23844 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 97 / Thursday, May 21, 2009 / Notices 

survey, 4 minutes; saltwater angler 

fishing diary, 30 minutes. 

Needs and Uses: This requested 

revision will address the National 

Research Council’s (NRC) concerns 

regarding potential telephone coverage 

error by testing the effectiveness of mail 

screening surveys for contacting anglers 

and collecting recreational fishing data. 

Like current telephone surveys, mail 

surveys will target licensed anglers 

(state license databases), as well as 

random households within coastal 

states (United States Post Office (USPS), 

Delivery Sequence File (DSF)). It is 

expected that mail survey frames will 

provide more complete coverage of 

angling populations than telephone 

survey frames because anglers are 

required to provide an address and/or 

present a valid driver’s license when 

purchasing a saltwater fishing license, 

and the DSF can provide a complete 

frame of residential addresses within 

the United States. The proposed mail 

survey will run concurrently with 

ongoing telephone surveys for 

benchmarking purposes, as well as to 

allow direct comparisons between the 

two methodologies. 

The NRC also identified potential 

problems with on-site surveys, which 

collect catch information at the 

conclusion of recreational fishing trips. 

Generally, these surveys are conducted 

by trained interviewers at publicly 

accessible fishing sites such as public 

piers, beaches, marinas and boat ramps. 

Because the coverage of onsite surveys 

is limited to public-access sites, 

estimates of total catch rely on 

assumptions about the behavior and 

success of anglers who access the water 

from private-access sites such as private 

residences, community beaches, 

marinas and docks, and private yacht 

clubs. 

To address these additional concerns, 

respondents to the effort survey/ 

screener questionnaire will be sent a 

survey packet for the angler diary 

survey. Combining the two objectives 

into a single data collection effort will 

help minimize respondent burden. 

The collection of these data is 

necessary to fulfill statutory 

requirements of section 303 of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1853 et 

seq.) as amended (MSA) and to comply 

with Executive Order 12962 on 

Recreational Fisheries. Section 303(a) of 

the MSA specifies data and analyses to 

be included in Fishery Management 

Plans (FMP), as well as pertinent data 

that shall be submitted to the Secretary 

of Commerce under the plan. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, 

(202) 395–3897. 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 7845, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

dHynek@doc.gov). 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to David Rostker, OMB Desk 

Officer, FAX number (202) 395–7285, or 

David_Rostker@omb.eop.gov. 

Dated: May 18, 2009. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–11901 Filed 5–20–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP38 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Application for one scientific 

research permit modification. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS has received one scientific 

research permit application request 

relating to Pacific salmon. 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 application 

may be viewed on the NMFS website 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 or 

fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later 

than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on 

June 22, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

applications should be sent to the 

Protected Resources Division, NMFS, 

1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, 

Portland, OR 97232–1274. Comments 

may also be sent via fax to 503–230– 

5441 or by e-mail to 

resapps.nwr@NOAA.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Garth Griffin, Portland, OR (ph.: 503– 

231–2005, Fax: 503–230–5441, e-mail: 

Garth.Griffin@noaa.gov). Permit 

application instructions are available 

from the address above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Species Covered in This Notice 

The following listed species are 

covered in this notice: 

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 

tshawytscha): threatened Snake River 

(SR) spring/summer, threatened SR fall. 

Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened SR. 

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 

Permit 1134 – 5M 

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish 

Commission (CRITFC) is seeking to 

modify Permit 1134, under which they 

have been conducting research for more 

than ten years. The original permit was 

in place for five years (63 FR 30199) 

with one amendment (67 FR 43909); it 

expired on December 31, 2002. The next 

permit was also in place for five years 

expiring on December 31, 2007; it was 

renewed in 2008. The CRITFC is now 

asking to modify the permit to increase 

listed species take particularly for SR 

fall Chinook salmon. The permit would 

continue covering five study projects 

that, among them, would annually take 

adult and juvenile threatened SR fall 

Chinook salmon; adult and juvenile 

threatened SR spring/summer Chinook 

salmon; and adult and juvenile 

threatened SR steelhead in the Snake 

River basin. There have been some 

changes in the research over the last ten 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 97 / Thursday, May 21, 2009 / Notices 23845 

years, nonetheless, the projects 

proposed are largely continuations of 

ongoing research. They are: Project 1 – 

Adult Spring/Summer and Fall Chinook 

Salmon and Summer Steelhead Ground 

and Aerial Spawning Ground Surveys; 

Project 2 – Cryopreservation of Spring/ 

Summer Chinook Salmon and Summer 

Steelhead Gametes; Project3 – Adult 

Chinook Salmon Abundance Monitoring 

Using Video Weirs, Acoustic Imaging, 

and PIT tag Detectors in the South Fork 

Salmon River; Project 4 – Snorkel, 

Seine, Fyke Net, Minnow Trap, and 

Electrofishing Surveys and Collection of 

Juvenile Chinook Salmon and 

Steelhead; and Project 5 – Juvenile 

Anadromous Salmonid Emigration 

Studies Using Rotary Screw Traps. 

Under these tasks, listed adult and 

juvenile salmon would be variously (a) 

observed/harassed during fish 

population and production monitoring 

surveys; (b) captured (using seines, 

trawls, traps, hook-and-line angling 

equipment, and electrofishing 

equipment) and anesthetized; (c) 

sampled for biological information and 

tissue samples, (d) PIT-tagged or tagged 

with other identifiers, (e) and released. 

The CRITFC does not intend to kill any 

of the fish being captured, but a small 

percentage may die as a result of the 

research activities. 

The research has many purposes and 

would benefit listed salmon and 

steelhead in different ways. However, in 

general, the studies are part of ongoing 

efforts to monitor the status of listed 

species in the Snake River basin and to 

use those data to inform decisions about 

land and fisheries management actions 

and to help prioritize and plan recovery 

measures for the listed species. Under 

the proposal, the studies would 

continue to benefit listed species by 

generating population abundance 

estimates, allowing comparisons to be 

made between naturally reproducing 

populations and those being 

supplemented with hatchery fish, and 

helping preserve listed salmon and 

steelhead genetic diversity. 

This notice is provided pursuant to 

section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS will 

evaluate the application, associated 

documents, and comments submitted to 

determine whether the application 

meets the requirements of section 10(a) 

of the ESA and Federal regulations. The 

final permit decision 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: May 15, 2009. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–11943 Filed 5–20–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP19 

Incidental Taking of Marine Mammals; 

Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental 

to the Explosive Removal of Offshore 

Structures in the Gulf of Mexico 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of letters of 

authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) and implementing regulations, 

notification is hereby given that NMFS 

has issued one-year Letters of 

Authorization (LOA) to take marine 

mammals incidental to the explosive 

removal of offshore oil and gas 

structures (EROS) in the Gulf of Mexico. 

DATES: These authorizations are 

effective from May 13, 2009 through 

May 12, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: The applications and LOAs 

are available for review by writing to P. 

Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, 

Conservation, and Education Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910–3235 or by telephoning the 

contact listed here (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT), or online at: 

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ 

incidental.htm. Documents cited in this 

notice may be viewed, by appointment, 

during regular business hours, at the 

aforementioned address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Howard Goldstein or Ken Hollingshead, 

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 

301–713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 

1361 et seq.) directs the NMFS to allow, 

upon request, the incidental, but not 

intentional, taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals by United States 

citizens who engage in a specified 

activity (other than commercial fishing) 

within a specified geographical region, 

if certain findings are made by NMFS 

and regulations are issued. Under the 

MMPA, the term ‘‘taking’’ means to 

harass, hunt, capture, or kill or to 

attempt to harass, hunt capture, or kill 

marine mammals. 

Authorization for incidental taking, in 

the form of annual LOAs, may be 

granted by NMFS for periods up to five 

years if NMFS finds, after notification 

and opportunity for public comment, 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s) of 

marine mammals, and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of the species or stock(s) for 

subsistence uses (where relevant). In 

addition, NMFS must prescribe 

regulations that include permissible 

methods of taking and other means 

effecting the least practicable adverse 

impact on the species and its habitat 

(i.e., mitigation), and on the availability 

of the species for subsistence uses, 

paying particular attention to rookeries, 

mating rounds, and areas of similar 

significance. The regulations also must 

include requirements pertaining to the 

monitoring and reporting of such taking. 

Regulations governing the taking 

incidental to EROS were published on 

June 19, 2008 (73 FR 34889), and remain 

in effect through July 19, 2013. For 

detailed information on this action, 

please refer to that Federal Register 

notice. The species that applicants may 

take in small numbers during EROS 

activities are bottlenose dolphins 

(Tursiops truncatus), Atlantic spotted 

dolphins (Stenella frontalis), 

pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella 

attenuata), Clymene dolphins (Stenella 

clymene), striped dolphins (Stenella 

coeruleoalba), spinner dolphins 

(Stenella longirostris), rough-toothed 

dolphins (Steno bredanensis), Risso’s 

dolphins (Grampus griseus), melonheaded whales (Peponocephala electra), 

pilot whales (Globicephala 

macrorhynchus), and sperm whales 

(Physeter macrocephalus). 

Pursuant to these regulations, NMFS 

has issued LOAs to McMoRan Oil & Gas 

LLC, Maritech Resources, Inc., and 

Dynamic Offshore Resources NS, LLC. 

Issuance of the LOAs are based on a 

finding made in the preamble to the 

final rule that the total taking by these 

activities (with monitoring, mitigation, 

and reporting measures) will result in 

no more than a negligible impact on the 

affected species or stock(s) of marine 

mammals and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on 

subsistence uses. NMFS also finds that 

the applicant will meet the 

requirements contained in the 

implementing regulations and LOA, 

including monitoring, mitigation, and 

reporting requirements. 


dwashington3 on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES