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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12806-12807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05537]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD812

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 draft environmental assessment and 
request for comment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has prepared a draft 
Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of the potential effects of the continued operation of four 
hatchery programs in the Sandy River Basin of Oregon. The Hatchery and 
Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) for those programs were prepared and 
submitted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). All 
comments and other information received will become part of the public 
record and will be available for review.

DATES: Comments must be received at the appropriate address or fax 
number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific time on May 11, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the application should be addressed to 
the NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, 1201 NE. Lloyd Boulevard, 
Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232, or faxed to (503) 872-2737. Comments 
may be submitted by email. The mailbox address for providing email 
comments is: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line of the email comment the following identifier: Comments on 
Oregon's 2013 Sandy Hatchery plans. When commenting on the draft 
environmental assessment, please refer to the specific page number and 
line number of the subject of your comment. The draft environmental 
assessment is also available on the Internet at 
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov. Comments received will also be 
available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business 
hours by calling (503) 230-5418.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich Turner, at phone number: (503) 
736-4737, or via email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 12807]]

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice

    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened, naturally 
produced and artificially propagated Lower Columbia River.
    Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened, naturally produced Columbia 
River.
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened, naturally produced and 
artificially propagated Lower Columbia River.
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened, naturally produced and 
artificially propagated Lower Columbia River.
    Pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): threatened, naturally 
produced southern distinct population segment.
    ODFW has previously submitted to NMFS four HGMPs describing 
hatchery programs that release salmon and steelhead into the Sandy 
River that were found, in a September 28, 2012, determination, to 
comply with requirements of the ESA under limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. 
These programs were designed to meet mitigation responsibilities 
related to impacts from development in the Sandy River and Columbia 
River Basins by providing hatchery fish to support fishing 
opportunities while minimizing potential risks to natural-origin spring 
Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and winter steelhead populations, 
consistent with Oregon's Lower Columbia River Conservation and Recovery 
Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon and Steelhead, and NMFS' Recovery 
Plan.
    Since the determination in 2012, ODFW has identified changes it 
wishes to make to its hatchery operations and has submitted to NMFS 
four revised HGMPs describing changes to the current hatchery programs. 
The revised HGMPs were made available for public review and comment on 
December 10, 2013 (78 FR 74116). The revised HGMPs were found, in an 
August 8, 2014, determination, to comply with requirements of the ESA 
under limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. The draft environmental assessment 
evaluates the potential effects of approving those updated HGMPs.

Authority

    NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct an environmental analysis 
of their proposed actions to determine if the actions may affect the 
human environment. Therefore, NMFS is seeking public input on the scope 
of the required NEPA analysis, including the range of reasonable 
alternatives and associated impacts of any alternatives.

    Dated: March 4, 2015.
Cathryn E. Tortorici,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-05537 Filed 3-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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