Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans, 36460-36462 [E9-17284]
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36460
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices
in the collection of horseshoe crabs
since 1993. The project submitted by
Limuli Laboratories would provide
morphological data on horseshoe crab
catch, would tag caught horseshoe
crabs, and would use the blood from the
caught horseshoe crabs to manufacture
Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), an
important health and safety product
used for the detection of endotoxins.
The LAL assay is used by medical
professionals, drug companies, and
pharmacies to detect endotoxins in
intravenous pharmaceuticals and
medical devices that come into contact
with human blood or spinal fluid.
Results of 2008 EFP
No horseshoe crabs were collected
from the Reserve by the applicant
during the 2008 season. Thus, no results
were submitted. The 2007 results were
published in the Federal Register on
June 2, 2008 (73 FR 31434) thus are not
repeated here. Data collected under
previous EFPs were supplied to NMFS,
the Commission, and the State of New
Jersey.
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Proposed 2009 EFP
Limuli Laboratories proposes to
conduct an exempted fishery operation
using the same means, methods, and
seasons utilized during the EFPs in
2001–2008. Limuli proposes to continue
to tag at least 15 percent of the bled
horseshoe crabs as they did in 2007.
NMFS would require that the following
terms and conditions be met for
issuance of the EFP:
1. Limiting the number of horseshoe
crabs collected in the Reserve to no
more than 500 crabs per day and to a
total of no more than 10,000 crabs per
year;
2. Requiring collections to take place
over a total of approximately 20 days
during the months of August,
September, October, and November.
Horseshoe crabs are readily available in
harvestable concentrations nearshore
earlier in the year, and offshore in the
Reserve from July through November;
3. Requiring that a 5 1⁄2 inch (14.0 cm)
flounder net be used by the vessel to
collect the horseshoe crabs. This
condition would allow for continuation
of traditional harvest gear and adds to
the consistency in the way horseshoe
crabs are harvested for data collection;
4. Limiting trawl tow times to 30
minutes as a conservation measure to
protect sea turtles, which are expected
to be migrating through the area during
the collection period, and are vulnerable
to bottom trawling;
5. Restricting the hours of fishing to
daylight hours only, approximately from
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15:01 Jul 22, 2009
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7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to aid law
enforcement;
6. Requiring that the collected
horseshoe crabs be picked up from the
fishing vessels at docks in the Cape May
Area and transported to local
laboratories, bled for LAL, and released
alive the following morning into the
Lower Delaware Bay; and
7. Requiring that any turtle take be
reported to NMFS, Northeast Region
Assistant Regional Administrator of
Protected Resources Division within 24
hours of returning from the trip in
which the incidental take occurred.
As part of the terms and conditions of
the EFP, for all horseshoe crabs bled for
LAL, NMFS would require that the EFP
holder provide data on sex ratio and
daily harvest. Also, the EFP holder
would be required to examine at least
200 horseshoe crabs for morphometric
data. Terms and conditions may be
added or amended prior to the issuance
of the EFP.
The proposed EFP would exempt
three commercial vessels from
regulations at 50 CFR 697.7(e) and
697.23(f) which prohibit the harvest and
possession of horseshoe crabs on a
vessel with a trawl or dredge gear
aboard from the Reserve.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 17, 2009.
Kristen C. Koch,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–17540 Filed 7–22–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XQ24
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Recovery Plans
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration,
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments and notice of public
meetings.
SUMMARY: The National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces
that the Draft Southern California
Steelhead Recovery Plan (Plan) is
available for public review and
comment. The Plan addresses the
Southern California Steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct
Population Segment (DPS), which
spawns in watersheds from the Santa
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Maria River (just north of Point
Conception) south to the Tijuana River
at the U.S.-Mexico border. NMFS is
soliciting review and comment from the
public and all interested parties on the
Draft Plan. In addition, public meetings
will be held on August 25 and
September 1, 2009, as opportunities for
providing comments on the Draft Plan.
DATES: 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 September 21,
2009. Public meetings will also be held
(see Public Meetings below).
ADDRESSES: Please send written
comments and materials to Penny
Ruvelas, National Marine Fisheries
Service, 501 W. Ocean Blvd, Suite 4200,
Long Beach, CA 90802. Comments may
also be submitted by e-mail to:
SteelheadPlan.swr@noaa.gov. Include in
the subject line of the e-mail comment
the following identifier: Comments on
Southern California Steelhead Plan.
Comments may be submitted via
facsimile (fax) to 562–980–4027.
Persons wishing to review the Plan
can obtain an electronic copy (i.e., CDROM) from Kimberly Speech by calling
562–980–4020 or by e-mailing a request
to kimberly.speech@noaa.gov with the
subject line ‘‘CD-ROM Request for
Southern California Steelhead Recovery
Plan.’’ Electronic copies of the Plan are
also available on-line on the NMFS
website https://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/
recovery/SolCal.htm.
For locations and times of public
meetings, see Public Meetings below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Capelli, NMFS Southern
California Steelhead Recovery
Coordinator at 805–963–6478 x14 or
Penny Ruvelas, NMFS SWR Protected
Resources Division at 562–980–4197.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery plans describe actions
beneficial to 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 plans for each
listed species unless such a plan would
not promote its recovery.
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices
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NMFS is responsible for developing
and implementing ESA recovery plans
for listed salmon and steelhead. In so
doing, NMFS’ goal is to restore
endangered and threatened Pacific
salmonids to the point that they are
again self-sustaining members of their
ecosystems and no longer need the
protections of the ESA.
Recovery Plans developed under the
ESA are guidance documents, not
regulatory documents. However, the
ESA envisions Recovery Plans as the
central organizing tool for guiding the
recovery of listed species. Recovery
Plans also guide Federal agencies in
fulfilling their obligations under section
7(a) (1) of the ESA, which calls on all
Federal agencies to ‘‘utilize their
authorities in furtherance of the
purposes of this Act by carrying out
programs for the conservation of
endangered species and threatened
species.’’ In addition to outlining
proactive measures to achieve species
recovery, Recovery Plans provide a
context and framework for
implementing other provisions of the
ESA with respect to a particular species,
including consultations on Federal
agency activities under section 7(a)(2)
and the development of Habitat
Conservation Plans in accordance with
section 10(a)(1)(B).
This Recovery Plan serves as a
guideline for achieving recovery criteria
and goals by describing the criteria by
which NMFS would measure species
recovery, the strategy to achieve
recovery, and the recovery actions
necessary to achieve viable populations
of steelhead within the Southern
California steelhead DPS.
Recovery Criteria
Recovery criteria are built upon
criteria recommended by the NMFS
Technical Recovery Team (TRT) for the
identification of viable anadromous O.
mykiss populations and DPS. A viable
population is defined as a population
having a negligible risk (<5%) of
extinction due to threats from
demographic variation, non-catastrophic
environmental variation, and genetic
diversity changes over a 100-year time
frame. A viable DPS is comprised of a
sufficient number of viable populations
sufficiently dispersed spatially, but well
connected enough to maintain long-term
(1,000-year) persistence and
evolutionary potential (McElhany et al.
2000). The viability criteria are intended
to describe characteristics of the species
and its natural environments necessary
for both individual populations and the
DPS as a whole to be viable, i.e., persist
over a specific period of time, regardless
of other ongoing anthropogenic effects.
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Jkt 217001
Recovery of the endangered Southern
California Coast Steelhead DPS will
require recovery of a sufficient number
of viable populations within each of five
Biogeographic Population Groups
(BPGs) defined by the TRT. Recovery of
these individual populations is
necessary to conserve the natural
diversity (genetic, phenotypic, and
behavioral), spatial distribution, and
abundance of the species, and thus the
long-term viability of the DPS as a
whole. Additionally, the DPS as a whole
must contain a minimal number of
viable populations, or interacting transbasin populations, within each BPG that
inhabit watersheds with drought refugia
(needed to sustain juvenile populations
throughout the low-flow period), are
geographically separated (to maintain
maximum genetic diversity and also to
spread out the risk of extinction due to
local disasters or other mortality
factors), and exhibit the natural lifehistory diversity of the species (fluvialanadromous, lagoon-anadromous, and
freshwater resident).
Recovery Strategy
Achieving species recovery will
require a number of coordinated
activities, including: implementation of
the strategic and threat-specific recovery
actions identified in this Recovery Plan;
monitoring of existing population’s
response to recovery actions; and
further research into the diverse lifehistory patterns and adaptations of
southern anadromous O. mykiss to a
semi-arid and highly dynamic
environment (e.g., the ecological
relationship between anadromous and
non-anadromous life-history patterns.
Effective implementation of recovery
actions will also entail: (1) Extensive
public education (including the general
public, non-governmental agencies, and
local, regional, State, and Federal
governmental agencies,) regarding the
role and value of the species within the
larger watershed environment; (2)
development of cooperative
relationships with private land owners,
special districts, federally-recognized
tribes, and local governments with
direct control and responsibilities over
non-federal land-use practices; (3)
participation in the land use and water
planning and regulatory processes of
local, regional, State, and Federal
agencies; (4) close cooperation with
other state resource agencies such as the
California Department of Fish and
Game, California Coastal Commission,
CalTrans, and the California Department
of Parks and Recreation, and (5)
partnering with Federal resource
agencies, including the U.S. Forest
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
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Frm 00014
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
36461
National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, U.S. Department of
Transportation, U.S. Department of
Defense, and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
A comprehensive strategic framework
is necessary to serve as a guide to
integrate the actions contributing to the
larger goal of recovery of the Southern
California Coast Steelhead DPS. This
strategic framework incorporates the
concepts of viability at both the
population and DPS levels, and the
identification of threats and recovery
actions for specific BPGs.
NMFS has identified core populations
intended to serve as the foundation for
the recovery of the species in the
Recovery Planning Area. In addition,
threats assessments for the species
indicate that recovery actions related to
the modification of existing passage
barriers and changes in water storage
and management regimes within certain
rivers of the Recovery Planning Area are
critical to the recovery of the species.
High quality habitat exists above the
significant passage barriers in these
river systems. As a result, NMFS
expects significant improvements in
species status once they are able to
access these areas for spawning and
rearing of young steelhead.
There remain uncertainties regarding
the level of recovery necessary to
achieve population viability, therefore,
additional research and monitoring of
anadromous O. mykiss populations
within the SCCS Recovery Planning
Area is an essential component of this
Recovery Plan. As this Recovery Plan is
implemented over time, additional
information will become available to: (1)
refine the viability criteria; (2) up-date
and refine the threats assessment and
related recovery actions; (3) determine
whether individual threats have been
abated; and (4) evaluate the overall
viability of anadromous O. mykiss in the
SCCS Recovery Planning Area.
Additionally, there will be a review of
the recovery actions implemented and
population and habitat responses to
these actions at the 5-year and 10-year
status reviews of the DPS.
Recovery Actions
Many complex and inter-related
biological, economic, social, and
technological issues must be addressed
in order to recover anadromous O.
mykiss in the Southern California Coast
Steelhead DPS. Policy changes at the
Federal, state and local levels will likely
be necessary to implement many of the
recovery actions identified in this
Recovery Plan. For example, without
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36462
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 140 / Thursday, July 23, 2009 / Notices
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substantial strides in water conservation
throughout southern California, flow
conditions for anadromous salmonids
will limit recovery. Similarly, recovery
is unlikely without programs to restore
properly functioning historic habitat
such as estuaries, and access to
upstream spawning and rearing habitat.
Although the recovery of this species
is expected to be a long process, the
TRT recommended certain actions that
should be implemented as soon as
possible to help guide the recovery
process for the Southern California
Steelhead DPS (Boughton et al. 2007).
Additional and more specific recovery
actions to address specific threat
sources in individual watersheds are
discussed in the text.
Implementation and Cost Estimates
Implementation of this Recovery Plan
by NMFS will take many forms. To
achieve recovery, NMFS will need to
promote the Recovery Plan and provide
needed technical information and
assistance to other entities responsible
for actions that may impact the species’
recovery. NMFS should work with key
partners on planning and
implementation of all high priority
recovery actions. Additionally it will be
important to work with local
governments to ensure that protective
measures consistent with recovery
objectives are included in their general
plans and local coastal plans. NMFS
should also work with state and Federal
regional entities on Regional Water
Control Board Basin Plans and U.S.
Forest Service Plans.
An implementation schedule
describing time frames and costs
associated with individual recovery
actions is under development.
Estimating total cost to recovery is much
more challenging, if not impossible to
estimate for a variety of reasons. These
include the large geographic extent of
the DPS; the need to refine recovery
criteria; the need to complete
watershed-specific investigations such
as barrier inventories and assessments;
the establishment of flow regimes for
individual watersheds; and the review
and possible modification of a variety of
exiting land-use and water management
plans (including waste discharge
requirements) under a variety of local,
state, and federal jurisdictions.
Additionally, the biological response of
many of the recovery actions is
uncertain, and achieving full recovery
will be a long-term effort likely
requiring decades, and addressing new
stressors that emerge over time. In some
instances, however, NMFS is able to
estimate the costs associated with
certain common restoration activities
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15:01 Jul 22, 2009
Jkt 217001
such as those undertaken as part of the
California Department of Fish and Game
Fisheries Restoration Grants Program.
An appendix to the Plan contains
estimates for these categories of typical
watershed restoration actions.
The criteria and recovery actions
identified in this Recovery Plan provide
a comprehensive road-map for recovery
and are consistent with many ongoing
activities intended to protect and or
restore ecosystem functions in southern
California watersheds. As a result, many
of these recovery actions will be
undertaken by local, state and Federal
agencies, as well as non-governmental
organizations and other private entities
as a part of their local ecosystem
protection efforts. Also, the wide variety
of threats to steelhead provide for a
variety of potential funding sources
available to develop and implement
these recovery actions, often as part of
other ongoing natural resource
restoration, management, and mitigation
programs.
Public Comments Solicited
NMFS solicits written comments on
the Draft Plan. All comments received
by the date specified above will be
considered prior to NMFS’ decision
whether to approve the Plan. NMFS
seeks comments particularly in the
following areas: (1) the analysis of
limiting factors and threats; (2) the
recovery objectives, strategies, and
actions; (3) the criteria for removing the
DPS from the Federal list of endangered
and threatened wildlife and plants; and
(4) estimates of time and cost to
implement recovery actions. NMFS will
also hold public meetings to provide an
opportunity for the public to learn more
about the Draft Plan, ask questions of
NMFS staff, and submit oral or written
comments on the Draft Plan.
Public Meetings
NMFS will hold public meetings on
the dates and at locations as follows:
–August 25, 2009, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at
the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office,
6010 Hidden Valley Road., Carlsbad, CA
92011.
–September 1, 2009, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
at the Fess Parker’s Double Tree Resort,
633 East Cabrillo Boulevard , Santa
Barbara, CA 93103.
These meetings will provide an
opportunity for the public to learn more
about the Proposed Plan, ask questions
of NMFS staff, and submit oral or
written comments on the Proposed Plan.
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Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
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Dated: July 15, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office
of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–17284 Filed 7–22–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–ZP93
Marine Mammals; File No. 14341
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
Karen Terio, DVM, PhD, Zoological
Pathology Program, College of
Veterinary Medicine, University of
Illinois, LUMC Room 0745, Building
101, 2160 South First Street, Maywood,
IL 60153, has been issued a scientific
research permit to import marine
mammal specimens for scientific
research.
ADDRESSES: The permit and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the following offices:
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)713–0376; and
Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930;
phone (978)281–9300; fax (978)281–
9333.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Skidmore or Kate Swails,
(301)713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March
9, 2009, notice was published in the
Federal Register (74 FR 10035) that a
request for a scientific research permit
had been submitted by the above-named
individual. The requested permit has
been issued under the authority of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.), the regulations governing the
taking and importing of marine
mammals (50 CFR part 216), 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 222–226).
The permit authorizes the importation
of unlimited biological samples from up
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 140 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36460-36462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17284]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XQ24
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and notice of
public meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces that
the Draft Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan (Plan) is
available for public review and comment. The Plan addresses the
Southern California Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population
Segment (DPS), which spawns in watersheds from the Santa Maria River
(just north of Point Conception) south to the Tijuana River at the
U.S.-Mexico border. NMFS is soliciting review and comment from the
public and all interested parties on the Draft Plan. In addition,
public meetings will be held on August 25 and September 1, 2009, as
opportunities for providing comments on the Draft Plan.
DATES: 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 September 21, 2009. Public meetings will
also be held (see Public Meetings below).
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments and materials to Penny Ruvelas,
National Marine Fisheries Service, 501 W. Ocean Blvd, Suite 4200, Long
Beach, CA 90802. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to:
SteelheadPlan.swr@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following identifier: Comments on Southern California
Steelhead Plan. Comments may be submitted via facsimile (fax) to 562-
980-4027.
Persons wishing to review the Plan can obtain an electronic copy
(i.e., CD-ROM) from Kimberly Speech by calling 562-980-4020 or by e-
mailing a request to kimberly.speech@noaa.gov with the subject line
``CD-ROM Request for Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan.''
Electronic copies of the Plan are also available on-line on the NMFS
website https://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery/So_Cal.htm.
For locations and times of public meetings, see Public Meetings
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Capelli, NMFS Southern California
Steelhead Recovery Coordinator at 805-963-6478 x14 or Penny Ruvelas,
NMFS SWR Protected Resources Division at 562-980-4197.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery plans describe actions beneficial to 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 plans for each listed species unless such a
plan would not promote its recovery.
[[Page 36461]]
NMFS is responsible for developing and implementing ESA recovery
plans for listed salmon and steelhead. In so doing, NMFS' goal is to
restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmonids to the point that
they are again self-sustaining members of their ecosystems and no
longer need the protections of the ESA.
Recovery Plans developed under the ESA are guidance documents, not
regulatory documents. However, the ESA envisions Recovery Plans as the
central organizing tool for guiding the recovery of listed species.
Recovery Plans also guide Federal agencies in fulfilling their
obligations under section 7(a) (1) of the ESA, which calls on all
Federal agencies to ``utilize their authorities in furtherance of the
purposes of this Act by carrying out programs for the conservation of
endangered species and threatened species.'' In addition to outlining
proactive measures to achieve species recovery, Recovery Plans provide
a context and framework for implementing other provisions of the ESA
with respect to a particular species, including consultations on
Federal agency activities under section 7(a)(2) and the development of
Habitat Conservation Plans in accordance with section 10(a)(1)(B).
This Recovery Plan serves as a guideline for achieving recovery
criteria and goals by describing the criteria by which NMFS would
measure species recovery, the strategy to achieve recovery, and the
recovery actions necessary to achieve viable populations of steelhead
within the Southern California steelhead DPS.
Recovery Criteria
Recovery criteria are built upon criteria recommended by the NMFS
Technical Recovery Team (TRT) for the identification of viable
anadromous O. mykiss populations and DPS. A viable population is
defined as a population having a negligible risk (<5%) of extinction
due to threats from demographic variation, non-catastrophic
environmental variation, and genetic diversity changes over a 100-year
time frame. A viable DPS is comprised of a sufficient number of viable
populations sufficiently dispersed spatially, but well connected enough
to maintain long-term (1,000-year) persistence and evolutionary
potential (McElhany et al. 2000). The viability criteria are intended
to describe characteristics of the species and its natural environments
necessary for both individual populations and the DPS as a whole to be
viable, i.e., persist over a specific period of time, regardless of
other ongoing anthropogenic effects.
Recovery of the endangered Southern California Coast Steelhead DPS
will require recovery of a sufficient number of viable populations
within each of five Biogeographic Population Groups (BPGs) defined by
the TRT. Recovery of these individual populations is necessary to
conserve the natural diversity (genetic, phenotypic, and behavioral),
spatial distribution, and abundance of the species, and thus the long-
term viability of the DPS as a whole. Additionally, the DPS as a whole
must contain a minimal number of viable populations, or interacting
trans-basin populations, within each BPG that inhabit watersheds with
drought refugia (needed to sustain juvenile populations throughout the
low-flow period), are geographically separated (to maintain maximum
genetic diversity and also to spread out the risk of extinction due to
local disasters or other mortality factors), and exhibit the natural
life-history diversity of the species (fluvial-anadromous, lagoon-
anadromous, and freshwater resident).
Recovery Strategy
Achieving species recovery will require a number of coordinated
activities, including: implementation of the strategic and threat-
specific recovery actions identified in this Recovery Plan; monitoring
of existing population's response to recovery actions; and further
research into the diverse life-history patterns and adaptations of
southern anadromous O. mykiss to a semi-arid and highly dynamic
environment (e.g., the ecological relationship between anadromous and
non-anadromous life-history patterns.
Effective implementation of recovery actions will also entail: (1)
Extensive public education (including the general public, non-
governmental agencies, and local, regional, State, and Federal
governmental agencies,) regarding the role and value of the species
within the larger watershed environment; (2) development of cooperative
relationships with private land owners, special districts, federally-
recognized tribes, and local governments with direct control and
responsibilities over non-federal land-use practices; (3) participation
in the land use and water planning and regulatory processes of local,
regional, State, and Federal agencies; (4) close cooperation with other
state resource agencies such as the California Department of Fish and
Game, California Coastal Commission, CalTrans, and the California
Department of Parks and Recreation, and (5) partnering with Federal
resource agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S.
Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
A comprehensive strategic framework is necessary to serve as a
guide to integrate the actions contributing to the larger goal of
recovery of the Southern California Coast Steelhead DPS. This strategic
framework incorporates the concepts of viability at both the population
and DPS levels, and the identification of threats and recovery actions
for specific BPGs.
NMFS has identified core populations intended to serve as the
foundation for the recovery of the species in the Recovery Planning
Area. In addition, threats assessments for the species indicate that
recovery actions related to the modification of existing passage
barriers and changes in water storage and management regimes within
certain rivers of the Recovery Planning Area are critical to the
recovery of the species. High quality habitat exists above the
significant passage barriers in these river systems. As a result, NMFS
expects significant improvements in species status once they are able
to access these areas for spawning and rearing of young steelhead.
There remain uncertainties regarding the level of recovery
necessary to achieve population viability, therefore, additional
research and monitoring of anadromous O. mykiss populations within the
SCCS Recovery Planning Area is an essential component of this Recovery
Plan. As this Recovery Plan is implemented over time, additional
information will become available to: (1) refine the viability
criteria; (2) up-date and refine the threats assessment and related
recovery actions; (3) determine whether individual threats have been
abated; and (4) evaluate the overall viability of anadromous O. mykiss
in the SCCS Recovery Planning Area. Additionally, there will be a
review of the recovery actions implemented and population and habitat
responses to these actions at the 5-year and 10-year status reviews of
the DPS.
Recovery Actions
Many complex and inter-related biological, economic, social, and
technological issues must be addressed in order to recover anadromous
O. mykiss in the Southern California Coast Steelhead DPS. Policy
changes at the Federal, state and local levels will likely be necessary
to implement many of the recovery actions identified in this Recovery
Plan. For example, without
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substantial strides in water conservation throughout southern
California, flow conditions for anadromous salmonids will limit
recovery. Similarly, recovery is unlikely without programs to restore
properly functioning historic habitat such as estuaries, and access to
upstream spawning and rearing habitat.
Although the recovery of this species is expected to be a long
process, the TRT recommended certain actions that should be implemented
as soon as possible to help guide the recovery process for the Southern
California Steelhead DPS (Boughton et al. 2007). Additional and more
specific recovery actions to address specific threat sources in
individual watersheds are discussed in the text.
Implementation and Cost Estimates
Implementation of this Recovery Plan by NMFS will take many forms.
To achieve recovery, NMFS will need to promote the Recovery Plan and
provide needed technical information and assistance to other entities
responsible for actions that may impact the species' recovery. NMFS
should work with key partners on planning and implementation of all
high priority recovery actions. Additionally it will be important to
work with local governments to ensure that protective measures
consistent with recovery objectives are included in their general plans
and local coastal plans. NMFS should also work with state and Federal
regional entities on Regional Water Control Board Basin Plans and U.S.
Forest Service Plans.
An implementation schedule describing time frames and costs
associated with individual recovery actions is under development.
Estimating total cost to recovery is much more challenging, if not
impossible to estimate for a variety of reasons. These include the
large geographic extent of the DPS; the need to refine recovery
criteria; the need to complete watershed-specific investigations such
as barrier inventories and assessments; the establishment of flow
regimes for individual watersheds; and the review and possible
modification of a variety of exiting land-use and water management
plans (including waste discharge requirements) under a variety of
local, state, and federal jurisdictions. Additionally, the biological
response of many of the recovery actions is uncertain, and achieving
full recovery will be a long-term effort likely requiring decades, and
addressing new stressors that emerge over time. In some instances,
however, NMFS is able to estimate the costs associated with certain
common restoration activities such as those undertaken as part of the
California Department of Fish and Game Fisheries Restoration Grants
Program. An appendix to the Plan contains estimates for these
categories of typical watershed restoration actions.
The criteria and recovery actions identified in this Recovery Plan
provide a comprehensive road-map for recovery and are consistent with
many ongoing activities intended to protect and or restore ecosystem
functions in southern California watersheds. As a result, many of these
recovery actions will be undertaken by local, state and Federal
agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations and other private
entities as a part of their local ecosystem protection efforts. Also,
the wide variety of threats to steelhead provide for a variety of
potential funding sources available to develop and implement these
recovery actions, often as part of other ongoing natural resource
restoration, management, and mitigation programs.
Public Comments Solicited
NMFS solicits written comments on the Draft Plan. All comments
received by the date specified above will be considered prior to NMFS'
decision whether to approve the Plan. NMFS seeks comments particularly
in the following areas: (1) the analysis of limiting factors and
threats; (2) the recovery objectives, strategies, and actions; (3) the
criteria for removing the DPS from the Federal list of endangered and
threatened wildlife and plants; and (4) estimates of time and cost to
implement recovery actions. NMFS will also hold public meetings to
provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about the Draft
Plan, ask questions of NMFS staff, and submit oral or written comments
on the Draft Plan.
Public Meetings
NMFS will hold public meetings on the dates and at locations as
follows:
-August 25, 2009, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carlsbad Fish and
Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden Valley Road., Carlsbad, CA 92011.
-September 1, 2009, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fess Parker's Double
Tree Resort, 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard , Santa Barbara, CA 93103.
These meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to learn
more about the Proposed Plan, ask questions of NMFS staff, and submit
oral or written comments on the Proposed Plan.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: July 15, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-17284 Filed 7-22-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S