listed coho 

and fall-run pink salmon into the 

Dungeness River watershed. All three 

programs release fish native to the 

Dungeness River basin. All of the 

programs are currently operating. 

As required by the ESA 4(d) Rule (65 

FR 42422, July 10, 2000, as updated in 

70 FR 37160, June 28, 2005), the 

Secretary is seeking public comment on 

her pending determination as to 

whether the joint plans for hatchery 

programs in the Dungeness River would 

appreciably reduce the likelihood of 

survival and recovery of the ESA-listed 

Puget Sound salmon and steelhead. 

Under section 4(d) of the ESA, the 

Secretary is required to adopt such 

regulations as she deems necessary and 

advisable for the conservation of species 

listed as threatened. NMFS has issued a 

final ESA 4(d) Rule for salmon and 

steelhead, adopting in Limit 6 

regulations necessary and advisable to 

harmonize statutory conservation 

requirements with tribal rights and the 

Federal trust responsibility to tribes (50 

CFR 223.209). 

This 4(d) Rule applies the 

prohibitions enumerated in section 

9(a)(1) of the ESA. NMFS did not find 

it necessary and advisable to apply the 

take prohibitions described in section 

9(a)(1)(B) and 9(a)(1)(C) to artificial 

propagation activities if those activities 

are managed in accordance with a joint 

plan whose implementation has been 

determined by the Secretary to not 

appreciably reduce the likelihood of 

survival and recovery of the listed 

salmonids. As specified in limit 6 of the 

4(d) Rule, before the Secretary makes a 

decision on the joint plan, the public 

must have an opportunity to review and 

comment on the pending determination. 

Authority 

Under section 4 of the ESA, the 

Secretary of Commerce is required to 

adopt such regulations as she deems 

necessary and advisable for the 

conservation of species listed as 

threatened. The ESA salmon and 

steelhead 4(d) Rule (65 FR 42422, July 

10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 37160, 

June 28, 2005) specifies categories of 

activities that contribute to the 

conservation of listed salmonids and 

sets out the criteria for such activities. 

Limit 6 of the updated 4(d) Rule (50 

CFR 223.203(b)(6)) further provides that 

the prohibitions of paragraph (a) of the 

updated 4(d) Rule (50 CFR 223.203(a)) 

do not apply to activities associated 

with a joint state/tribal artificial 

propagation plan provided that the joint 

plan has been determined by NMFS to 

be in accordance with the salmon and 

steelhead 4(d) Rule (65 FR 42422, July 

10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 37160, 

June 28, 2005). 

Dated: February 13, 2015. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–03499 Filed 2–19–15; 8:45 am] 

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