Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2001 / Notices 23883

NOAA. All statements and opinions

contained in the permit action

summaries are those of the applicant

and do not necessarily reflect the views

of NMFS.

Species Covered in this Notice

The following species and

evolutionary significant units (ESUs) are

covered in this notice:

Sea turtles

Threatened and endangered Green

turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Endangered Hawksbill turtle

(Eretmochelys imbricata)

Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtle

(Lepidochelys kempii)

Endangered Leatherback turtle

(Dermochelys coriacea)

Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta

caretta)

Threatened and endangered Olive

ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Fish

Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus

nerka): endangered Snake River (SnR).

Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha):

endangered, naturally produced and

artificially propagated, upper Columbia

River (UCR) spring; threatened,

naturally produced and artificially

propagated, SnR spring/summer.

Steelhead (O. mykiss): endangered,

naturally produced and artificially

propagated, UCR; threatened SnR;

threatened middle Columbia River.

New Applications Received

Application 1303

The applicant requests authorization

to allow take of listed sea turtles while

conducting experiments on methods for

reducing sea turtle take by longline

fisheries in the Pacific Ocean and to

allow import of living, deeply hooked

sea turtles for treatment and

rehabilitation. The applicant proposes

to take a total of 15 green, 43

leatherback, 221 loggerhead and 24

olive ridley turtles over the three-year

life of the permit. This application is

available for download and review from

the Office of Protected Resources

permitting web site: http://

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot—res/PR3/

Permits/ESAPermit.html.

Modification Requests Received

Permit #1245

The applicant requests a modification

to Permit 1245. Permit 1245 authorizes

the take of listed sea turtles for scientific

research purposes. Permit #1245

authorizes the take of 250 loggerhead,

10 green, 50 Kemp’s ridley, five

hawksbill and one leatherback turtles

annually. Modification #2 would

authorize researchers to intubate and

ventilate a turtle verified to be

unconscious, allow researchers to

collect skin biopsies from each turtle,

collect an additional biopsy of any

abnormal growth and to collect a keratin

sample from the carapace of each turtle

for mercury content analysis.

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1297

Notice was published on March 5,

2001 (66 FR 13305) that Donna

McDonald, of Ocean Planet Research,

Incorporated applied for a scientific

research permit (1297).

The purpose of this project is to

continue long-term monitoring of the

status of sea turtles in San Diego Bay.

Numbers present, species, size, sex,

health status, and presence or absence

of tag will be recorded. Permit 1297 was

issued on April 27, 2001, authorizing

take of listed species. Permit 1297

expires May 31, 2006.

Permit #1237

Notice was published on February 16,

2000 (65 FR 7855) that the Corps

applied for an enhancement permit

(1237). Permit 1237 was issued to the

Corps on March 22, 2001 (see 66 FR

18447, April 9, 2001). Permit 1237

authorizes the Corps annual takes of

ESA-listed Snake River salmon and

steelhead associated with transporting

juvenile anadromous fish around the

dams and past the reservoirs on the

mainstem lower Snake and Columbia

Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The

purpose of the Corps’ Juvenile Fish

Transportation Program is to increase

juvenile fish survival over the

alternative of in-river passage, given

existing in-river migratory conditions.

On April 26, 2001, NMFS issued an

amendment of enhancement permit

1237. For the permit amendment, the

Corps is authorized takes of ESA-listed

fish species associated with juvenile

fish transport at McNary Dam on the

lower Columbia River during the spring

2001 juvenile salmonid outmigration

season. The Corps requested the

additional ESA-listed fish takes

(associated with spring transport at

McNary Dam) in its original permit

application (see 65 FR 7855, February

16, 2000). Since the beginning of 2001,

forecasted river conditions and

anticipated estimates of the project

passage survival of juvenile fish

migrating in the lower Columbia River

during 2001 have progressively

deteriorated. It now appears that the

survival rate of spring-migrating

juvenile salmonids between McNary

Dam and Bonneville Dam may be lower

than previously expected for the 2001

juvenile salmonid outmigration season.

Therefore, NMFS has determined that

spring transport at McNary Dam by the

Corps will not operate to the

disadvantage of the ESA-listed fish in

2001. The Corps will load the juvenile

fish into aerated trucks and barges for

transportation to below Bonneville Dam

on the Columbia River. Further

handling of the fish does not occur,

except for loading via raceways or when

the fish are handled for monitoring

purposes by Corps personnel or for

scientific research purposes by

individuals holding separate take

authorizations. The amendment is valid

for the duration of Permit 1237.

However, the conduct of spring

transport at McNary Dam in future years

will be subject to annual approval by

NMFS. Additional annual takes of ESAlisted adult fish associated with

handling fallbacks at the juvenile fish

transportation facility at McNary Dam

are also authorized by the permit

amendment. Permit 1237 expires on

December 31, 2005.

Dated: May 4, 2001.

Chris Mobley,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11839 Filed 5–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D.050101E]

Endangered Species; Permit 1067

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application to modify

permit 1067.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the

following action regarding permits for

takes of endangered and threatened

species for the purposes of scientific

research and/or enhancement. NMFS

has received an application from

California Department of Fish and

Game, Sacramento, CA to modify permit

1067.

DATES: Comments or requests for a

public hearing on any of the new

applications or modification requests

must be received at the appropriate

address or fax number (see ADDRESSES)

no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight

time on June 11, 2001.

23884 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2001 / Notices

ADDRESSES: Written comments on any of

the new applications or modification

requests should be sent to Protected

Resources Division, NMFS, 777 Sonoma

Avenue, Room 325, Santa Rosa, CA

95404–6528. Comments may also be

sent via fax to (707) 578–3435.

Comments will not be accepted if

submitted via e-mail or the Internet.

The application and related

documents are available for review in

the following office, by appointment:

Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3,

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910–3226 (301–713–

1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Permits Coordinator, Protected

Resources Division, (707–575–6053).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

Issuance of permits and permit

modifications, as required by the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16

U.S.C. 1531-1543) (ESA), is based on a

finding that such permits/modifications

are (1) applied for in good faith; (2)

would not operate to the disadvantage

of the listed species which are the

subject of the permits; and (3) are

consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA. Authority to take listed species is

subject to conditions set forth in the

permits. Permits and modifications are

issued in accordance with and are

subject to the ESA and NMFS

regulations governing listed fish and

wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).

Those individuals 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). The holding of such

hearing is at the discretion of the

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

NOAA. All statements and opinions

contained in the permit action

summaries are those of the applicant

and do not necessarily reflect the views

of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

The following species and

evolutionarily significant units (ESU’s)

are covered in this notice: Threatened

Central California Coast (CCC) steelhead

trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss),

threatened (CCC) coho salmon

(Oncorhynchus kisutch), threatened,

California Coastal (CC) chinook salmon

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Modification Requests Received

The California Department of Fish

and Game (CDFG) requests a

modification to permit 1067 for takes of

adult and juvenile threatened CCC coho

salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

associated with a proposal to develop a

conservation hatchery program for coho

salmon at the Congressman Don Clausen

Fish Hatchery at Warm Springs Dam in

Sonoma County, CA. The purpose of

this program is to prevent extirpation of

portions of the CCC coho salmon ESU

by restoring lost or declining stocks and

to provide a mechanism to conserve

potential broodstock of CCC coho

salmon. The overall goal of the program

is to restore self-sustaining and selfregulating stocks of coho salmon to the

CCC coho salmon ESU. Presently,

permit 1067 authorizes intentional takes

of adult and juvenile CCC coho salmon

for research projects throughout the CCC

coho salmon ESU. This requested

modification would add additional

intentional takes of adult and juvenile

CCC coho salmon to the CDFG permit

and include authorization to implement

an enhancement program. These

activities may also result in incidental

takes of threatened CCC steelhead (O.

mykiss) and threatened, California

Coastal (CC) chinook salmon, (O.

tshawytscha). This requested

modification to permit 1067 would

authorize intentional take of adult and

juvenile CCC coho salmon and

incidental take of CCC steelhead and CC

chinook salmon. Permit 1067 expires on

June 30, 2002.

Dated: May 4, 2001.

Chris Mobley,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11841 Filed 5–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 042501C]

Marine Mammals; File No. 995-1608

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Mr. Thomas F. Norris, Science

Applications International Corp., 3990

Old Town Avenue, Suite 105A, San

Diego, California 92110, has been issued

a permit to take gray (Eschrichtius

robustus), minke (Balaenoptera

acutorostrata), and Bryde’s

(Balaenoptera edeni) whales for

purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,

Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone

(301)713–2289; fax (301) 713–0376;

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand

Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1,

Seattle, WA 98115–0700; phone (206)

526–6150; fax (206) 526–6426;

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,

CA 90802–4213; phone (562) 980–4001;

fax (562) 980–4018; and

Protected Species Coordinator, Pacific

Area Office, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani

Blvd., Rm, 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814–

4700; phone (808) 973–2935; fax (808)

973–2941.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tammy Adams or Ruth Johnson,

(301)713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

December 21, 2000, notice was

published in the Federal Register (65

FR 80420) that a request for a scientific

research permit to take gray

(Eschrichtius robustus), minke

(Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Bryde’s

(Balaenoptera edeni), blue

(Balaenoptera musculus), fin

(Balaenoptera physalus), and humpback

(Megaptera novaengliae) whales had

been submitted by the above-named

individual. The requested permit has

been issued for the three nonendangered species of whale (gray,

minke, and Bryde’s) only, under the

authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).

The request for a permit related to the

three endangered species of whale (blue,

fin, and humpback) is deferred pending

receipt of a report of the effects of the

tags on the non-endangered species.

Dated: May 4, 2001.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11840 Filed 5–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S