Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish, 27017-27019 [2011-11449]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 90 / Tuesday, May 10, 2011 / Notices Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received two scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon. The proposed research would increase knowledge of species listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and help guide management and conservation efforts. 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 9, 2011. 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 nmfs.nwr.apps@noaa.gov. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/ preview_open_for_comment.cfm. Permit application instructions are available from the address above, or online at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, Portland, OR, ph.: 503– 231–2005, fax: 503–230–5441, e-mail: Garth.Griffin@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Species Covered in This Notice The following listed species are covered in this notice: Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Threatened upper Willamette River (UWR); threatened lower Columbia River (LCR). Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened UWR, threatened LCR. Chum salmon (O. nerka): Threatened Columbia River CR. Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened LCR. 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 VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:02 May 09, 2011 Jkt 223001 appropriate (see ADDRESSES). Such hearings are held at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS. Applications Received Permit 15611 The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking a 5year permit to take adult LCR Chinook salmon, LCR steelhead, LCR coho salmon, and CR chum salmon while operating a fish collection facility on the North Fork Toutle River in Washington State. The fish collection facility is located at river mile 47.5, approximately 1.3 miles downstream from the Mount St. Helens Sediment Retention Structure. The purpose of the project is to trap and haul salmon and steelhead around the sediment retention structure. The WDFW would also collect scientific information and tag a portion of the fish to monitor migration patterns and spawning success. The activities’ primary benefit would be to allow listed salmon and steelhead to spawn in historically accessible habitat upstream of the sediment retention structure. Also, researchers would collect information that would increase our understanding of the various species’ spawning habits. The WDFW proposes to operate the trap several days a week during the species’ upstream migration. Captured fish would be transported in a tanker truck and released upstream of the sediment retention structure. The WDFW does not intend to kill any fish being captured but some may die as an unintentional result of the activities. Permit 16290 The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is seeking a 5-year permit to take listed salmonids while conducting research on the Oregon chub. The purpose of the research is to study the distribution, abundance, and factors limiting the recovery of Oregon chub. The ODFW would capture, handle, and release juvenile UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, LCR Chinook salmon, LCR steelhead, LCR coho salmon, and CR chum salmon while conducting the research. The Oregon chub is endemic to the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the habitats it depends on are also important to salmonids. Research on the Oregon chub would benefit listed salmonids by helping managers recover habitats the species share. The ODFW would use boat electrofishing equipment, minnow traps, beach seines, dip nets, hoop nets, and fyke nets to capture juvenile fish. Researchers would avoid contact with adult fish. If listed PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 27017 salmonids are captured during the research they would be released immediately. The researchers do not expect to kill any listed salmonids but a small number may die as an unintended result of the research activities. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit decisions 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 5, 2011. Angela Somma, Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2011–11451 Filed 5–9–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XA419 Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Applications for one new scientific research permit and four research permit renewals. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received five scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, the southern Distinct Population Segment of eulachon, and Puget Sound/Georgia Basin rockfish. 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. 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 9, 2011. 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– SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\10MYN1.SGM 10MYN1 27018 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 90 / Tuesday, May 10, 2011 / Notices 5441 or by e-mail to nmfs.nwr.apps@noaa.gov. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/ preview_open_for_comment.cfm. Permit application instructions are available from the address above, or online at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, Portland, OR, ph.: 503– 231–2005, Fax: 503–230–5441, e-mail: Garth.Griffin@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Species Covered in This Notice The following listed species are covered in this notice: Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened Puget Sound (PS). Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened PS. Chum salmon (O. nerka): Hood Canal (HC) summer-run. Rockfish: Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/GB) bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis); PS/GB canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger), and PS/GB yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus). Eulachon: the southern Distinct Populations Segment (DPS) of pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). 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. jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES Applications Received Permit 1564–4R The University of Washington (UW) is seeking to renew for five years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The research is designed to monitor the success of habitat restoration projects in the Duwamish River estuary, the VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:02 May 09, 2011 Jkt 223001 Snohomish River estuary, and Shilshole Bay, Washington. The goal of these projects is to understand changes in population characteristics among Chinook salmon in response to estuarine habitat restoration actions. The habitat restoration work would be conducted by several entities, but primarily by the Port of Seattle and the City of Seattle. The habitat restoration projects are designed to improve habitats that Chinook salmon use for rearing and migration. Monitoring the restoration sites will help determine the projects’ effectiveness and thereby guide future restoration projects for the benefit of listed salmonids in the area. The UW proposes to capture fish using enclosure nets and beach seines. The captured fish would be held in buckets with aerators and juvenile Chinook salmon would be checked for external marks and internal coded-wire tags, measured, and released. Some individuals would have their stomach contents sampled via nonlethal gastric lavage. The UW does not propose to kill any fish being captured but some may die as an unintentional result of the activities. Permit 1585–3R The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking to renew for five years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon, HC summer-run chum salmon, and PS steelhead. The work would be carried out in the central Puget Sound Basin and would include surveys in many tributaries to the Sound from the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges in Mason, Kitsap, King, Pierce, Thurston, Snohomish, and Lewis Counties, Washington. The purpose of the research is to determine fish presence or absence in streams greater than two feet in width between ordinary high water marks and with gradients of less than 20 percent. The information gathered would be used to determine salmonid presence and distribution and thereby inform land management decisions on DNR holdings. The DNR would use the information on fishbearing streams to benefit the species by removing existing human-made fish barriers or possibly replacing them with structures that fish can pass over or through. They would annually use backpack electrofishing equipment to capture fish from several streams in the counties listed above. The captured fish would be identified and released back to the pools from which they came. In some cases, the researchers may not actually capture any fish, but merely to note their presence instead. The DNR does not propose to kill any of the fish PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 being captured, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities. Permit 1586–3R The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is seeking to renew for five years a research permit that currently allows them to take PS Chinook salmon, HC summer-run chum salmon, PS steelhead, and PS/GB bocaccio. The NWFSC research may also cause them to take the following species for which there are currently no ESA take prohibitions: The southern Distinct Population Segment of Pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), PS/ GB canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger), and PS/GB yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus). The research is designed to determine how wild, juvenile PS Chinook salmon use nearshore habitats in the various oceanographic basins of Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and the San Juan Islands. The study’s additional goals are to define what life history strategies are present in these areas and identify their residence time, distribution, movement, timing, diet, health, age, and origin. This research would benefit the listed species by helping managers develop protection and restoration strategies and monitor the effects of recovery actions. The NMFSC would capture fish on a monthly basis using a variety of sampling gear (primarily beach seines and surface trawls), temporarily hold fish in live-wells, mesh pens, aerated buckets (or in the bag of the net). The captured fish would be anesthetized, measured, weighed, checked for tags, marks, and fin clips, allowed to recover from anesthesia, and released. A small portion of the captured juvenile PS Chinook would be killed for whole body analysis, but most are not intended to be sacrificed. Any fish unintentionally killed during the research would be used in place of a fish that would otherwise be sacrificed. Permit 1587–4R The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking to renew for five years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The work would take place in the northern Puget Sound (San Juan Island and Samish Bay), the Whidbey Basin (Skagit Bay), the southern Puget Sound (Nisqually Delta), Admiralty Inlet (including Foulweather Bluff), and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. The research would be divided into two projects: (1) Restoration of Puget Sound deltas and (2) effects of urbanization on nearshore ecosystems. The studies’ goals are to E:\FR\FM\10MYN1.SGM 10MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 90 / Tuesday, May 10, 2011 / Notices jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES understand large river delta ecosystems and the physio-chemical processes associated with altering nearshore habitats, e.g., trophic web effects, plant and animal community dynamics, and forage fish population fluctuations. The USGS would sample once per month in each area from April through September, but extra sampling (1–8 days per quarter) may sometimes be needed. Lampara nets would be the primary capture method, but beach seines, dip nets, gill nets, and angling may also be used. The researchers would identify, weigh, and measure any captured fish. All captured salmonids would immediately be processed and released near their capture location. Forage fish would be counted, measured, weighed, and some may be sacrificed for otoliths, genetics, and fish health assays. All sampling plans would be reviewed and approved by the USGS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before being implemented. The researchers do not propose to kill any of the listed salmonids being captured, but a small number may die as an unintended result of the activities. Permit 16302 The UW is seeking a 3-year research permit to annually take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The UW would conduct fish surveys along the Elliott Bay seawall between piers 48 and 70, with reference sites in other parts of Elliott Bay. The purpose of the survey is to determine fish presence, use, and behavior in the Elliot Bay seawall reconstruction project area. It would also help establish preconstruction baseline conditions for the Elliott Bay seawall project and support the development of the project’s environmental impact statement and other supporting environmental documentation. The fieldwork would continue for at least 18 months, with sampling every month. The work would benefit the fish by helping managers minimize or mitigate any impact the seawall project may have on them as it goes forward. The UW would capture fish using purse seines and beach seines. The majority (75%) of the juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead would be counted, checked for external marks and internal coded-wire tags, measured, and released. The other 25% of the captured juvenile Chinook and steelhead would have their stomach contents sampled before being released. The UW does not propose to kill any fish being captured but some may die as an unintentional result of the activities. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS will evaluate the applications, associated VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:02 May 09, 2011 Jkt 223001 documents, and comments submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit decisions 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 5, 2011. Angela Somma, Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2011–11449 Filed 5–9–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XA422 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. AGENCY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (Council) Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Monitoring Committee will hold a public meeting. DATES: The meeting will be held on May 27, 2011 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar with a listening station also available at the Council address below. Webinar registration: https:// www1.gotomeeting.com/register/ 406935464. Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 526–5255. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The primary purpose of the meeting is to develop recommendations for the Council regarding the management of Atlantic mackerel, butterfish, Loligo and Illex Squids for 2012, including annual catch limits, annual catch targets, and accountability measures. SUMMARY: Special Accommodations The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 27019 auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Saunders at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office, (302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Dated: May 5, 2011. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2011–11324 Filed 5–9–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Interagency Ocean Observation Committee, Meeting of the Data Management and Communications Steering Team National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of open meeting. AGENCY: NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program publishes this notice on behalf of the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC) to announce a formal meeting of the IOOC’s Data Management and Communications Steering Team (DMAC–ST). The DMAC–ST membership is comprised of IOOCapproved federal agency representatives who will discuss issues outlined in the agenda. DATES: The meeting is scheduled for May 11, 2011, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and May 12, 2011 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be broadcast via a conference telephone call. Public access is available at 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver Spring, MD 20910. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this notice, please contact the U.S. IOOS Program (Samuel Walker, 301–427–2450, sam.walker@noaa.gov) or the IOOC Support Office (Joshua Young, 202– 787–1622, jyoung@oceanleadership.org). SUMMARY: The IOOC was established by Congress under the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 and created under the National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC). The DMAC–ST was subsequently chartered by the IOOC in December 2010 to assist with technical guidance with respect to the management of ocean data collected under the U.S. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\10MYN1.SGM 10MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27017-27019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11449]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA419


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Applications for one new scientific research permit and four 
research permit renewals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received five scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, the 
southern Distinct Population Segment of eulachon, and Puget Sound/
Georgia Basin rockfish. 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.

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 9, 2011.

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-

[[Page 27018]]

5441 or by e-mail to nmfs.nwr.apps@noaa.gov. The applications may be 
viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm. Permit application instructions are available from 
the address above, or online at https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Garth Griffin, Portland, OR, ph.: 503-
231-2005, Fax: 503-230-5441, e-mail: Garth.Griffin@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following listed species are covered in this notice:
    Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened Puget Sound 
(PS).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened PS.
    Chum salmon (O. nerka): Hood Canal (HC) summer-run.
    Rockfish: Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/GB) bocaccio (Sebastes 
paucispinis); PS/GB canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger), and PS/GB 
yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus).
    Eulachon: the southern Distinct Populations Segment (DPS) of 
pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus).

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 1564-4R

    The University of Washington (UW) is seeking to renew for five 
years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile PS 
Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The research is designed to monitor 
the success of habitat restoration projects in the Duwamish River 
estuary, the Snohomish River estuary, and Shilshole Bay, Washington. 
The goal of these projects is to understand changes in population 
characteristics among Chinook salmon in response to estuarine habitat 
restoration actions. The habitat restoration work would be conducted by 
several entities, but primarily by the Port of Seattle and the City of 
Seattle. The habitat restoration projects are designed to improve 
habitats that Chinook salmon use for rearing and migration. Monitoring 
the restoration sites will help determine the projects' effectiveness 
and thereby guide future restoration projects for the benefit of listed 
salmonids in the area. The UW proposes to capture fish using enclosure 
nets and beach seines. The captured fish would be held in buckets with 
aerators and juvenile Chinook salmon would be checked for external 
marks and internal coded-wire tags, measured, and released. Some 
individuals would have their stomach contents sampled via non-lethal 
gastric lavage. The UW does not propose to kill any fish being captured 
but some may die as an unintentional result of the activities.

Permit 1585-3R

    The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is 
seeking to renew for five years a research permit that currently allows 
them to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon, HC summer-run chum salmon, and 
PS steelhead. The work would be carried out in the central Puget Sound 
Basin and would include surveys in many tributaries to the Sound from 
the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges in Mason, Kitsap, King, Pierce, 
Thurston, Snohomish, and Lewis Counties, Washington. The purpose of the 
research is to determine fish presence or absence in streams greater 
than two feet in width between ordinary high water marks and with 
gradients of less than 20 percent. The information gathered would be 
used to determine salmonid presence and distribution and thereby inform 
land management decisions on DNR holdings. The DNR would use the 
information on fish-bearing streams to benefit the species by removing 
existing human-made fish barriers or possibly replacing them with 
structures that fish can pass over or through. They would annually use 
backpack electrofishing equipment to capture fish from several streams 
in the counties listed above. The captured fish would be identified and 
released back to the pools from which they came. In some cases, the 
researchers may not actually capture any fish, but merely to note their 
presence instead. The DNR does not propose to kill any of the fish 
being captured, but a small number may die as an unintended result of 
the activities.

Permit 1586-3R

    The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is seeking to renew 
for five years a research permit that currently allows them to take PS 
Chinook salmon, HC summer-run chum salmon, PS steelhead, and PS/GB 
bocaccio. The NWFSC research may also cause them to take the following 
species for which there are currently no ESA take prohibitions: The 
southern Distinct Population Segment of Pacific eulachon (Thaleichthys 
pacificus), PS/GB canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger), and PS/GB 
yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus). The research is designed to 
determine how wild, juvenile PS Chinook salmon use nearshore habitats 
in the various oceanographic basins of Puget Sound, the Straits of Juan 
de Fuca, and the San Juan Islands. The study's additional goals are to 
define what life history strategies are present in these areas and 
identify their residence time, distribution, movement, timing, diet, 
health, age, and origin. This research would benefit the listed species 
by helping managers develop protection and restoration strategies and 
monitor the effects of recovery actions. The NMFSC would capture fish 
on a monthly basis using a variety of sampling gear (primarily beach 
seines and surface trawls), temporarily hold fish in live-wells, mesh 
pens, aerated buckets (or in the bag of the net). The captured fish 
would be anesthetized, measured, weighed, checked for tags, marks, and 
fin clips, allowed to recover from anesthesia, and released. A small 
portion of the captured juvenile PS Chinook would be killed for whole 
body analysis, but most are not intended to be sacrificed. Any fish 
unintentionally killed during the research would be used in place of a 
fish that would otherwise be sacrificed.

Permit 1587-4R

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking to renew for five 
years a research permit that currently allows them to take juvenile PS 
Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The work would take place in the 
northern Puget Sound (San Juan Island and Samish Bay), the Whidbey 
Basin (Skagit Bay), the southern Puget Sound (Nisqually Delta), 
Admiralty Inlet (including Foulweather Bluff), and the Strait of San 
Juan de Fuca. The research would be divided into two projects: (1) 
Restoration of Puget Sound deltas and (2) effects of urbanization on 
nearshore ecosystems. The studies' goals are to

[[Page 27019]]

understand large river delta ecosystems and the physio-chemical 
processes associated with altering nearshore habitats, e.g., trophic 
web effects, plant and animal community dynamics, and forage fish 
population fluctuations. The USGS would sample once per month in each 
area from April through September, but extra sampling (1-8 days per 
quarter) may sometimes be needed. Lampara nets would be the primary 
capture method, but beach seines, dip nets, gill nets, and angling may 
also be used. The researchers would identify, weigh, and measure any 
captured fish. All captured salmonids would immediately be processed 
and released near their capture location. Forage fish would be counted, 
measured, weighed, and some may be sacrificed for otoliths, genetics, 
and fish health assays. All sampling plans would be reviewed and 
approved by the USGS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before 
being implemented. The researchers do not propose to kill any of the 
listed salmonids being captured, but a small number may die as an 
unintended result of the activities.

Permit 16302

    The UW is seeking a 3-year research permit to annually take 
juvenile PS Chinook salmon and PS steelhead. The UW would conduct fish 
surveys along the Elliott Bay seawall between piers 48 and 70, with 
reference sites in other parts of Elliott Bay. The purpose of the 
survey is to determine fish presence, use, and behavior in the Elliot 
Bay seawall reconstruction project area. It would also help establish 
pre-construction baseline conditions for the Elliott Bay seawall 
project and support the development of the project's environmental 
impact statement and other supporting environmental documentation. The 
fieldwork would continue for at least 18 months, with sampling every 
month. The work would benefit the fish by helping managers minimize or 
mitigate any impact the seawall project may have on them as it goes 
forward. The UW would capture fish using purse seines and beach seines. 
The majority (75%) of the juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead would 
be counted, checked for external marks and internal coded-wire tags, 
measured, and released. The other 25% of the captured juvenile Chinook 
and steelhead would have their stomach contents sampled before being 
released. The UW does not propose to kill any fish being captured but 
some may die as an unintentional result of the activities.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA. NMFS 
will evaluate the applications, associated documents, and comments 
submitted to determine whether the applications meet the requirements 
of section 10(a) of the ESA and Federal regulations. The final permit 
decisions 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 5, 2011.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-11449 Filed 5-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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