[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8788-8800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03296]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB812]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications; for 37 permit renewals, 
three permit modifications, and 12 new permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received 52 scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, 
steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. 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 (see ADDRESSES) no later 
than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on March 18, 2022.

[[Page 8789]]


ADDRESSES: Because all West Coast NMFS offices are currently closed, 
all written comments on the applications should be sent by email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b8d6d5decb96cfdbca95d9c8c8cbf8d6d7d9d996dfd7ce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a2cccfc4d18cd5c1d08fc3d2d2d1e2cccdc3c38cc5cdd4">[email protected]</span></a> (please include the permit number in the subject 
line of the email).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Clapp, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-231-
2314, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c193aea3a4b3b5ef82ada0b1b181afaea0a0efa6aeb7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b7e5d8d5d2c5c399f4dbd6c7c7f7d9d8d6d699d0d8c1">[email protected]</span></a>). 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 Lower 
Columbia River (LCR); threatened Puget Sound (PS); threatened Snake 
River (SnkR) spring/summer-run (spr/sum); threatened SnkR fall-run; 
endangered Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring-run; threatened Upper 
Willamette River (UWR); threatened Central Valley spring-run (CVS); 
endangered Sacramento River (SacR) winter-run; threatened California 
Coastal (CC).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened LCR; threatened Middle Columbia 
River (MCR); threatened PS; threatened SnkR; threatened UCR; threatened 
UWR; threatened Northern California (NC); threatened Central California 
Coast (CCC); threatened California Central Valley (CCV); threatened 
South-Central California Coast (SCCC); endangered Southern California 
(SC).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened Hood Canal Summer-run (HCS), 
threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened LCR; threatened Oregon Coast 
(OC) coho; threatened Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast 
(SONCC), endangered Central California Coast (CCC).
    Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): Endangered SnkR; threatened Ozette Lake 
(OL).
    Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): Threatened southern distinct 
population segment (SDPS).
    Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): Threatened SDPS.
    Rockfish (Sebastes spp.): Endangered Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/
GB).
    Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis); threatened PS/GB yelloweye 
rockfish (S. ruberrimus).

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

1127-6M

    The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are seeking to modify a permit that for 
more than two decades has allowed them to annually take listed SnkR 
Chinook salmon and steelhead while conducting research designed to (1) 
monitor adult and juvenile fish in key upper Snake River subbasin 
watersheds, (2) assess the utility of hatchery Chinook salmon in 
increasing natural populations in the Salmon River, and (3) evaluate 
the genetic and ecological impacts hatchery Chinook salmon may have on 
natural populations. The modification would involve increasing the 
number of adult spr/sum Chinook the Tribes may observe and handle by 
permitting them to work at a currently unused weir in the East Fork 
Salmon River (Idaho). The modification would also involve greatly 
decreasing the number of juvenile salmon the Tribes capture and sample 
in the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River. The fish would continue to 
benefit from the research in two primary ways. First, the research 
would broadly be used to help guide restoration and recovery efforts 
throughout the Snake River basin. Second, the research would be used to 
analyze how hatchery supplementation can be used as a tool for salmon 
recovery.
    The researchers would use screw traps, weirs, electrofishing, and 
hook-and-line angling gear to capture the listed fish. Once captured, 
the fish would undergo various sampling, tagging, and handling regimes, 
after which they would be allowed to recover and released. Some tissue 
samples would be taken from adult fish carcasses, and the researchers 
would conduct some snorkeling surveys and redd counts. In all cases, 
trained crews would conduct the operations and no adult salmonids would 
be electrofished. All activities would take place in the Salmon River 
subbasin. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the fish 
they capture, but some may die as an unintended result of the research.

1135-11R

    The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking to renew a 
permit that for more than 20 years has authorized them to take juvenile 
LCR steelhead in the Wind River subbasin (Washington). The purpose of 
the study is to provide information on LCR steelhead growth, survival, 
habitat use, and life histories. This information would improve 
understanding of habitat associations and life history strategies for 
LCR steelhead in the Wind River and that, in turn, would help state, 
tribal, and Federal efforts to restore LCR steelhead. The USGS proposes 
to capture juvenile LCR steelhead using backpack electrofishing 
equipment, hold the fish in buckets of aerated water, anesthetize them 
with MS-222, measure their length and weight, tag age-0 and age-1 fish 
with passive integrated transponders (PIT-tags), and release all fish 
at the site of collection after they recover from anesthesia. The 
researchers do not propose to kill any fish but a small number may die 
as an unintended result of research activities.

1175-10R

    The Gifford Pinchot National Forest (GPNF) is seeking to renew for 
5 years a permit that currently allows them to take juvenile LCR 
Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, and LCR and MCR steelhead in the 
Cowlitz River subbasin (Lewis, Cowlitz, and Washougal Rivers) and 
middle Columbia-Hood subbasin (Wind, Little White Salmon, and Big White 
Salmon Rivers) in Washington State. The purpose of this research is to 
describe fish species presence, distribution, spawning areas, and 
habitat conditions on lands that the GPNF administers. The GPNF and 
other agencies would use that information in forest management, habitat 
restoration, and species recovery efforts. The GPNF proposes to use 
backpack electrofishing and seines to capture juvenile salmonids, hold 
them for short periods in buckets of aerated water, identify them, and 
then release them at the site where they were captured. The researchers 
do not propose to kill any fish, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of research activities.

1339-6R

    The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) under the authority of the Columbia River 
Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is seeking to renew for 5 years 
its permit

[[Page 8790]]

to annually take adult and juvenile SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon and 
SnkR steelhead while conducting research in a number of the tributaries 
to the Imnaha River (Cow, Lightning, Horse, Big Sheep, Camp, Little 
Sheep, Freezeout, Grouse, Crazyman, Mahogany, and Gumboot Creeks), the 
Grande Ronde River (Joseph Creek, Wenaha and Minam rivers), the 
Clearwater River (South Fork Clearwater River and Lolo Creek), and the 
Snake River (Lower Granite Dam adult trap). The Imnaha and Grande Ronde 
Rivers are in northeastern Oregon, the Clearwater River is in Idaho, 
and the work in the Snake River would take place in Washington. The 
renewed permit would allow the NPT to continue work they have been 
conducting for over 2 decades.
    The purpose of the research is to acquire information on the status 
(escapement abundance, genetic structure, life history traits) of 
juvenile and adult steelhead in the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, and 
Clearwater River basins. The research would benefit the listed species 
by providing status information that fishery managers may use to 
determine whether recovery actions are helping increase wild Snake 
River salmonid populations. Baseline information on steelhead 
populations in the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, and Clearwater River basins 
would also be used to help guide future management actions. Adult and 
juvenile salmon and steelhead would be observed, handled, and marked. 
The researchers would use temporary/portable picket and resistance 
board weirs and rotary screw traps to capture the fish and would then 
sample them for biological information (fin tissue and scale samples). 
They may also mark some of the fish with opercule punches, fin clips, 
dyes, and PIT, floy, and/or Tyvek disk tags. Adult steelhead carcasses 
would also be collected and sampled. The researchers do not intend to 
kill any of the fish being captured, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

1341-6R

    The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are seeking to renew for 5 years their 
permit to take SnkR sockeye salmon and SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon 
while conducting research designed to estimate their overwinter 
survival and downstream migration survival and timing. The researchers 
would also conduct limnological studies on Petit and Alturas Lakes 
(Idaho) and monitor sockeye rearing. This research--which has been 
conducted every year since 1996--would continue to provide information 
on the relative success of the Pettit and Alturas Lakes sockeye salmon 
reintroduction programs and thereby benefit the listed fish by 
improving those programs.
    Juvenile SR sockeye salmon, spr/sum Chinook salmon, and steelhead 
would be collected using rotary screw traps and weirs. The fish would 
be sampled for biological information and released or tagged with 
passive integrated transponders and released. In addition, to determine 
trap efficiencies, a portion of the tagged juvenile SnkR sockeye salmon 
would then be released upstream of the traps, captured at the traps a 
second time, and re-released. Adult fish may be trapped as well if any 
are released above Sawtooth Fish Hatchery (run by the Idaho Department 
of Fish and Game); these fish would be tissue-sampled and then 
immediately released above a temporary weir to spawn in Petit Lake. The 
Tribes do not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small percentage may die as an unintended result of the activities.

1345-10R

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking to 
renew for 5 years a research permit that currently allows them to take 
juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho 
salmon, LCR steelhead, and PS steelhead. The WDFW administers a 
multitude of water bodies through the state of Washington, and this 
permit would cover their work throughout Puget Sound and the Lower 
Columbia River basin. The purpose of the warmwater fish surveys is to 
assess stocks of inland game fish communities and thereby improve 
fishery management. The research would benefit salmonids by helping 
managers write warmwater fish species harvest regulations in a manner 
that would reduce potential impacts on listed salmonids. The WDFW 
proposes capturing fish using boat electrofishing, fyke nets, and 
gillnets. After being captured, the listed salmon and steelhead would 
be placed in aerated live wells, identified, and immediately released 
before other species are processed. The researchers would avoid 
salmonids and do not propose to kill any, but a small number may die as 
an unintended result of the activities.

1379-8R

    The CRITFC is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to take adult and juvenile UCR steelhead and Chinook while 
conducting research designed to (1) increase what we know about the 
status and productivity of various fish populations, (2) collect data 
on migratory and exploitation (harvest) patterns, and (3) develop 
baseline information on various population and habitat parameters in 
order to guide salmonid restoration strategies. Much of the work in the 
permit has been conducted for nearly 20 years--first under permit 1134, 
and then under seven previous versions of 1379. The permit would 
comprise three studies: Project 1--Juvenile Upriver Bright Fall Chinook 
Sampling at the Hanford Reach; Project 2--Adult Sockeye Sampling at 
Tumwater and Wells Dams; and Project 3--Acoustic trawl survey for Lake 
Wenatchee juvenile sockeye salmon.
    The research, as a whole, would benefit listed fish by helping 
managers set in-river and ocean harvest regimes so that they have 
minimal impacts on listed salmonid populations. It would also help 
managers prioritize projects in a way that gives maximum benefit to 
listed species--including projects designed to help the listed fish 
recover. The researchers would use beach- and stick seines to capture 
and tag juvenile fish in the Hanford reach of the Columbia River and 
capture fish during mid-water trawls in Lake Wenatchee (Washington). 
Those fish that are not immediately released upon capture would be 
transported to a holding facility where they would be anesthetized, 
examined for marks, adipose-clipped, coded wire tagged, allowed to 
recover, and released. The researchers would also collect, anesthetize, 
tissue-sample, and tag adult salmonids at Priest Rapids and Wells Dams 
in Washington State. The CRITFC researchers do not intend to kill any 
of the fish being captured but a small number may die as an unintended 
result of the activities.

1386-10R

    The Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE) is seeking to renew for 
5 years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile 
and adult PS Chinook salmon, UCR spring-run Chinook salmon, SnkR spr/
sum Chinook salmon, SnkR fall-run Chinook salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, 
HCS chum salmon, CR chum salmon, LCR coho salmon, OL sockeye salmon, 
SnkR sockeye salmon, LCR steelhead, PS steelhead, MCR steelhead, SnkR 
steelhead, and UCR steelhead. The purpose of the research is to 
investigate the occurrence and concentrations of toxic contaminants in 
non-anadromous freshwater fish tissue, sediment, and water at sites all 
across Washington. The WDOE conducts this research in order to meet 
Federal and state regulatory

[[Page 8791]]

requirements. This research would benefit listed species by identifying 
toxic contaminants in resident and prey fish and thereby inform 
pollution control actions. The WDOE proposes to capture fish using 
various methods including backpack and boat electrofishing, beach 
seining, block, fyke, and gill netting, and angling. All captured 
salmon and steelhead would either be released immediately or held 
temporarily in an aerated live well to help them recover before 
release. The researchers do not propose to kill any fish but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of research activities.

1410-13M

    The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is seeking to modify 
a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile and adult 
CVS, LCR, PS, SacR winter-run, SnkR fall-run, SnkR spr/sum, UCR, and 
UWR Chinook salmon; CR chum salmon; LCR, OC, and SONCC coho salmon; 
SnkR sockeye salmon; and LCR, MCR, SnkR basin, UCR, and UWR steelhead 
while conducting a study of the Columbia River plume and the 
surrounding ocean environment off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. 
The NWFSC research may also cause them to take SDPS eulachon, a species 
for which there are currently no ESA take prohibitions. The 
modification would largely entail increasing take for some species 
(e.g., juvenile SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon) and decreasing take for 
other species (e.g., SnkR Fall Chinook salmon). The purposes of the 
research are to (1) determine the abundance, distribution, growth, and 
condition of juvenile Columbia River salmonids in the river's plume and 
characterize its physical and biological features as they relate to 
salmonid survival; (2) determine the impact that predators and food 
supply have on survival among juvenile Columbia River Chinook and coho 
salmon as they migrate through the Columbia River estuary and plume; 
and (3) synthesize the early ocean ecology of juvenile Columbia River 
salmonids, test mechanisms that control salmonid growth and survival, 
and produce ecological indices that forecast salmonid survival.
    The research would benefit the affected species by (1) providing 
data to improve understanding of how the ocean and Columbia River plume 
conditions affect juvenile salmonids, (2) helping predict how changing 
ocean conditions would affect salmonid growth and survival, and (3) 
helping improve salmon management actions in relation to river, plume, 
and ocean conditions. This study would work in conjunction with another 
NWFSC study (permit 22369-2M) by capturing salmonids using a different 
capture method at deeper locations. The NWFSC proposes to capture fish 
using a surface trawl, which can cause lethal crushing and descaling 
injuries to juvenile salmonids and eulachon. Juvenile salmonids would 
be identified to species, measured for length, and frozen for further 
analysis (i.e. weight, growth, genetics, diet (stomach contents), 
parasites, pathogens, and physiological condition). Adult salmonids 
would be held in an aerated livewell, identified to species, measured 
for length, checked for tags and marks, and released. Eulachon would 
either be returned to the capture location or retained for further 
scientific research activities at the NWFSC. The researchers do not 
intend to kill any listed adult salmonids, but some may die as an 
inadvertent result of the research.

1465-5R

    The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) is seeking to 
renew for five years a research permit that currently allows them to 
take juvenile threatened SnkR steelhead, threatened SnkR fall Chinook 
salmon, threatened SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon, and endangered SnkR 
sockeye salmon during the course of two research projects designed to 
ascertain the condition of many Idaho streams. The purposes of the 
research are to (a) determine whether aquatic life is being properly 
supported in Idaho's rivers, streams, and lakes, and (b) assess the 
overall condition of Idaho's surface waters. The fish would benefit 
from the research because the data it produces would be used to inform 
decisions about how and where to protect and improve water quality in 
the state. The researchers would use backpack- and boat electrofishing 
equipment to capture the fish. They would then be weighed and measured 
(some may be anesthetized to limit stress) and released. The IDEQ 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.

1564-6R

    The University of Washington (UW) is seeking to renew for 5 years a 
permit that currently allows them to annually take juvenile natural- 
and hatchery-origin PS Chinook and steelhead while conducting research 
designed to monitor the success of habitat restoration projects in the 
Duwamish River estuary. The goal of these projects is to understand 
changes in population characteristics among Chinook salmon in response 
to restoration actions. The habitat restoration work is conducted in 
association with several entities including King County, the City of 
Seattle, Long Live the Kings, and Vigor Shipyards. The researchers 
propose to capture fish using enclosure nets and beach seines. Juvenile 
salmon and steelhead would be handled (anesthetized, weighed, measured, 
and checked for marks or tags), and released. Juvenile steelhead and a 
subsample of Chinook salmon captured may have their stomach contents 
non-lethally sampled via gastric lavage. The UW researchers do not 
propose to kill any listed animals as part of this project, but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

1586-5R

    The NWFSC is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile, subadult, and adult PS Chinook 
salmon, and juvenile PS steelhead, HCS chum salmon, and Bocaccio and 
yelloweye rockfish. The purpose of the work is to characterize how wild 
juvenile PS Chinook salmon and various forage fish species use 
nearshore habitats in the oceanographic basins of the Puget Sound, the 
Straits of Juan de Fuca, and the San Juan Islands in Washington State. 
The permit would also allow the researchers to take adult SDPS 
eulachon, a species for which there are currently no take prohibitions. 
The goals of this project are to help managers develop protection and 
restoration strategies and monitor the effects of recovery actions. To 
accomplish this, the proposed work would help researchers (a) determine 
if nearshore populations are increasing or decreasing; and (b) 
establish baseline abundance, composition, and genetic structure 
metrics for nearshore populations throughout the Puget Sound. The 
researchers propose to capture fish using beach seines, Nordic surface 
trawls, and hook-and-line sampling. Juvenile salmon and steelhead would 
be handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and 
released. A subset of juvenile Chinook salmon would have fin clip 
samples collected. Adult Chinook salmon may have fin clip or scale 
samples collected. Captured rockfish, eulachon, and steelhead would be 
handled and released. A small subset of juvenile Chinook salmon would 
be lethally sacrificed for contaminant, otolith, and stomach content 
analyses. Any fish found dead at the time of

[[Page 8792]]

capture or unintentionally killed during sampling would be used in 
place of fish that would otherwise be intentionally sacrificed. Aside 
from the subset to be lethally sampled, the NWFSC does not propose to 
kill any fish being captured as part of this project--though a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

1587-7R

    The USGS's Western Fisheries Research Center is seeking to renew 
for 5 years a permit that currently allows them to annually take 
juvenile PS Chinook salmon, juvenile PS steelhead, and juvenile HCS 
chum salmon while conducting two research projects designed to explore 
the influence of large river deltas on nearshore ecosystem processes 
and the impacts urbanization has on such processes in the Puget Sound, 
Washington. The permit would also allow the researchers to take adult 
SDPS eulachon, a species for which there are currently no take 
prohibitions. The goals of this work are to understand physio-chemical 
processes related to nearshore habitat changes that alter trophic webs, 
community dynamics, and forage fish populations. This information, in 
turn, would benefit listed fish by helping managers better grasp the 
processes and considerations critical to understanding (and thereby 
mitigating) human impacts on nearshore salmonid habitats.
    The researchers propose to capture fish using lampara seines, dip 
nets, beach seines, gill nets, and hook-and-line sampling, and would 
only target forage fish species (i.e., sand lance, surf smelt, and 
Pacific herring). Though this study does not target ESA-listed species, 
some may be unintentionally captured as part of this work. Any such 
fish would be handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or 
tags) and released near their capture location. The USGS does not 
propose to kill any listed fish, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

1598-5R

    The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is 
seeking to renew for 5 years a research permit that currently allows 
them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon, UCR spring-run Chinook salmon, 
SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon, SnkR fall-run Chinook salmon, LCR Chinook 
salmon, HCS chum salmon, CR chum salmon, LCR coho salmon, OL sockeye 
salmon, SnkR sockeye salmon, LCR steelhead, PS steelhead, MCR 
steelhead, SnkR steelhead, and UCR steelhead. The WSDOT research may 
also cause them to take SDPS eulachon, a species for which there are 
currently no ESA take prohibitions. Sample sites would be located 
throughout the state of Washington. The purpose of the study is to 
determine the distribution and diversity of anadromous fish species in 
waterbodies crossed by or adjacent to the state transportation systems 
(highways, railroads, airports, etc.).
    This information would be used to assess what impacts projects 
proposed at those facilities may have on listed species. The research 
would benefit the listed species by helping WSDOT minimize project 
impacts on listed fish to the greatest extent possible. Depending on 
the size of the stream system, the WSDOT proposes to capture fish using 
dip nets, stick seines, baited minnow traps, or backpack 
electrofishing. The captured fish would be identified to species and 
immediately released. The researchers do not propose to kill any listed 
fish being captured, but a small number may die as an unintended result 
of the activities.

10093-3R

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking to 
renew a 5 year permit to annually take adult and juvenile CC Chinook; 
CCC and SONCC coho; and NC, SCCC, SC and CCC steelhead in watersheds 
throughout coastal California. The project goal is to restore salmon 
and steelhead productivity in coastal California streams through a 
comprehensive restoration program. The specific goals of this research 
project are to assess fish abundance and distribution in various 
streams slated for restoration work. This research would benefit listed 
species by providing data to help managers assess and direct habitat 
restoration projects across much of the salmonid-bearing waters of 
California. Fish would be captured by backpack electrofishing, beach 
seines, minnow traps, and weirs; they would also be observed during 
snorkel and spawning ground surveys. Some captured fish would be 
anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged, and tissue-sampled for genetic 
information. The researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids 
but a small number may die as an unintended result of the proposed 
activities.

13381-4R

    The NWFSC is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take natural juvenile SnkR spr/sum Chinook and 
SnkR steelhead in various places in the Salmon River drainage in Idaho 
and at Little Goose and Lower Granite Dams on the lower Snake River. 
The purpose of the research is to continue monitoring parr-to-smolt 
survival and outmigration behavior among wild SnkR spr/sum Chinook 
salmon populations from Idaho. Steelhead juveniles that are 
inadvertently collected would also be tagged to help supplement an 
ongoing Idaho Department of Fish and Game study.
    The research would benefit the fish by continuing to supply 
managers with the information they need to budget water releases at 
hydropower facilities in ways designed to help protect migrating 
juvenile salmonids. The information gained would also be used to build 
long-term data sets on parr-to-smolt migration behavior and survival 
rates. This information, coupled with water quality, weather, and 
climate data, is intended to provide a foundation for understanding 
these populations' life histories--the knowledge of which is critical 
to planning effective recovery actions. The listed fish would be 
captured (using seines, dip nets, and electrofishing), anesthetized, 
tagged, and released. A portion of these fish would also be re-captured 
at a smolt bypass facility, anesthetized, weighed, measured, and 
released. The researchers do not intend to kill any of the fish being 
captured, but a small percentage may die as an unintended result of the 
research activities.

13382-4R

    The NWFSC is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile threatened SnkR spr/sum Chinook 
salmon and juvenile threatened SnkR steelhead at various places in the 
Snake River in Idaho and in various streams of Southeast Washington and 
Northeast Oregon. Most of the activities under this permit have been 
under way for nearly 20 years--first under Permit 1406 and then under 
previous versions of Permit 13382. Under the permit, the listed fish 
would be variously captured (using seines, dip nets, traps, and 
electrofishing), anesthetized, tissue sampled, weighed, measured, and 
released. In addition, a small number of juvenile fish would be caught 
using electrofishing methods, anesthetized, and then held in aerated 
containers of water with varying temperature regimes to measure their 
cardiac performance. The fish would then in all cases be allowed to 
recover and returned live to the place of their capture.
    The purposes of the research are therefore (1) to continue 
monitoring the effects of supplementation among steelhead and spr/sum 
Chinook salmon populations in Idaho, and (2) measure

[[Page 8793]]

cardiac performance in juvenile salmonids. The research would benefit 
the fish by generating baseline information on elevated temperature 
effects and continuing to supply managers with the information they 
need when seeking to use hatchery programs to conserve listed species. 
The researchers do not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, 
but some may die as an unintended result of the process.

14419-4R

    The Sonoma County Water Agency is seeking to renew a 5 year permit 
to annually take adult and juvenile CC Chinook, CCC coho and CCC 
steelhead in the Russian River watershed, California. The project's 
goal is to detect and depict trends in ESA-listed salmonid populations 
in the Russian River watershed and to monitor the results of salmonid 
habitat enhancement efforts. This research would benefit listed species 
by providing life cycle and habitat-specific estimates of residence 
time, growth, and survival so that resource management agencies can 
better identify and prioritize key restoration actions in the Russian 
River watershed.
    Fish would be captured by downstream-migrant trapping (rotary screw 
traps, fyke nets, and pipe/funnel nets), electrofishing (backpack and 
boat), otter trawl, hook-and-line sampling, and beach seining. Fish 
would also be observed during snorkel and spawning surveys. Some fish 
would be anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged, scale-sampled, and/or 
tissue-sampled for genetic information. The stomach contents of a small 
subset of fish would be sampled using non-lethal gastric lavage. A 
maximum of 130 juvenile steelhead and 150 juvenile Chinook would be 
sacrificed for otolith microchemistry analysis. Beyond these subsets, 
the researchers do not intend to kill any listed fish, and any that are 
inadvertently killed would be used in place of the animals that would 
otherwise be sacrificed.

15542-6R

    TRPA Fish Biologists is seeking to renew a 5 year research permit 
to annually take juvenile and adult CCV steelhead in Lower Putah Creek 
in the lower Sacramento River basin, California. The project's goal is 
to monitor the distribution and relative abundance of fish populations 
in lower Putah Creek downstream from the Putah Diversion Dam. This 
research would benefit listed steelhead by providing information on 
fish response to river flows, and generating baseline information on 
the distribution and diversity of rainbow trout/steelhead in Putah 
Creek. Fish would be captured by backpack and boat electrofishing. 
Captured fish would be identified by species, measured, weighed, 
allowed to recover, and released. The researchers do not expect to kill 
any listed salmonids but a small number may die as an unintended result 
of the research activities.

15548-2R

    TRPA Fish Biologists is seeking to renew a 5 year research permit 
to annually take adult and juvenile CCC steelhead in Suisun Creek, 
Green Valley Creek, and Ledgewood Creek in Solano and Napa Counties, 
California. The project's goal is to monitor fish distribution, 
population structure, relative abundance, condition, and general 
health. The research would benefit CCC steelhead by producing data that 
would be used to help develop the Solano Habitat Conservation Plan in 
as fish-friendly a manner as possible. Listed fish would be captured by 
backpack and boat electrofishing; they would then be identified by 
species, measured, weighed, allowed to recover, and released. The 
researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

15848-3R

    The WDFW is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS 
steelhead, HCS chum salmon, Bocaccio, and yelloweye rockfish, and adult 
SDPS green sturgeon while conducting research to estimate the relative 
numerical and biomass abundance of bottom fish in the basins of Puget 
Sound, Washington. They would also collect other distributional and 
biological information for key marine resources. The researchers may 
also capture adult and juvenile SDPS eulachon, a species for which 
there are currently no take prohibition. The goals of this work are to 
develop a fishery-independent method for tracking population trends 
over time and provide managers and stakeholders with information about 
ecosystem productivity, community structure, and trends. This 
information would benefit listed species by informing an array of 
future management decisions.
    The researchers would use bottom trawls to capture fish and would 
not target listed species, but they may unintentionally encounter some 
during the course of the work. All listed animals that may be captured 
would be handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags) and 
released near their capture location. The WDFW does not propose to kill 
any listed fish as part of this project, but a small number may die as 
an unintended result of the proposed activities.

15890-3R

    The WDFW is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS 
steelhead, HCS chum salmon, Bocaccio, and yelloweye rockfish while 
conducting research to estimate the abundance of pelagic forage fish 
species in key areas of the Puget Sound, Washington. The researchers 
would also encounter SDPS eulachon, a species for which there are 
currently no take prohibitions. The goals of this work are to compare 
pelagic species stock abundances over time and gather growth, 
mortality, and recruitment information about the populations. This 
information would benefit listed species by informing an array of 
future fishery management decisions.
    The researchers propose to capture fish using midwater trawls and, 
while they would not target listed species, some may be captured during 
the course of the work. Any ESA-listed salmon, steelhead, or rockfish 
captured would be handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or 
tags), tissue-sampled (scale or fin clip), and released near their 
capture location. Any SDPS eulachon captured would be handled and 
released. The WDFW does not propose to kill any listed fish as part of 
this project, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the 
research activities.

16021-3R

    The WDFW is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, 
Bocaccio, and yelloweye rockfish, and SDPS green sturgeon while 
conducting research to study the stock structure, biology, food web 
relationships, and abundance of groundfish species in inland marine 
waters of Puget Sound, Washington. The researchers may also capture 
adult SDPS eulachon, a species for which there are currently no take 
prohibitions. The goal of this work is to improve understanding of 
groundfish stock structure, life history, biology, geographic 
distribution, habitat use, and food web relationships. The researchers 
propose to capture fish using hook-and-line angling and live-capture 
traps and, though they are not targeting ESA-listed species, they may 
inadvertently capture some. In addition, the researchers

[[Page 8794]]

propose to use modified dinglebar trolling gear, although it will only 
be deployed in habitats where they do not anticipate encountering ESA-
listed species. All captured rockfish would be handled (weighed, 
measured, and checked for marks or tags), sampled for stomach contents, 
tissue-sampled, floy-tagged, and released near the site of their 
capture. Any ESA-listed salmon, eulachon, or green sturgeon captured 
would be handled and swiftly released. The WDFW does not propose to 
kill any ESA-listed species as part of this project, but a small number 
may die as an unintended result of the proposed activities.

16069-4R

    The City of Portland is seeking to renew for 5 years a research 
permit that currently allows them to take juvenile UCR spring-run 
Chinook salmon, UWR Chinook salmon, SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon, SnkR 
fall-run Chinook salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, CR chum salmon, LCR coho 
salmon, SnkR sockeye salmon, LCR steelhead, UWR steelhead, MCR 
steelhead, SnkR steelhead, and SDPS green sturgeon in the Columbia and 
Willamette rivers and some of their tributaries in Oregon. The 
researchers may also take some adult SDPS eulachon (a species for which 
there are currently no ESA take prohibitions). This research is part of 
the Portland Watershed Management Plan--a series of projects designed 
to improve watershed health in the Portland area. Project staff would 
annually sample 37 sites across all Portland watersheds and record data 
on local hydrology, habitat, water chemistry, and biological 
communities.
    The research would benefit listed salmonids by providing 
information to help managers assess watershed health, critical habitat 
status, effectiveness of watershed restoration actions, and compliance 
with regulatory requirements. The City of Portland proposes to capture 
juvenile fish using backpack and boat electrofishing equipment, hold 
them in a bucket of aerated water, take caudal fin clips for genetic 
analysis, and release them. The researchers would avoid contact with 
adult fish. The researchers do not propose to kill any fish but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the proposed activities.

16091-3R

    The WDFW is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS 
steelhead, Bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, and adult SDPS green sturgeon 
while monitoring English sole (Parophrys vetulus) for (1) chemical 
contaminant levels in fish tissues, (2) pathological disorder 
frequency, and (3) other biomarkers signifying biological effects in in 
the Puget Sound, Washington. The researchers may also capture SDPS 
eulachon, a species for which there are currently no take prohibitions. 
The goal of this work is to monitor contaminants in this indicator 
benthic fish to better understand toxic contaminant impacts on the 
benthic food web, measure changes in toxic contaminant levels at a 
local level, and prioritize cleanup efforts in the Puget Sound. This 
information would benefit listed fish by helping managers make informed 
decisions regarding habitat restoration efforts throughout the Puget 
Sound. The researchers propose to capture fish using bottom trawls and, 
though they are not targeting listed species, they may capture some as 
part of this work. Any viable ESA-listed species captured would be 
handled, allowed to recover, and quickly released. The WDFW does not 
propose to kill any listed fish, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

16318-4R

    Hagar Environmental Services is seeking to renew for 5 years a 
permit that currently allows them to annually take juvenile CCC coho 
and juvenile CCC and SCCC steelhead in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San 
Luis Obispo counties, California. The purpose of this study is to 
gather data on salmonid abundance and distribution and quantify various 
habitat parameters with the goal of improving watershed management 
across three counties. This research would benefit listed species by 
helping managers draft a fish-friendly habitat conservation plan for 
the City of Santa Cruz and, in general, better inform land management 
decisions throughout the area. Fish would be captured by backpack 
electrofishing and beach seines and observed during snorkel surveys. 
Some fish would be anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged, and scale- 
and tissue-sampled for genetic information. The researchers do not 
expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

16521-3R

    The WDFW is seeking a to renew for 5 years their permit to annually 
capture, handle, and release juvenile UCR steelhead and Chinook salmon 
in the Hanford reach of the Columbia River and near the Tri-Cities, 
Washington. The purpose of the research is to gather data on fall 
Chinook abundance, length frequency distribution, and fish losses in 
the area. The information collected from these surveys is used to 
evaluate protections for juvenile fall Chinook under the Hanford Reach 
Fall Chinook Protection Program Agreement; it has also been used to 
gauge the efficacy of the coded-wire-tagging program for marking wild 
up-river bright fall Chinook in the Hanford Reach. These surveys 
provide biologists and managers with definitive data on fish presence 
and the impacts both listed and non-listed Chinook and steelhead 
experience when residing in near-shore habitats in this area of the 
Columbia River. These data have been (and would continue to be) used to 
help guide management actions for the benefit of the listed species. 
The researchers would use beach seines and backpack electrofishing 
equipment to capture the fish. The captured fish would be anesthetized, 
measured, allowed to recover, and released back to the river. The 
researchers do not expect to kill any listed fish, but a small number 
may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

16702-4R

    The NWFSC is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
allows them to annually take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and steelhead 
and adult SDPS eulachon (a species for which there are currently no 
take prohibitions) while conducting research designed to characterize 
how wild juvenile PS Chinook salmon use habitats in the Snohomish River 
estuary and delta in the Puget Sound, Washington. The goal of this 
project is to identify the life history types of juvenile PS Chinook 
salmon present, characterize their spatial and temporal distribution, 
and assess their feeding ecology and interactions with other biota. The 
gathered data would benefit listed fish by better informing Snohomish-
area land management decisions as conditions and opportunities change.
    The researchers propose to capture fish using beach seines and fyke 
nets. Juvenile salmon and steelhead would be handled (weighed, 
measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. A small subset 
of hatchery- and naturally-produced juvenile Chinook salmon would be 
lethally sacrificed for stable isotope, otolith, and stomach contents 
analysis. Any fish found dead at the time of capture or unintentionally 
killed during sampling would be used in place of fish that would 
otherwise be intentionally sacrificed. Aside from this

[[Page 8795]]

subset, the NWFSC does not propose to kill any other fish being 
captured as part of this project, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

17292-3R

    NMFS's Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) is seeking to 
renew a 5 year research permit to annually take adult and juvenile CC 
Chinook, CCC and SONCC coho, and NC, SCCC, SC and CCC steelhead. 
Sampling would be conducted in California on a variety of coastal 
salmonid populations. The purposes of this research are to: (1) 
Estimate population abundance and dynamics; (2) evaluate factors 
affecting growth, survival, reproduction, and other life history 
patterns; (3) assess life-stage specific habitat use and movement; (4) 
evaluate physiological performance and tolerance; (5) determine the 
genetic structure of populations; (6) evaluate the effects of water 
management and habitat restoration; and (7) develop improved sampling 
and monitoring methods. The research would benefit the coastal 
California salmon stocks by providing critical information to support 
their conservation, management, and recovery.
    The listed fish would be captured using backpack electrofishing, 
hook-and-line sampling, hand- and dipnets, beach seines, fyke nets, 
panel, pipe or rotary screw traps, and weirs. They would also be 
observed during spawning ground and snorkel surveys. Some fish would be 
anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged (coded wire, elastomer, radio, 
acoustic, PIT, or sonic), and tissue-sampled for genetic information. A 
small number of juvenile fish would be sacrificed to support laboratory 
experiments and assess mercury levels and RNA expression, but otherwise 
the researchers do not intend to kill any of the captured fish--though 
some may die as an inadvertent result of the activities.

17299-4R

    The SWFSC is seeking to renew a 5 year research permit to annually 
take adult and juvenile CCV steelhead, SacR winter-run and CVS Chinook 
salmon, and SDPS green sturgeon while conducting research activities in 
the California Central Valley. The overall goal of this project is to 
provide critical information to support California salmonid stock 
conservation and management. The SWFSC would conduct comparative 
studies on salmon ecology across all Central Valley habitats (streams, 
rivers, and delta) to increase our knowledge of California's Chinook 
salmon and steelhead life histories. The proposed action would include 
six study efforts: (1) Producing telemetry data to assess river habitat 
use, behavior, and survival; (2) estimating predator impacts on salmon; 
(3) making physiological measurements of aerobic scope across stocks; 
(4) examining otoliths to identify stocks of salmonids and thereby 
inform Central Valley project operations and Bay-Delta monitoring; (5) 
annually updating strontium and sulfur isoscape validation tools for 
reconstructing juvenile habitat use; and (6) applying isotope methods 
to reconstruct salmon habitat use and growth studies. The research 
would benefit the affected species by providing critical information to 
inform life-cycle modeling efforts at the SWFSC and help guide NMFS's 
West Coast Region and various Central Valley agencies in their resource 
management efforts. In addition, results would also be integrated into 
the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and thereby help prioritize 
habitat restoration actions.
    In situations where the SWFSC are unable to rely on collaborators 
to capture fish, collection methods would include rotary screw traps, 
fyke nets, backpack- and boat electrofishing, beach seining, tangle 
netting, DIDSON (sonar) observations, hook-and-line sampling, and 
spawning ground and snorkel surveys. Some fish would be anesthetized, 
measured, weighed, tagged (coded wire, elastomer, radio, acoustic, PIT, 
or sonic), and tissue sampled (fin clip, scales, stomach lavage). 
Another subset would be tested in the laboratory to measure aerobic 
scope under a range of temperature and flow combinations. Most of the 
fish to be captured would experience no long-term adverse effects, 
however, a number of hatchery fish that have had their adipose fins 
removed would be sacrificed to collect otoliths for age/growth 
analysis, organ tissues for isotope, biochemical and genomic expression 
assays and parasite infections, and to assess tag effects/retention. It 
should be noted that there are no take prohibitions for such fish and 
they are by definition considered excess to the species' recovery 
needs.

17306-3R

    The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is seeking to 
renew for 5 years a permit that currently authorizes them 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. Most captured fish 
would be identified, measured and released, though some would also be 
tissue sampled and/or floy- or PIT-tagged. Data collected from this 
work would be used to inform management decisions in the Deschutes 
River watershed for the benefit of MCR steelhead. Biologists from the 
ODFW have been conducting this work in the area for decades. 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.

17916-2R

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arcata Field Office, is 
seeking to renew a 5 year research permit to annually take adult and 
juvenile CC Chinook salmon, SONCC coho salmon, and NC steelhead in 
watersheds throughout Northwest California--including the Mattole 
River, Eel River, the Lost Coast region tributaries to the Pacific 
Ocean, and some Humboldt Bay tributaries. The purpose of this research 
is to monitor how current management actions under the Northwest Forest 
Plan's Aquatic Conservation Strategy are affecting anadromous salmonids 
and their habitats. In order to monitor land management actions and 
implement the Northwest Forest Plan in northern California, the BLM 
needs to obtain updated information on fish distribution and habitat. 
Thus, the information to be gathered would benefit listed species by 
informing adaptive management strategies intended to aid salmon 
recovery.
    Fish would be captured using backpack electrofishing, hand/or dip 
nets, beach seines and observed during spawning and snorkel surveys. 
Some fish would be anesthetized, measured, and weighed. The researchers 
do not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small number may die 
as an unintended result of the research activities.

18012-3R

    The CDFW Bay Delta Region's Central Coast Watershed Restoration and 
Fisheries Management Program is seeking to renew a 5 year research 
permit to annually take adult and juvenile CC Chinook salmon, CCC coho 
salmon, and NC, CCC and SCCC steelhead in Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa,

[[Page 8796]]

Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, California. The 
purpose of this research is to assess salmonid stock status throughout 
the seven counties and identify factors that may be limiting population 
growth and recovery. The proposed studies are: (1) Juvenile salmonid 
occurrence, distribution and habitat monitoring; (2) adult salmonid 
occurrence, passage, and distribution; (3) spawning ground surveys; (4) 
life cycle station monitoring; and (5) juvenile steelhead lagoon 
seining and habitat monitoring. This research would benefit listed 
species by informing proposed habitat restoration project designs, 
helping prioritize watershed restoration efforts, and helping managers 
mitigate the negative impacts of various management actions.
    Fish would be captured via backpack electrofishing, beach seining, 
rotary screw trapping, fyke/pipe trapping, and weirs. They would also 
be observed during spawning and snorkel surveys and at electronic 
counting stations (by DIDSON (sonar) array, Vaki Riverwatcher, and 
video weirs). Most juvenile fish would be handled, measured for fork 
length, weighed, and released. Various subsets of the captured juvenile 
fish would be anesthetized, tissue-sampled (fin clip) for genetic 
analysis, scale sampled, marked with an upper caudal fin clip, and/or 
PIT-tagged. Captured adult salmon would be handled (identified, 
measured, weighed, and scale- and tissue-sampled), tagged (bi-colored 
Floy tags and/or opercule-punched), and released. The researchers do 
not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small number may die as 
an unintended result of the research activities.

19820-3R

    The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Biogeochemistry & 
Fish Ecology Lab is seeking to renew a 5 year research permit to 
annually take juvenile SacR winter-run and CVS Chinook, juvenile and 
adult CCC and CCV steelhead, and juvenile SDPS green sturgeon in the 
San Francisco Bay Area and tributaries. The purpose of this research is 
to determine the degree to which Longfin Smelt use tributaries of San 
Pablo and San Francisco bays as spawning and rearing habitat. This 
information would improve the understanding of how bay tributaries 
contribute to the overall population of Longfin Smelt and that 
information, in turn, would benefit listed salmonids by improving our 
understanding of tributary habitat health in areas not previously 
monitored.
    Although this study principally targets longfin smelt, SacR winter-
run and CVS Chinook, CCC and CCV steelhead and SDPS green sturgeon may 
be encountered during sampling. Fish would be captured with beach 
seines, fyke nets, and trawls (otter and Kodiak). Captured fish would 
be identified by species, enumerated, and released. A sub-sample of 30 
individuals per species would be measured. The researchers do not 
propose to kill any fish but a small number may die as an unintended 
result of research activities.

20104-3R

    The Pacific Shellfish Institute is seeking to renew for 5 years a 
permit that currently allows them to annually take juvenile PS Chinook 
salmon, PS steelhead, and SDPS green sturgeon in eelgrass and mudflat 
habitats in Samish Bay in the Puget Sound and in Willapa Bay on the 
coast of Washington. The researchers may also capture SDPS eulachon, a 
species for which there are currently no take prohibitions. The 
researchers are also requesting to expand their work to include sites 
in Hood Canal, South Puget Sound, and Grays Harbor, Washington; Coos 
Bay, Oregon; and Humboldt Bay, California. They would also seek to also 
take juvenile HCS chum salmon, OC coho salmon, SONCC coho salmon, CC 
Chinook salmon, and NC steelhead. The research is designed to quantify 
the effects shellfish culture and burrowing shrimp have on seagrass and 
its function as habitat for fish and invertebrates. The researchers 
would examine the spatial relationships between existing shellfish 
culture, burrowing shrimp, and seagrass in several Pacific Northwest 
estuaries. They would also synthesize data and parameterize production 
functions for higher trophic level species of interest across habitat 
types. The goal of this project is to help develop a landscape-scale 
understanding of the influence aquaculture has on estuarine habitats 
and thereby help managers develop environmentally and economically 
sustainable shellfish farming practices that would also help conserve 
listed salmonids and other fish.
    The researchers propose to capture fish using beach seines, open-
ended fyke nets with cameras, and Breder traps. Captured fish would be 
handled (weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags), and 
released. A small subset of fish from all species captured may also be 
lethally sacrificed for stable isotope and stomach contents analyses. 
Any fish found dead at the time of capture or unintentionally killed 
during sampling would be used in place of fish that would otherwise be 
intentionally sacrificed. In addition to those intentionally 
sacrificed, a small number of listed juvenile fish may die as an 
unintended result of the research activities.

20492-3R

    The ODFW is seeking to renew a permit a permit that currently 
authorizes research in lake, river, backwater, slough, and estuary 
habitats in the Willamette and Columbia basins (Oregon) and on the 
Oregon coast. The permit would continue to allow the ODFW to take 
juvenile CR Chum, LCR Columbia Chinook, UCR Chinook, SnkR spr/sum 
Chinook, SnkR fall Chinook, UWR Chinook, LCR Coho, LCR Steelhead, MCR 
Steelhead, UCR Steelhead, SnkR Steelhead, UWR Willamette Steelhead, 
SnkR Sockeye Salmon, OC Coho, and adult SDPS green sturgeon. The permit 
would also allow ODFW to take adult SDPS eulachon--a species for which 
there are currently no take prohibitions. The information to be 
collected would be used to monitor population structure and abundance 
for many species across the landscape. This, in turn, would be used to 
improve a suite of listed-fish-affecting management actions throughout 
much of Oregon.
    The permit would cover the following projects: (1) Warmwater and 
Recreational Game Fish Management, (2) District Fish Population 
Sampling in the Upper Willamette Basin, and (3) Salmonid Assessment and 
Monitoring in the Deschutes River. The researchers propose to use boat 
electrofishing to sample fish. Most juveniles and all adults would be 
allowed to swim away without being handled after they are 
electroshocked, but some juveniles would be netted, identified, and 
released immediately. A subset of captured juveniles would be 
anesthetized, weighed and measured, allowed to recover, and then 
released. All ESA-listed fish would be processed and released before 
any non-listed fish are processed. The ODFW does not intend to kill any 
of the fish being captured, but a small number may die as an unintended 
result of the activities.

21185-2R

    The Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) is seeking to renew for 5 years a 
permit that currently allows them to annually take juvenile PS Chinook 
salmon and steelhead while conducting research to validate and correct 
existing Washington Department of Natural Resources channel water-type 
classifications regarding tributaries to the Puget Sound and the 
Deschutes

[[Page 8797]]

River (Washington). The goal of this work is to generate data that can 
be used to identify wild fish habitat restoration opportunities and 
thereby (a) improve regulatory protection of sensitive aquatic habitats 
for ESA-listed Chinook salmon and steelhead, and (b) help land use 
planners implement better recovery strategies. The researchers propose 
to capture fish using backpack electrofishing. Any juvenile PS 
steelhead captured would be handled (weighed, measured, and checked for 
marks or tags), tissue-sampled (fin clip or opercule punch), and 
released. Juvenile PS Chinook salmon captured would be handled and 
released. The WFC does not propose to kill any listed fish as part of 
this project, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the 
research activities.

21220-2R

    The Battelle Memorial National Ecological Observatory Network 
(NEON) Program is seeking to renew for 5 years a permit that currently 
authorizes them to capture adult and juvenile threatened LCR steelhead 
in Martha Creek, Washington while conducting research designed to 
monitor climate change, land use alterations, and invasive species 
distribution. The NEON researchers would continue to use instream and 
riparian sensors in combination with field sampling to characterize 
chemical, physical, and biological properties of the stream and 
riparian ecosystem. The aquatic sampling suite would consist of 
chemical measurements of surface and shallow ground water, physical 
measurements of stream and riparian habitat, and biological 
measurements of the aquatic community (biofilms, macrophytes, algae, 
invertebrates, and fish).
    During times when no LCR steelhead adults or redds are present, 
NEON would survey fish using three-pass backpack electrofishing with 
block nets placed at the upper and lower boundaries of each survey 
reach. The captured fish would be held in buckets of cool stream water, 
anesthetized with a eugenol solution, identified, photographed, 
measured, allowed to recover, and then released back to the stream. If 
any adult steelhead are encountered during electrofishing, NEON would 
immediately turn off the electrofishing unit, let the fish swim away, 
and halt surveys until the researchers determine through consultation 
with NMFS and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that listed adults or 
redds are no longer present in the research area. Although NEON's 
standardized fish survey protocols describe tissue sampling and 
vouchering fish specimens, NEON does not propose to tissue-sample or 
intentionally kill any O. mykiss at the Martha Creek research site. 
However, a small number of juvenile LCR steelhead may die as an 
unintended consequence of the activities.

21330-4R

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking to renew for 
5 years a permit that currently allows them to annually take juvenile 
and adult PS Chinook salmon and steelhead while conducting research to 
document fish presence and abundance in Jim Creek in Snohomish County, 
Washington. The goal of this work is to provide data regarding fish 
distribution and abundance in Jim Creek to help the U.S. Navy refine 
their Integrated Natural Resources Management plan for Naval Radio 
Station Jim Creek. The Navy would then use this information to design 
and carry out habitat restoration for the benefit of the listed fish.
    The researchers propose to capture fish using backpack 
electrofishing; they would also conduct snorkel and spawning surveys. 
Any juvenile PS Chinook salmon or steelhead captured would be handled 
(weighed, measured, and checked for marks or tags) and released. Some 
juvenile steelhead may also be tissue-sampled (fin clip or opercule 
punch). The USFWS does not propose to kill any listed fish, but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

22369-2M

    The NWFSC is seeking to modify a permit that currently allows them 
to annually take juvenile and adult PS Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, 
HCS chum salmon, OL sockeye salmon, SnkR fall-run Chinook salmon, SnkR 
spr/sum Chinook salmon, SnkR sockeye salmon, SnkR steelhead, UCR 
spring-run Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, UWR Chinook salmon, MCR 
steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead, CR chum 
salmon, OC coho salmon, SONCC coho salmon, CC Chinook salmon, SacR 
winter-run Chinook salmon, CV spring-run Chinook salmon, and SDPS green 
sturgeon. The researchers may also capture SDPS eulachon, a species for 
which there are currently no take prohibitions. The research involves 
using pop-up satellite tags and acoustic tags to identify the ocean 
distribution of salmonids off the coast of Washington and mouth of the 
Columbia River. The researchers wish to modify their permit by 
increasing the amount of take allowed for some of the species they may 
encounter.
    The primary goal of this project is to investigate nearshore 
behavior, distribution, and migration patterns, diet, growth rates, and 
habitat use among Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead. The 
researchers would also use tissue samples to determine the captured 
fishes' genetic origins. The researchers propose to capture fish using 
hook-and-line angling. Coho, chum, and sockeye salmon, as well as 
eulachon and green sturgeon, would be handled (weighed, measured, and 
checked for marks or tags), and released. Chinook and steelhead would 
be anesthetized, tagged with PIT and internal acoustic tags, and have 
scale and tissue samples collected. A small subset of juvenile Chinook 
salmon and steelhead would be lethally sacrificed to collect diet, age, 
and growth information. Aside from this subset, the NWFSC does not 
propose to kill any other fish being captured as part of this project, 
though a small number may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

23798

    Michael Rogner, Senior Restoration Ecologist at River Partners is 
seeking a new, 5 year research permit that would allow him to take 
juvenile SacR winter-run and CVS Chinook salmon, and CCC and CCV 
steelhead in the Sacramento River, CA. The project's goal is to measure 
the effectiveness of an experimental approach to prolonging floodplain 
inundation for the purpose of maximizing growth and survival among 
outmigrating juvenile salmon. This research would benefit listed 
species by helping managers find new ways to convert floodplain areas 
throughout the Central Valley into habitat suitable for rearing 
juvenile salmon. Fish would be captured with fyke nets and 
anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged, and tissue-sampled for genetic 
information. The researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids 
but a small number may die as an unintended result of the research 
activities.

25839

    ICF Consulting is seeking a new, 5 year research permit to annually 
take juvenile CCV spring-run Chinook and juvenile CCV steelhead in the 
Lower Yuba River. The purpose of this research is to quantify habitat 
productivity and juvenile salmonid growth in seasonally available 
habitats in the Lower Yuba River. The information would benefit listed 
fish by improve our understanding of how

[[Page 8798]]

juvenile salmonids use these habitats for rearing. The researchers 
would survey main channel, side-channel, and intermittently inundated 
gravel bar habitats and identify environmental factors underlying 
differences among the various sites. This information, in turn, would 
be used to evaluate some of the assumptions about juvenile salmonid 
growth and habitat suitability that currently guide scientific and 
restoration efforts--thus improving such efforts' efficacy.
    The researchers would employ single-pass transect backpack 
electrofishing to capture salmonids. Fish would be anesthetized, 
measured, clipped, weighed, and photographed. While electrofishing 
collection efforts would target salmonids, the researchers also expect 
to encounter known salmonid predators (e.g., Sacramento Pikeminnow). 
Each captured predatory fish would be measured and released. The 
researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

25856

    Steve Zeug, Senior Scientist at Cramer Fish Sciences is seeking a 
new, 5 year research permit to take adult and juvenile CCV steelhead in 
the Stanislaus River. The project's goal is to provide information on 
the river's O. mykiss population: Annual growth rates, age and spatial 
structure, contribution of resident and anadromous parents to juvenile 
production, probability of juvenile outmigration, abundance and 
survival of downstream migrants, and timing, age, and size structure of 
outmigrating fish. This research would benefit listed steelhead by 
improving our fundamental understanding of Central Valley O. mykiss 
biology and ecology--information that would be used to better manage 
and conserve the species.
    The fish would be captured by backpack and raft electrofishing, 
hook-and-line sampling, beach seines, fyke nets and rotary screw traps. 
Some fish would be anesthetized, measured, weighed, tagged, and tissue-
sampled for genetic information. The researchers do not expect to kill 
any listed salmonids but a small number may die as an unintended result 
of the research activities.

25965

    The ODFW is seeking a new, 5 year research permit to conduct 
research on hatchery salmon that may become infected with a harmful 
parasite (Ceratonova shasta) between their release into the Deschutes 
River (Oregon) and their arrival at the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia 
River. The purpose of this research is to determine whether this 
parasitic infection is a causal mechanism related to poor smolt-to-
adult return rates among non-listed hatchery Chinook salmon originating 
at the Round Butte hatchery on the Deschutes River. It would also 
indirectly inform the currently ongoing listed MCR steelhead 
reintroduction program on the Deschutes River. Both of these efforts 
would benefit listed salmonids by helping managers quantify the degree 
of adverse effect the parasite is having in the Deschutes and Columbia 
Rivers.
    Under this permit, PIT-tagged juvenile hatchery spring Chinook 
would be sampled at the Bonneville Dam juvenile bypass system. The 
sort-by-code system at the structure would be set to separate PIT-
tagged Round Butte Hatchery spring Chinook from the rest of the 
outmigrating salmon as they move through the dam. The segregated fish 
would be diverted by watered pipe into a holding tank, transferred as 
quickly as possible to buckets of aerated fresh water, and passed 
through a PIT-tag reader to confirm their identity as target fish. The 
target fish (which are not listed under the ESA) would then be 
euthanized, but all captured ESA-listed fish would swiftly be 
transferred to the bypass release tank at the juvenile fish facility 
and returned to the river without anesthesia or further handling. No 
listed fish would be killed during the course of this research.

26049

    Dr. Robert Lusardi, Research Ecologist at the Center for Watershed 
Sciences, University of California, Davis, is seeking a new, 5 year 
research permit to annually take juvenile SacR winter-run chinook and 
CCV steelhead in the Sacramento River, CA, below Keswick Dam. The 
project's goal is to gather data on how different environmental 
variables affect juvenile steelhead growth in spring-fed, runoff, and 
regulated reaches of the Sacramento River. This research would benefit 
listed species by providing data to improve our understanding of the 
mechanisms affecting salmonid growth in different ecosystems across the 
landscape, but specifically those effects in regulated rivers below 
dams.
    The fish would be captured by minnow traps, beach seines, and hook-
and-line sampling. The majority of fish would be captured, handled and 
released without harm, but 25 juvenile CCV steelhead would be 
sacrificed each year in order to conduct otolith analysis. It is also 
possible that a very small number of juvenile SacR winter-run Chinook 
would die as an unintended consequence of the proposed action.

26287

    The WDFW is seeking a new, 5 year research permit to sample for 
invasive European Green Crab (EGC) at several locations in the Puget 
Sound, along the Washington Coast, and in the Lower Columbia River 
estuary. Though the researchers would not target listed species, they 
may encounter juvenile PS Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, HCS chum 
salmon, OL sockeye salmon, SR fall-run Chinook salmon, SR spr/sum 
Chinook salmon, SRB steelhead, SR sockeye salmon, UCR spring-run 
Chinook salmon, UCR steelhead, UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, CR 
chum salmon, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR steelhead, and LCR coho salmon 
while conducting this work in the lower Columbia River. They may also 
encounter adult SDPS eulachon, a species for which there are currently 
no take prohibitions. The researchers would conduct this work in 
conjunction with the Northwest Straits Commission (under Permit 26352) 
and Washington Sea Grant (under Permit 26359).
    The goal of the research is to determine the extent of the threat 
posed by the EGC invasion in the in Washington State and, where 
possible, help mitigate it. The research would benefit listed species 
by monitoring, trapping, and removing individuals of an invasive 
species that is known to greatly damage eelgrass beds--an important 
habitat type upon which juvenile salmonids depend for rearing and food 
production. The researchers propose to use minnow traps, shrimp traps, 
and Fukui traps (and equivalent modifications of such traps) to capture 
the crabs. Trap configurations and locations would be adjusted to 
minimize the risk of encountering adult salmonids or hindering adult 
passage through main migration channels. The researchers do not propose 
to anesthetize, tag, sample, or kill any of the captured fish, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the trapping 
activities.

26295

    Mount Hood Environmental is seeking a new, five-year research 
permit to conduct an inventory of all fish and their relative 
abundances in the Grande Ronde River in Eastern Oregon. The work would 
concentrate specifically on predators that may target listed salmonids. 
It is thought that such predators are a major source of listed salmonid 
mortality in the Grande Ronde subbasin. This research would help

[[Page 8799]]

determine if that is the case and, ultimately, help managers design 
actions (e.g., predator mitigation) to benefit the listed animals.
    The researchers would use backpack or boat-mounted electrofishing, 
fyke netting, seining, angling, and minnow trapping to perform the 
inventories in each study reach. Fyke and minnow traps would be 
deployed for several days and checked every 4-6 hours during the day. 
Electrofishing, beach seining, and angling would be take place in 
conjunction with the trapping efforts. All ESA-listed fish would be 
released immediately following capture and identification. If any of 
these fish exhibit sign of stress (gill flaring, loss of equilibrium, 
slow reaction to touch, etc.) they would be allowed to recover in a 
holding tank (or bucket) of aerated water before being released. The 
researchers do not intend to kill any of the fish being captured, but a 
small number may die as an unintended result of the activities.

26331

    The ODFW is seeking a new, five-year research permit to implant 
acoustic tags in adult MCR steelhead at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia 
River and monitor the fishes' subsequent migration patterns and routes. 
The fish would be taken and tagged as they pass through the Bonneville 
Dam adult fish facility. Captured adult steelhead would be 
anesthetized, held in an oxygenated, river-temperature tank, and 
implanted with an acoustic transmitter once they are fully 
anesthetized. Following their recovery from anesthesia, tagged adult 
steelhead would be released immediately upstream of the adult fish trap 
and allowed to proceed up the fish ladder to cross Bonneville Dam. The 
fish would then be tracked by acoustic receiver arrays in upstream 
reservoirs and dams and at a location near the confluence of the 
Columbia and John Day Rivers.
    The research is intended to generate information about adult MCR 
steelhead migration and, in particular, it is intended to help managers 
address the question of why so many steelhead that originate in the 
John Day River tend to swim past that river and continue up the 
Columbia River when they return as adults. Currently, approximately 60% 
of the returning steelhead overshoot the John Day River when they 
return as adults. If managers can figure out why that is the case and 
develop measures to reduce that percentage (i.e., help the fish find 
their way back to their spawning grounds), it could potentially greatly 
increase their survival and, therefore, improve spawning success and 
overall steelhead numbers in the John Day River. The researchers do not 
intend to kill any of the fish being tagged, but a small number may die 
as an inadvertent result of the capturing and tagging activities.

26334

    Dr. Robert Lusardi, Research Ecologist at the Center for Watershed 
Sciences, University of California, Davis, is seeking a new, five-year 
research permit that would allow him to annually take juvenile CCC coho 
in the Walker Creek drainage, CA. The project's goal is to study 
juvenile coho movement and characterize how they use over-summering 
habitat in the drainage. This research would benefit CCC coho by 
providing data on habitat use and outmigration timing--information that 
would be used to inform habitat restoration and species recovery 
efforts. The fish would be dip-netted and observed during snorkel 
surveys. Some of the captured fish would be anesthetized, measured, 
weighed, PIT tagged, and tissue-sampled for genetic information. The 
researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small 
number may die as an unintended result of the research activities.

26352

    The Northwest Straits Commission is seeking a new, five-year 
research permit that would allow them to interact with listed fish 
while capturing, monitoring, and removing EGCs at multiple locations in 
the North Puget Sound, Washington. Though the researchers would not 
target listed species, they may encounter adult and juvenile PS Chinook 
and PS steelhead. The researchers would conduct this work in 
conjunction with the WDFW (under Permit 26287) and Washington Sea Grant 
(under Permit 26359).
    The goal of the research is to determine the extent of the threat 
posed by the EGC invasion in the North Puget Sound in Washington State 
and, where possible, help mitigate it. The research would benefit 
listed species by monitoring, trapping, and removing individuals of an 
invasive species that is known to greatly damage eelgrass beds--an 
important habitat type upon which juvenile salmonids depend for rearing 
and food production. The researchers propose to use minnow traps, 
shrimp traps, and Fukui traps (and equivalent modifications of such 
traps) to capture the crabs. Trap configurations and locations would be 
adjusted to minimize the risk of encountering adult salmonids or 
hindering adult passage through main migration channels. The 
researchers do not propose to anesthetize, tag, sample, or kill any of 
the captured fish, but a small number may die as an unintended result 
of the trapping activities.

26359

    Washington Sea Grant (WSG) is seeking a new, five-year research 
permit that would allow them to interact with listed fish while 
capturing, monitoring, and removing EGCs at several locations in Puget 
Sound and along the coast of Washington. Though the researchers would 
not target listed species, they may encounter adult and juvenile PS 
Chinook and PS steelhead, HCS chum, OL sockeye, and SDPS green sturgeon 
while sampling and removing the invasive crabs. The researchers may 
also encounter adult and juvenile SDPS eulachon, a species for which 
there are currently no take prohibitions. The WSG researchers would 
carry out this work in conjunction with the WDFW (under permit 26287) 
and the Northwest Straits Commission (under permit 26352).
    The goal of the research is to determine the extent of the threat 
posed by the EGC invasion in Washington State and, where possible, help 
mitigate it. The research would benefit listed species by monitoring, 
trapping, and removing individuals of an invasive species that is known 
to greatly damage eelgrass beds--an important habitat type upon which 
juvenile salmonids depend for rearing and food production.
    The researchers propose to use minnow traps, shrimp traps, and 
Fukui traps (and equivalent modifications of such traps) to capture the 
crabs. Trap configurations and locations would be adjusted to minimize 
the risk of encountering adult salmonids or hindering adult passage 
through main migration channels. All listed animals that may be 
captured would be handled only long enough to identify them to species. 
They would then swiftly be removed from the trap and released. The 
researchers do not propose to anesthetize, tag, sample, or kill any of 
the captured fish, but a small number may die as an unintended result 
of the trapping activities.

26398

    The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) is seeking 
a new, 5 year research permit that would allow them to annually take 
adult and juvenile PS Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, and HCS chum salmon 
while conducting research designed to help plan and monitor habitat 
restoration projects in several watersheds that drain into central and

[[Page 8800]]

southern Puget Sound. The goals of this work are to (1) identify 
potential restoration sites based on fish presence, (2) investigate 
options to improve restoration design at planned sites, and (3) record 
and evaluate changes in salmon and steelhead population characteristics 
in response to estuarine habitat restoration actions.
    The researchers propose to capture juvenile fish using 
electrofishing, minnow traps, beach seines, and hook and line sampling. 
Juvenile salmon and steelhead would be handled (anesthetized, weighed, 
measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. A subset of 
juvenile salmon and steelhead may be PIT-tagged and have their stomach 
contents non-lethally sampled via gastric lavage. No adult fish would 
be targeted for sampling, though some may be unintentionally captured 
in juvenile sampling gear. The researchers do not propose to kill any 
fish at all but some may die as an unintended 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.

    Dated: February 10, 2022.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-03296 Filed 2-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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