[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 11845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6385]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 030497C]


Marine Mammals; California Sea Lion Foraging and Predation on 
Salmonids

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

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) that examines the environmental consequences of preventing 
California sea lion foraging and predation on salmonids at the 
Willamette Falls in Oregon. The proposed non-lethal removal of nuisance 
marine mammals is authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
(MMPA).

DATES: Comments on the EA must be received by April 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the EA should be addressed to William Stelle, 
Jr., Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, 
Seattle, WA 98115. Copies of the EA may be obtained by writing to this 
address or by telephoning the contact listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, 206-526-6143.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 109(h)(1)(C) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 
1361 et seq.) provides Federal, state, and local government officials 
with authority to take marine mammals in the course of their official 
duties. Under this authority NMFS and Oregon Department of Fish and 
Wildlife (ODFW) may non-lethally remove California sea lions to prevent 
them from preying on salmonids at the Willamette Falls fish passage 
facility in Oregon City, OR.
    NMFS has determined that California sea lions at the Willamette 
Falls are a ``nuisance'' because of the vulnerability of salmonids to 
predation at this location, and because Willamette Falls are 128 miles 
(205 km) from the lower Columbia River estuary where California sea 
lions normally occur. Since 1990, California sea lions have been 
observed in the lower Willamette River (between the falls and the 
confluence with the Columbia River) during the winter/spring months 
from February to May coinciding with the spawning migrations of spring 
chinook salmon and winter and summer steelhead, and the downstream 
migration of smolts. ODFW has documented sea lions foraging near the 
fishway entrances at the Willamette Falls fishway in each of the last 4 
years and preying on adult spring chinook salmon and steelhead. In 
recent years, the spring chinook salmon and winter steelhead 
populations, which are the only native salmonid populations above the 
falls, have declined, raising concerns from the public about the 
potential effects of sea lions foraging on salmonids migrating through 
the fishway at the Willamette Falls. A preliminary assessment of this 
situation indicates that a few California sea lions are returning each 
year to the Falls and that the number of sea lions involved may be 
increasing.
    In response to concerns over the possible impacts of increasing 
predation on returning salmonids, NMFS and ODFW propose to implement a 
program of non-lethal removal measures to prevent sea lion predation at 
the Willamette Falls while continuing to monitor the resource conflict 
at this site. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires 
that federal agencies conduct an environmental analysis of their 
actions to determine if the actions may affect the environment. 
Accordingly, NMFS jointly prepared with ODFW an EA that explores the 
environmental consequences of three alternatives: (1) No action; (2) 
Non-lethal removal of California sea lions (proposed action); and, (3) 
Lethal removal of sea lions foraging at Willamette Falls. The draft EA 
was prepared in accordance with NEPA and implementing regulations at 40 
CFR Parts 1500 through 1508 and NOAA guidelines concerning 
implementation of NEPA found in NOAA Administrative Order 216-6.

    Dated: March 7, 1997.
Hilda Diaz-Soltero,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-6385 Filed 3-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F