Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans; Notice of Availability of a Draft Interim Regional Recovery Plan, 20531-20533 [05-7945]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 20, 2005 / Notices
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Issuance of permits.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
two applicants have been issued a
permit to take endangered and
threatened sea turtles for purposes of
scientific research.
ADDRESSES: The permits and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the following office(s):
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; and
Assistant Regional Administrator for
Protected Resources, Southeast Region,
NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701 (tel: 727/824–
5312, fax 727/824–5517.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ruth Johnson or Patrick Opay,
(301)713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
October 8, 2004, notice was published
in the Federal Register (69 FR 60363)
that a request for a scientific research
permit to take endangered and
threatened sea turtles had been
submitted by the above-named
individuals. The requested permits have
been issued under the authority of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
and the regulations governing the
taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50
CFR parts 222–226).
Dr. Allen Foley, Fish and Wildlife
Research Institute, Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission,
6134 Authority Avenue, Building 200,
Jacksonville, FL 32221: Permit No. 1501
authorizes Dr. Foley to take listed turtles
in Florida Bay. Researchers may
annually capture 175 loggerhead
(Caretta caretta), 20 green (Chelonia
mydas), 10 hawksbill (Eretmochelys
imbricata) and 20 Kemp’s ridley
(Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles by
hand to continue long-term studies.
Researchers may also annually capture
an additional 50 adult loggerhead sea
turtles by hand for studies of
reproductive movements and behavior
from southeast U.S. foraging grounds.
Animals would be weighed, measured,
examined, photographed, flipper and
passive integrated transponder (PIT)
tagged, paint marked on carapace, blood
sampled, and released. The additional
50 loggerhead turtles would also be skin
sampled, transported to a lab for
ultrasound and laparoscopy, held 24
hours, testicular biopsy sampled, and
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released. A subset of 15 of the 50
loggerheads may be tagged with
satellite, sonic, and time-depth recorder
(TDR) transmitters.
Blair E. Witherington, Ph.D.,
(Principal Investigator), Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute,
Melbourne Beach Field Laboratory,
9700 South A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL
32951: Permit No. 1506 authorizes Dr.
Witherington to annually capture 250
loggerhead, 10 green, 5 hawksbill, 2
Kemp’s ridley, and 2 leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea) neonate and
juvenile sea turtles in the Florida
Atlantic Ocean and Gulf coasts to
continue long-term studies. Turtles
would be captured using a long handled
dip net, handled, measured and
released. A subset of loggerhead turtles
would be transported to a lab and
examined with a veterinary high
resolution magnetic resonance
interferometry (MRI) or computerized
tomography (CT) exam, held for 3–4
days and released to determine their
level of anthropogenic debris ingestion.
Issuance of this permit, as required by
the ESA, was based on a finding that
such permit (1) was applied for in good
faith, (2) will not operate to the
disadvantage of such endangered or
threatened species, and (3) is consistent
with the purposes and policies set forth
in section 2 of the ESA.
Dated: March 23, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05–7817 Filed 4–19–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 041205D]
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Recovery Plans; Notice of Availability
of a Draft Interim Regional Recovery
Plan
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the
availability for public review of the
Draft Interim Regional Recovery Plan
(Plan) for portions of three
Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs)
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20531
of salmon and steelhead Lower
Columbia River Chinook Salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Columbia
River Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus
keta), and Lower Columbia River
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
within the Washington Lower Columbia
Management Unit. NMFS is soliciting
review and comment on the Plan from
the public and all interested parties.
DATES: The comment period for the
Draft Interim Regional Recovery Plan
closes on June 20, 2005. NMFS will
consider and address all substantive
comments received during the comment
period. Comments must be received no
later than 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
on June 20, 2005. A description of
previous public and scientific review,
including scientific peer review, can be
found in the NMFS Supplement to the
Plan.
ADDRESSES: Please send written
comments and materials to Patty
Dornbusch, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Salmon Recovery Division,
1201 N.E. Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100,
Portland, OR 97232. Comments may be
submitted by e-mail. The mailbox
address for providing e-mail comments
is LCRsalmonWMU.nwr@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following identifier:
Comments on LCR Salmon Plan.
Comments may also be submitted via
facsimile (fax) to 503–872–2737.
Persons wishing to review the Plan can
obtain an electronic copy (i.e., CD-ROM)
from Carol Joyce by calling 503–230–
5408 or by e-mailing a request to
LCRsalmonWMU.nwr@noaa.gov, with
the subject line CD-ROM Request for
LCR Salmon Plan. Electronic copies of
the Plan are also available on-line on the
NMFS Web site www.nwr.noaa.gov/
1srd/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patty Dornbusch, (503–230–5430); or
Elizabeth Gaar, (503–230–5434).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery plans describe actions
considered necessary for the
conservation and recovery of species
listed under the Endangered Species Act
of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.). The ESA requires that
recovery plans incorporate (1) objective,
measurable criteria which, when met,
would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or
endangered; (2) site-specific
management actions necessary to
achieve the plan’s goals; and (3)
estimates of the time required and costs
to implement recovery actions. The ESA
requires the development of recovery
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 20, 2005 / Notices
plans for listed species unless such a
plan would not promote the recovery of
a particular species.
NMFS’ goal is to restore endangered
and threatened Pacific salmon and
steelhead ESUs to the point where they
are again secure, self-sustaining
members of their ecosystems and no
longer need the protections of the ESA.
NMFS believes it is critically important
to base its recovery plans on the many
state, regional, tribal, local, and private
conservation efforts already underway
throughout the region. The agency’s
approach to recovery planning has been
to support and participate in locally led
collaborative efforts involving local
communities, state, tribal, and Federal
entities, and other stakeholders to
develop recovery plans. On December
15, 2004, the State of Washington and
the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery
Board (LCFRB) presented the first of
these locally developed recovery plans
(Plan) to NMFS.
NMFS expects the Plan to help NMFS
and other Federal agencies take a more
consistent approach to future section 7
consultations. For example, the Plan
will provide greater biological context
for the effects that a proposed action
may have on listed ESUs. This context
will be enhanced by adding recovery
plan science to the ‘‘best available
information’’ for section 7 consultations.
Such information includes viability
criteria for ESUs and their independent
populations; better understanding of
and information on limiting factors and
threats facing the ESUs; better
information on priority areas for
addressing specific limiting factors; and
better geographic context for where the
ESUs can tolerate different levels of risk.
After review of the Plan, NMFS has
added a Supplement, which describes
the Plan’s relationship to ESA
requirements for recovery plans,
addresses additional elements needed to
comply with those requirements, and
describes the agency’s intent to use the
Plan as an interim regional recovery
plan for the Washington Lower
Columbia Management Unit and as a
major component of the full ESU plan
expected to be completed in 2006. The
Plan, including the Supplement, is now
available for public review and
comment. NMFS will consider all
substantive comments and information
presented during the public comment
period (see DATES).
ESUs Addressed and Planning Area
(Washington Lower Columbia
Management Unit)
The Plan covers a substantial portion
of the range of three listed ESUs: Lower
Columbia River chinook (Oncorhynchus
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tshawytscha), listed as threatened on
March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14307);
Columbia River chum (Oncorhynchus
keta), listed as threatened on March 25,
1999 (64 FR 14507); and Lower
Columbia River steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss), listed as
threatened on March 19, 1998 (63 FR
13347). The Plan also addresses a
substantial portion of the range of the
Lower Columbia River Coho
(Oncorhynchus kisutch) ESU. On June
14, 2004 (69 FR 33103), NMFS proposed
Lower Columbia River coho salmon for
listing as threatened. Because this ESU
is not currently listed, NMFS is not
proposing this Plan as an interim
regional recovery plan for Lower
Columbia River coho salmon at this
time. (Also in June 2004, NMFS
published a proposed hatchery listing
policy (69 FR 31354) and a proposed
rule to revise the listing status of 25
currently listed Pacific salmonid ESUs
(69 FR 33102). Under the proposed
rules, the listing status of the three
currently listed ESUs addressed by this
Plan would not change. Some
adjustments would be made in the way
hatchery fish are considered in the
listing decision. The hatchery listing
policy and listing determinations are
expected to be finalized in June 2005.)
The area covered by the Plan includes
the Washington portion of the Columbia
River estuary and the Columbia River
mainstem within the range of the ESUs
as well as a number of tributary
watersheds (including the Chinook,
Grays, Skamokawa, Elochoman,
Cowlitz, Coweeman, Kalama, Lewis,
Washougal, Wind, and Little White
Salmon Rivers, and Mill, Abernathy,
Germany, Lake, Duncan, Hardy, and
Hamilton Creeks). In all, the tributaries
total more than 1,700 river miles in
Washington. The planning area does not
include portions of these ESUs on the
Oregon side of the Columbia River or
the White Salmon River basin in
Washington.
NMFS proposes to delineate the
portion of these ESUs that occurs within
Washington State and within the
planning area of the Lower Columbia
Fish Recovery Board as the Washington
Lower Columbia Management Unit. A
management unit is a portion of a listed
species (ESU) that might require
different management due to different
threats in certain geographic areas or
management by different state, tribal, or
local entities.
Although final recovery plans must
cover the entire range of a species or
ESU, NMFS has concluded that it would
be disadvantageous to the three ESUs to
wait to publish a draft plan until an
ESU-wide plan was available.
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Additionally, NMFS intends to
implement the Plan to the maximum
extent practicable while working with
constituents in Oregon to complete a
recovery plan that will cover the entire
range of the ESUs. Thus NMFS proposes
to use the Plan as an interim regional
recovery plan for the Washington Lower
Columbia Management Unit of these
ESUs. NMFS expects to publish a notice
of availability in 2006 for a draft interim
regional recovery plan for the Oregon
Lower Columbia Management Unit and
for the White Salmon River in
Washington State. Following public
review of the plans for these portions of
the ESUs, NMFS will finalize a recovery
plan covering the entire range of the
ESUs.
The Plan
The Plan provides a roadmap for
implementation of recovery actions in
the Washington Lower Columbia
Management Unit. It identifies threats to
the ESUs, includes actions intended to
address all the manageable threats, and
includes recovery goals and measurable
criteria consistent with the ESA. The
Plan’s initial approach is to target
reductions in all manageable threats. As
monitoring and evaluation improve our
understanding of the effectiveness of
various actions and their benefits
throughout the life cycle of salmon and
steelhead, adjustments may be made
through the adaptive management
framework described in the Plan. A
combination of habitat loss and
degradation, hydropower facility
construction and operation, harvest,
hatchery production of salmon and
steelhead, and ecological changes have
resulted in reduced viability of the
Lower Columbia River chinook and
chum salmon and steelhead ESUs and
their eventual listing under the ESA.
The Plan identifies the following key
threats to the ESUs and recovery actions
to reduce them:
1. Habitat: Stream conditions in the
planning area have been degraded 20 to
80 percent relative to ‘‘properly
functioning’’ benchmarks of suitability
for salmon and steelhead. Recovery
actions would protect pristine habitat
and restore degraded habitat (with an
emphasis on restoring access to high
quality habitat), revise local land use
practices, and change stream flow
regimes to promote salmon and
steelhead recovery. (Properly
functioning condition benchmarks were
defined based on the NMFS ‘‘Matrix of
Pathways and Indicators’’ see NMFS,
‘‘Making Endangered Species Act
Determinations of Effect for Individual
or Grouped Actions at the Watershed
Scale,’’ August 1996.)
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 20, 2005 / Notices
2. Hydropower: Habitat conditions
have been fundamentally altered by the
construction and operation of a complex
of tributary and mainstem dams and
reservoirs for power generation,
navigation, and flood control. Recovery
actions would restore access to blocked
habitats in the Cowlitz and Lewis River
systems and address other effects of
these hydropower systems and of the
Federal Columbia River Power System
on recovery of lower river ESUs.
3. Harvest: Current fishing impact
rates on wild salmon populations
within the Lower Columbia ESUs
addressed by the plan range from 2.5
percent or less for chum salmon to 45
percent for fall chinook. Recovery
actions would assure that fishery
impacts to lower Columbia naturally
spawning populations are managed to
contribute to recovery and would also
preserve fishing opportunities focused
on hatchery fish and strong naturally
spawning stocks.
4. Hatcheries: Risks to listed ESUs
from hatchery production include
genetic effects that reduce fitness and
survival, ecological effects such as
competition and predation, facility
effects on passage and water quality,
mixed stock fishery effects, and masking
the true status of naturally produced
fish. Recovery actions would expand the
use of hatcheries for reintroduction and
supplementation to help recover natural
populations and would reconfigure
production-based hatchery programs to
minimize impacts on natural
populations.
5. Ecological Interactions: Ecological
interactions include interactions with
non-native species, effects of salmon
decline on system productivity, and
native predators of salmon. Recovery
actions would avoid introduction of
new species and would reduce potential
adverse effects of predation and existing
non-native species.
The Plan identifies substantive
actions needed to achieve recovery by
addressing the threats to the species.
The Plan also incorporates an adaptive
management framework by which Plan
actions and other elements will evolve
and adapt to information gained as a
result of monitoring and evaluation. The
Plan also anticipates that future actions
will be influenced by additional
analysis of costs and effectiveness of
recovery actions to maximize efficiency.
The next step outlined in the Plan is to
obtain implementation schedules from
each of the responsible entities
describing when and how recovery
actions will occur and how much they
will cost. This step will be coordinated
by a committee established by the
LCFRB and is described in the adaptive
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management section of the Plan.
Implementation schedules are expected
to be complete by the summer of 2005
and will be incorporated into the Plan.
Public Comments Solicited
NMFS solicits written comments on
the draft Plan, including the
Supplement. The Supplement states
NMFS’ assessment of the Plan’s
relationship to ESA requirements for
recovery plans, specifies recovery (delisting) criteria for the three ESUs, and
explains the agency’s intent to use the
plan as an interim regional recovery
plan and as the basis for a full ESU
recovery plan. All substantive
comments received by the date specified
above will be considered prior to NMFS’
decision whether to endorse the Plan as
an interim regional recovery plan.
Additionally, NMFS will provide a
summary of the comments and
responses through its regional web site
and provide a news release for the
public announcing the availability of
the response to comments. NMFS seeks
comments particularly in the following
areas: (1) the analysis of limiting factors
and threats; (2) the recovery scenario,
including strategies and measures; (3)
the criteria for removing the ESUs from
the Federal list of endangered and
threatened wildlife and plants; (4)
meeting the ESA requirement for
estimates of time and cost to implement
recovery actions by soliciting
implementation schedules (see
discussion in the Supplement); and (5)
the process of developing ESU-wide
recovery plans using management unit
plans.
Authority
The authority for this action is section
4(f) of the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: April 14, 2005.
Laurie K. Allen,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05–7945 Filed 4–19–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. 2005–C–061]
Public Advisory Committees
United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
ACTION: Notice and request for
nominations.
AGENCY:
On November 29, 1999, the
President signed into law the Patent and
SUMMARY
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20533
Trademark Office Efficiency Act (the
‘‘Act’’), Pub. L. 106–113, appendix I,
title IV, subtitle G, 113 Stat. 1501A–572,
which, among other things, established
two Public Advisory Committees to
review the policies, goals, performance,
budget and user fees of the United
States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) with respect to patents, in the
case of the Patent Public Advisory
Committee, and with respect to
trademarks, in the case of the
Trademark Public Advisory Committee,
and to advise the Director on these
matters. The USPTO is requesting
nominations for three (3) members to
each Public Advisory Committee for
terms of three years that begin from date
of appointment.
DATES: Nominations must be
postmarked or electronically
transmitted on or before May 27, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to submit
nominations should send the nominee’s
´
resume to Chief of Staff, Office of the
Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the
USPTO, Post Office Box 1450,
Alexandria, Virginia 22313–1450; by
electronic mail to:
PPACnominations@uspto.gov for the
Patent Public Advisory Committee or
TPACnominations@uspto.gov for the
Trademark Patent Public Advisory
Committee; by facsimile transmission
marked to the Chief of Staff’s attention
at (571) 273–0464, or by mail marked to
the Chief of Staff’s attention and
addressed to the Office of the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and Director of the USPTO,
Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria,
Virginia 22313–1450.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chief of Staff by facsimile transmission
marked to her attention at (571) 273–
0464, or by mail marked to her attention
and addressed to the Office of the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and Director of the USPTO,
Post Office Box 1450, Alexandria,
Virginia 22313–1450.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Advisory Committees’ duties include:
• Review and advise the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and Director of the USPTO on
matters relating to policies, goals,
performance, budget, and user fees of
the USPTO relating to patents and
trademarks, respectively; and
• Within 60 days after the end of each
fiscal year: (1) Prepare an annual report
on matters listed above; (2) transmit a
report to the Secretary of Commerce, the
President, and the Committees on the
Judiciary of the Senate and the House of
Representatives; and (3) publish the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20531-20533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7945]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 041205D]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans; Notice of
Availability of a Draft Interim Regional Recovery Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the
availability for public review of the Draft Interim Regional Recovery
Plan (Plan) for portions of three Evolutionarily Significant Units
(ESUs) of salmon and steelhead Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Columbia River Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus
keta), and Lower Columbia River Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) within
the Washington Lower Columbia Management Unit. NMFS is soliciting
review and comment on the Plan from the public and all interested
parties.
DATES: The comment period for the Draft Interim Regional Recovery Plan
closes on June 20, 2005. NMFS will consider and address all substantive
comments received during the comment period. Comments must be received
no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on June 20, 2005. A
description of previous public and scientific review, including
scientific peer review, can be found in the NMFS Supplement to the
Plan.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments and materials to Patty
Dornbusch, National Marine Fisheries Service, Salmon Recovery Division,
1201 N.E. Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. Comments may
be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for providing e-mail
comments is LCRsalmonWMU.nwr@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of
the e-mail comment the following identifier: Comments on LCR Salmon
Plan. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile (fax) to 503-872-
2737. Persons wishing to review the Plan can obtain an electronic copy
(i.e., CD-ROM) from Carol Joyce by calling 503-230-5408 or by e-mailing
a request to LCRsalmonWMU.nwr@noaa.gov, with the subject line CD-ROM
Request for LCR Salmon Plan. Electronic copies of the Plan are also
available on-line on the NMFS Web site www.nwr.noaa.gov/1srd/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patty Dornbusch, (503-230-5430); or
Elizabeth Gaar, (503-230-5434).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the
conservation and recovery of species listed under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA
requires that recovery plans incorporate (1) objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3)
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions.
The ESA requires the development of recovery
[[Page 20532]]
plans for listed species unless such a plan would not promote the
recovery of a particular species.
NMFS' goal is to restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmon
and steelhead ESUs to the point where they are again secure, self-
sustaining members of their ecosystems and no longer need the
protections of the ESA. NMFS believes it is critically important to
base its recovery plans on the many state, regional, tribal, local, and
private conservation efforts already underway throughout the region.
The agency's approach to recovery planning has been to support and
participate in locally led collaborative efforts involving local
communities, state, tribal, and Federal entities, and other
stakeholders to develop recovery plans. On December 15, 2004, the State
of Washington and the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (LCFRB)
presented the first of these locally developed recovery plans (Plan) to
NMFS.
NMFS expects the Plan to help NMFS and other Federal agencies take
a more consistent approach to future section 7 consultations. For
example, the Plan will provide greater biological context for the
effects that a proposed action may have on listed ESUs. This context
will be enhanced by adding recovery plan science to the ``best
available information'' for section 7 consultations. Such information
includes viability criteria for ESUs and their independent populations;
better understanding of and information on limiting factors and threats
facing the ESUs; better information on priority areas for addressing
specific limiting factors; and better geographic context for where the
ESUs can tolerate different levels of risk.
After review of the Plan, NMFS has added a Supplement, which
describes the Plan's relationship to ESA requirements for recovery
plans, addresses additional elements needed to comply with those
requirements, and describes the agency's intent to use the Plan as an
interim regional recovery plan for the Washington Lower Columbia
Management Unit and as a major component of the full ESU plan expected
to be completed in 2006. The Plan, including the Supplement, is now
available for public review and comment. NMFS will consider all
substantive comments and information presented during the public
comment period (see DATES).
ESUs Addressed and Planning Area (Washington Lower Columbia Management
Unit)
The Plan covers a substantial portion of the range of three listed
ESUs: Lower Columbia River chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), listed
as threatened on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14307); Columbia River chum
(Oncorhynchus keta), listed as threatened on March 25, 1999 (64 FR
14507); and Lower Columbia River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss),
listed as threatened on March 19, 1998 (63 FR 13347). The Plan also
addresses a substantial portion of the range of the Lower Columbia
River Coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) ESU. On June 14, 2004 (69 FR 33103),
NMFS proposed Lower Columbia River coho salmon for listing as
threatened. Because this ESU is not currently listed, NMFS is not
proposing this Plan as an interim regional recovery plan for Lower
Columbia River coho salmon at this time. (Also in June 2004, NMFS
published a proposed hatchery listing policy (69 FR 31354) and a
proposed rule to revise the listing status of 25 currently listed
Pacific salmonid ESUs (69 FR 33102). Under the proposed rules, the
listing status of the three currently listed ESUs addressed by this
Plan would not change. Some adjustments would be made in the way
hatchery fish are considered in the listing decision. The hatchery
listing policy and listing determinations are expected to be finalized
in June 2005.)
The area covered by the Plan includes the Washington portion of the
Columbia River estuary and the Columbia River mainstem within the range
of the ESUs as well as a number of tributary watersheds (including the
Chinook, Grays, Skamokawa, Elochoman, Cowlitz, Coweeman, Kalama, Lewis,
Washougal, Wind, and Little White Salmon Rivers, and Mill, Abernathy,
Germany, Lake, Duncan, Hardy, and Hamilton Creeks). In all, the
tributaries total more than 1,700 river miles in Washington. The
planning area does not include portions of these ESUs on the Oregon
side of the Columbia River or the White Salmon River basin in
Washington.
NMFS proposes to delineate the portion of these ESUs that occurs
within Washington State and within the planning area of the Lower
Columbia Fish Recovery Board as the Washington Lower Columbia
Management Unit. A management unit is a portion of a listed species
(ESU) that might require different management due to different threats
in certain geographic areas or management by different state, tribal,
or local entities.
Although final recovery plans must cover the entire range of a
species or ESU, NMFS has concluded that it would be disadvantageous to
the three ESUs to wait to publish a draft plan until an ESU-wide plan
was available. Additionally, NMFS intends to implement the Plan to the
maximum extent practicable while working with constituents in Oregon to
complete a recovery plan that will cover the entire range of the ESUs.
Thus NMFS proposes to use the Plan as an interim regional recovery plan
for the Washington Lower Columbia Management Unit of these ESUs. NMFS
expects to publish a notice of availability in 2006 for a draft interim
regional recovery plan for the Oregon Lower Columbia Management Unit
and for the White Salmon River in Washington State. Following public
review of the plans for these portions of the ESUs, NMFS will finalize
a recovery plan covering the entire range of the ESUs.
The Plan
The Plan provides a roadmap for implementation of recovery actions
in the Washington Lower Columbia Management Unit. It identifies threats
to the ESUs, includes actions intended to address all the manageable
threats, and includes recovery goals and measurable criteria consistent
with the ESA. The Plan's initial approach is to target reductions in
all manageable threats. As monitoring and evaluation improve our
understanding of the effectiveness of various actions and their
benefits throughout the life cycle of salmon and steelhead, adjustments
may be made through the adaptive management framework described in the
Plan. A combination of habitat loss and degradation, hydropower
facility construction and operation, harvest, hatchery production of
salmon and steelhead, and ecological changes have resulted in reduced
viability of the Lower Columbia River chinook and chum salmon and
steelhead ESUs and their eventual listing under the ESA. The Plan
identifies the following key threats to the ESUs and recovery actions
to reduce them:
1. Habitat: Stream conditions in the planning area have been
degraded 20 to 80 percent relative to ``properly functioning''
benchmarks of suitability for salmon and steelhead. Recovery actions
would protect pristine habitat and restore degraded habitat (with an
emphasis on restoring access to high quality habitat), revise local
land use practices, and change stream flow regimes to promote salmon
and steelhead recovery. (Properly functioning condition benchmarks were
defined based on the NMFS ``Matrix of Pathways and Indicators'' see
NMFS, ``Making Endangered Species Act Determinations of Effect for
Individual or Grouped Actions at the Watershed Scale,'' August 1996.)
[[Page 20533]]
2. Hydropower: Habitat conditions have been fundamentally altered
by the construction and operation of a complex of tributary and
mainstem dams and reservoirs for power generation, navigation, and
flood control. Recovery actions would restore access to blocked
habitats in the Cowlitz and Lewis River systems and address other
effects of these hydropower systems and of the Federal Columbia River
Power System on recovery of lower river ESUs.
3. Harvest: Current fishing impact rates on wild salmon populations
within the Lower Columbia ESUs addressed by the plan range from 2.5
percent or less for chum salmon to 45 percent for fall chinook.
Recovery actions would assure that fishery impacts to lower Columbia
naturally spawning populations are managed to contribute to recovery
and would also preserve fishing opportunities focused on hatchery fish
and strong naturally spawning stocks.
4. Hatcheries: Risks to listed ESUs from hatchery production
include genetic effects that reduce fitness and survival, ecological
effects such as competition and predation, facility effects on passage
and water quality, mixed stock fishery effects, and masking the true
status of naturally produced fish. Recovery actions would expand the
use of hatcheries for reintroduction and supplementation to help
recover natural populations and would reconfigure production-based
hatchery programs to minimize impacts on natural populations.
5. Ecological Interactions: Ecological interactions include
interactions with non-native species, effects of salmon decline on
system productivity, and native predators of salmon. Recovery actions
would avoid introduction of new species and would reduce potential
adverse effects of predation and existing non-native species.
The Plan identifies substantive actions needed to achieve recovery
by addressing the threats to the species. The Plan also incorporates an
adaptive management framework by which Plan actions and other elements
will evolve and adapt to information gained as a result of monitoring
and evaluation. The Plan also anticipates that future actions will be
influenced by additional analysis of costs and effectiveness of
recovery actions to maximize efficiency. The next step outlined in the
Plan is to obtain implementation schedules from each of the responsible
entities describing when and how recovery actions will occur and how
much they will cost. This step will be coordinated by a committee
established by the LCFRB and is described in the adaptive management
section of the Plan. Implementation schedules are expected to be
complete by the summer of 2005 and will be incorporated into the Plan.
Public Comments Solicited
NMFS solicits written comments on the draft Plan, including the
Supplement. The Supplement states NMFS' assessment of the Plan's
relationship to ESA requirements for recovery plans, specifies recovery
(de-listing) criteria for the three ESUs, and explains the agency's
intent to use the plan as an interim regional recovery plan and as the
basis for a full ESU recovery plan. All substantive comments received
by the date specified above will be considered prior to NMFS' decision
whether to endorse the Plan as an interim regional recovery plan.
Additionally, NMFS will provide a summary of the comments and responses
through its regional web site and provide a news release for the public
announcing the availability of the response to comments. NMFS seeks
comments particularly in the following areas: (1) the analysis of
limiting factors and threats; (2) the recovery scenario, including
strategies and measures; (3) the criteria for removing the ESUs from
the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; (4)
meeting the ESA requirement for estimates of time and cost to implement
recovery actions by soliciting implementation schedules (see discussion
in the Supplement); and (5) the process of developing ESU-wide recovery
plans using management unit plans.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: April 14, 2005.
Laurie K. Allen,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-7945 Filed 4-19-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
