18820 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 67 / Wednesday, April 8, 2015 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD873 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Application for one new 

scientific research permit. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has received a permit application 

request for a new scientific research 

permit. The proposed research is 

intended to increase knowledge of 

species listed under the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA) and to help guide 

management, conservation, and 

recovery efforts. The application 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 application must 

be received at the appropriate address or 

fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later 

than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on 

May 8, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

application should be submitted to the 

Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 

777 Sonoma Avenue, Room 325, Santa 

Rosa, CA 95404. Comments may also be 

submitted via fax to 707–578–3435 or by 

email to nmfs.swr.apps@noaa.gov 

(include the permit number in the 

subject line of the fax or email). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jeffrey Jahn, Santa Rosa, CA (ph.: 707– 

575–6097), Fax: 707–578–3435, email: 

Jeffrey.Jahn@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): threatened Snake River 

spring/summer-run (SR spr/sum); 

threatened Lower Columbia River (LCR); 

threatened California Coastal (CC); 

threatened Central Valley spring-run 

(CVSR), endangered Sacramento River 

winter-run (SRWR). 

Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened 

Southern Oregon/Northern California 

Coast (SONCC); endangered Central 

California Coast (CCC). 

Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened 

Northern California (NC); threatened 

Central California Coast (CCC), 

threatened California Central Valley 

(CCV). 

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 parts 222–227). 

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. 

Application Received 

Permit 19320 

The NMFS Southwest Fisheries 

Science Center (SWFSC), Fisheries 

Ecology Division (FED) is requesting a 

permit to annually take sub-adult and 

juvenile listed salmon and steelhead for 

a period of five years. The permit would 

authorize research designed to (1) 

determine the inter-annual and seasonal 

variability in growth, feeding, and 

energy status among juvenile salmonids 

in the coastal ocean off northern and 

central California; (2) determine 

migration paths and spatial distribution 

among genetically distinct salmonid 

stocks during their early ocean 

residence; (3) characterize the biological 

and physical oceanographic features 

associated with juvenile salmon ocean 

habitat from the shore to the continental 

shelf break; (4) identify potential links 

between coastal geography, 

oceanographic features, and salmon 

distribution patterns; and (5) identify 

and test ecological indices for salmon 

survival. This research would benefit 

listed fish by informing comprehensive 

lifecycle models that incorporate both 

freshwater and marine conditions and 

recognize the relationship between the 

two habitats; it would also identify and 

predict sources of salmon mortality at 

sea and thereby help managers develop 

indices of salmonid survival in the 

marine environment. 

Listed fish would be captured 

primarily via surface trawling, however 

midwater trawling and beach seining 

would be used occasionally. Sub-adult 

salmonids (i.e., fish larger than 250 mm) 

that survive capture would have fin 

tissue and scale samples taken, and then 

be released. Any subadult salmonids 

that do not survive capture, and all 

juvenile salmonids (i.e., fish larger than 

80 mm but less than 250 mm) would be 

lethally sampled (i.e., intentional 

directed mortality) in order to collect (1) 

otoliths for age and growth studies; (2) 

coded wire tags for origin and age of 

hatchery fish; (3) muscle tissue for 

stable isotopes and/or lipid assays; (4) 

stomachs and contents for diet studies; 

and (5) other tissues including the heart, 

liver, intestines, pyloric caeca, and 

kidney for special studies upon request. 

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 2, 2015. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07945 Filed 4–7–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD413 

Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine 

Conservation Plan for American 

Samoa 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of agency decision. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces approval of 

a marine conservation plan (MCP) for 

American Samoa. 

DATES: This agency decision is effective 

from April 1, 2015, through March 31, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of 

the MCP, identified by NOAA–NMFS– 

2014–0095, from the Federal eRulemaking Portal, 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2014- 

0095, or from the Western Pacific 


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