32996 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 116 /Wednesday, June 17, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

evaluation, the preferred action is to

retain the Bruneau Hot Springsnail as an

endangered species. The species persists

in only a few isolated thermal springs

and seeps in Hot Creek and along an 8

km (5 mi) reach of the Bruneau River

characterized by temperatures ranging

from 15.7 to 35° C (60.3 to 95°). The

free-flowing thermal spring and seep

environments required by the Bruneau

Hot Springsnail have been impacted by

and are vulnerable to continued

reduction from agricultural-related

ground water withdrawal/pumping. The

species and its habitat are also

vulnerable to habitat modification from

the effects of flash floods. The

remaining complex of thermally related

springs and their immediate outflows

are not protected from the threats

previously discussed. Existing

regulations do not provide adequate

protection to prevent further direct or

indirect habitat losses. The Bruneau Hot

Springsnail is in danger of extinction

throughout all or a significant portion of

its range, and therefore, fits the

definition of endangered as defined in

the Act.

National Environmental Policy Act

The Fish and Wildlife Service has

determined that an Environmental

Assessment, as defined under the

authority of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, need not be

prepared in connection with regulations

adopted pursuant to section 4(a) of the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended. A notice outlining the

Service’s reasons for this determination

was published in the Federal Register

on October 25, 1983 (48 FR 49244).

Author

The primary author of this rule is Jeri

Wood, Snake River Basin Office, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 1387 S.

Vinnell Way, Room 386, Boise, Idaho

(208/378–5243).

Authority

The authority for this action is the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: June 5, 1998.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 98–16099 Filed 6–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AE97

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Listing of Several

Evolutionarily Significant Units of West

Coast Steelhead

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) is adding several

Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs)

of west coast steelhead (Oncorhynchus

mykiss) to the List of Endangered and

Threatened Wildlife (List) in accordance

with the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (Act). The Southern

California and Upper Columbia River

Basin ESUs are added as endangered,

and the Central California Coast, SouthCentral California Coast, Snake River

Basin, Lower Columbia River, and

Central Valley California ESUs are

added as threatened. This amendment is

based on determinations by the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, Department of

Commerce, which has jurisdiction for

this species.

DATES: The effective date for listing of

the Southern California and Upper

Columbia River Basin ESUs as

endangered and the Central California

Coast, South-Central California Coast,

and Snake River Basin ESUs as

threatened is October 17, 1997. The

effective date for listing of the Lower

Columbia River and Central Valley

California ESUs as threatened is May 18,

1998.

ADDRESSES: Division of Endangered

Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop 452,

Arlington, Virginia 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: E.

LaVerne Smith, Chief, Division of

Endangered Species, at the above

address or telephone 703/358–2171.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In accordance with the Act and

Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970,

NMFS has jurisdiction over west coast

steelhead. Under section 4(a)(2) of the

Act, NMFS must decide whether a

species under its jurisdiction should be

classified as endangered or threatened.

The Service is responsible for the actual

amendment of the List in 50 CFR

17.11(h).

On August 9, 1996, NMFS published

a proposed rule to list as endangered or

threatened 10 ESUs of west coast

steelhead in Washington, Oregon, Idaho,

and California (61 FR 41541). On

August 18, 1997, NMFS published a

final rule listing five of these ESUs: the

Southern California and Upper

Columbia River Basin ESUs were listed

as endangered, and the Central

California Coast, South-Central

California Coast, and Snake River Basin

ESUs were listed as threatened (62 FR

43937).

Also on August 18, 1997, NMFS

published a notice announcing that

substantial scientific disagreement

remained for the remaining five ESUs

proposed for listing on August 9, 1996.

The notice extended the deadline for a

final listing determination for these five

ESUs for 6 months to solicit, collect,

and analyze additional information from

NMFS scientists, co-management

scientists, and scientific experts to

enable NMFS to make a final listing

determination based on the best

available data. On March 19, 1998,

NMFS published a final rule listing two

of these five ESUs, the Lower Columbia

River and the Central Valley California

ESUs, as threatened (63 FR 13347).

The proposed rules identified above

solicited comments from peer reviewers,

the public, and all other interested

parties. The final rules addressed the

comments received in response to the

proposed rules. Because NMFS

provided public comment periods on

the proposed rules, and because this

action of the Service to amend the List

in accordance with the determinations

by NMFS is nondiscretionary, the

Service has omitted the notice and

public comment procedures of 5 U.S.C.

553(b) for this action.

National Environmental Policy Act

The Service has determined that an

Environmental Assessment, as defined

under the authority of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, need

not be prepared in connection with

regulations adopted pursuant to section

4(a) of the Act. A notice outlining the

Service’s reasons for this determination

was published in the Federal Register

on October 25, 1983 (48 FR 49244).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and threatened species,

Exports, Imports, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements,

Transportation.

Regulation Promulgation

Accordingly, the Service amends part

17, subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 of
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 116 /Wednesday, June 17, 1998 /Rules and Regulations 32997

the Code of Federal Regulations, as

follows:

PART 17—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for part 17

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361–1407; 16 U.S.C.

1531–1544; 16 U.S.C. 4201–4245; Pub. L. 99–

625, 100 Stat. 3500, unless otherwise noted.

2. Amend section 17.11(h) by adding

the following, in alphabetical order

under FISHES, to the List of Endangered

and Threatened Wildlife:

§ 17.11 Endangered and threatened

wildlife.

* * * * *

(h) * * *

Species

Historic range

Vertebrate population where endangered or threatened

Status When listed Critical

habitat

Special

rules Common name Scientific name

* * * * * * *

FISHES

* * * * * * *

Steelhead ......... Oncorhynchus

mykiss.

North Pacific Ocean

from the

Kamchatka Peninsula in Asia to the

northern Baja Peninsula.

All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in rivers

from the Santa

Maria R., San

Luis Obispo

County, CA (inclusive) to Malibu

Cr., Los Angeles

County, CA (inclusive).

E 638 NA NA

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in the

Upper Columbia

R. Basin upstream

from the Yakima

R., WA, to the

U.S./Canada border, and also including the Wells

Hatchery stock.

E 638 NA NA

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in

streams from the

Russian R. to

Aptos Cr., Santa

Cruz County, CA

(inclusive), and

the drainages of

San Francisco

and San Pablo

Bays eastward to

the Napa R. (inclusive), Napa

County, CA, excluding the Sacramento-San Joaquin R. Basin of

the Central Valley

of CA.

T 638 NA NA

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in

streams from the

Pajaro R. (inclusive), located in

Santa Cruz County, CA, to (but not

including) the

Santa Maria R.

T 638 NA NA
32998 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 116 /Wednesday, June 17, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

Species

Historic range

Vertebrate population where endangered or threatened

Status When listed Critical

habitat

Special

rules Common name Scientific name

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in

streams in the

Snake R. Basin of

southeast WA,

northeast OR, and

ID.

T 638 NA NA

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in

streams and tributaries to the Columbia R. between the Cowlitz

and Wind Rivers,

WA, inclusive, and

the Willamette

and Hood Rivers,

OR, inclusive, excluding the Upper

Willamette River

Basin above Willamette Falls and

excluding the Little and Big White

Salmon Rivers in

WA.

T 638 NA NA

Do ..................... ......do ...................... ......do ...................... All naturally

spawned populations (and their

progeny) in the

Sacramento and

San Joaquin Rivers and their tributaries, excluding

San Francisco

and San Pablo

Bays and their

tributaries.

T 638 NA NA

* * * * * * *

Dated: May 11, 1998.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 98–16110 Filed 6–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[Docket No. 980318066–8066–01; I.D.

061198B]

Fisheries of the Northeastern United

States; Northeast Multispecies

Fishery; Commercial Cod Harvest

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Reduction of cod landing limit.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notification

to announce that the Administrator,

Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional

Administrator), has projected that 892

metric tons (mt) of the target total

allowable catch (TAC) for the Gulf of

Maine (GOM) cod stock will be

harvested as of 2400 hrs, local time,

June 24, 1998, and that vessels fishing

under a non-exempt multispecies daysat-sea (DAS) may not possess more than

400 lb (181.4 kg) of cod per DAS for any

trip ending on or after 0001 hrs, local

time, June 25, 1998.

DATES: Effective 0001 hrs, local time,

June 25, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan A. Murphy, Fishery Policy

Analyst, 978–281–9252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Regulations implementing Framework

Adjustment 25 (63 FR 15326, March 31,

1998) became effective May 1, 1998. To

ensure that GOM cod landings remain

within the target TAC of 1,783 mt

established for the 1998 fishing year,

Framework 25 provides a mechanism to

reduce the 700–lb (317.5–kg) per DAS

landing limit to as low as 400–lb (181.4–

kg) per DAS, based on the rate of catch

and the risk of exceeding the target

TAC. Section 648.86(b)(1)(i) specifies

that this mechanism is triggered when

the Regional Administrator has

projected that 892 mt will be harvested.

Further, this section stipulates that

NMFS will publish notification in the