Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish, 42362-42363 [2020-15141]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 135 / Tuesday, July 14, 2020 / Notices
four Hatchery and Genetic Management
Plans (HGMP) are available for public
comment on hatchery programs in the
Touchet River, Umatilla River,
Deschutes River, and Hood River
Basins. The HGMPs were submitted for
review and determination under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) 4(d)
Rule.
DATES: Comments must be received at
the appropriate address (see ADDRESSES)
no later than 5 p.m. Pacific time on
August 13, 2020. Comments received
after this date may not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Written responses should be
addressed to the NMFS Sustainable
Fisheries Division, 1201 NE Lloyd
Blvd., Portland, OR 97232. Comments
may be submitted by email. The
mailbox address for providing email
comments is:
Hatcheries.Public.Comment@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line of the email
comment the following identifier: MidColumbia Hatchery Comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich
Turner at (503) 736–4737 or by email at
rich.turner@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This
Notice
• Lower Columbia River Chinook
Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha):
Threatened, naturally and artificially
propagated
• Middle Columbia River Steelhead (O.
mykiss): Threatened, naturally and
artificially propagated
• Lower Columbia River Steelhead (O.
mykiss): Threatened, naturally and
artificially propagated
• Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon
(O. kisutch): Threatened, naturally
and artificially propagated
• Columbia River Chum Salmon (O.
keta): Threatened, naturally and
artificially propagated
Background
Section 9 of the ESA and Federal
regulations prohibit the ‘‘taking’’ of a
species listed as endangered or
threatened. The term ‘‘take’’ is defined
under the ESA to mean harass, harm,
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,
capture, or collect, or to attempt to
engage in any such conduct. NMFS may
make exceptions to the take prohibitions
in section 9 of the ESA for programs that
are approved by NMFS under the 4(d)
Rule (50 CFR 223.203(b)(6)).
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm
Springs Reservation Oregon and the
Oregon Department of Fish and Game
(ODFW) have submitted HGMPs for two
programs in the Hood River—spring
Chinook salmon and winter steelhead—
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17:58 Jul 13, 2020
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under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule; these
programs are funded by the Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA), and are
evaluated in the PEPD. The United
States Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) and the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
submitted the Touchet River Endemic
Summer Steelhead HGMP under Limit 5
of the 4(d) Rule. The ODFW submitted
the Umatilla River Summer Steelhead
HGMP, the Round Butte Hatchery
Spring Chinook Salmon, and the Round
Butte Hatchery Summer Steelhead
programs in the Deschutes River under
Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. The Umatilla
Hatchery program, as well as a small
proportion of the Round Butte Hatchery
programs, is funded by the BPA, with
the remainder of these programs funded
by Portland General Electric.
Prior to making a final determination
on the submitted plans, NMFS must
take comments on how the HGMPs
address the criteria in Limit 5 or Limit
6, as applicable, of the 4(d) Rule. NMFS
is also taking comments on the
evaluation in the draft EA of the effects
of NMFS’ pending decisions.
The submitted HGMPs describe the
hatchery programs along with the
associated monitoring and evaluation
activities. The programs integrate
natural-origin adult into the broodstock
to supplement natural salmon
populations (the exception is the Round
Butte Spring Chinook Salmon program
that only uses returning hatchery adults
for broodstock). The programs are
intended to provide fishing
opportunities for tribes and states,
mitigate for fish losses caused by the
construction and operation of the dams
on the Lower Snake River, mainstem
Columbia River and Deschutes River
and contribute to the survival and
recovery of Middle Columbia River and
Lower Columbia River steelhead, and
Lower Columbia River spring Chinook
salmon.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
742a et seq.
Dated: July 7, 2020.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office
of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA271]
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Take of Anadromous Fish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; of availability of a Final
Supplemental Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No
Significant Impact for the Wells
Summer Chinook Salmon Hatchery
Program for southern resident killer
whales.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
NMFS announces the availability of a
Final Supplemental Environmental
Assessment (FSEA) and Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) on the
Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife (WDFW) and Public Utility
District No. 1 of Douglas County’s
(Douglas PUD) Hatchery Genetic
Management Plan (HGMP), in
accordance with National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.). The HGMP specifies the release of
one million additional subyearling
summer Chinook salmon at the Wells
Hatchery. This notice provides
information on where to view the FSEA
and FONSI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Natasha Preston at (503) 231–2178 or by
email at natasha.preston@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This
Notice
• Upper Columbia River Spring-run
Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha):
Endangered, naturally produced and
artificially propagated in the Upper
Columbia River Basin
• Upper Columbia River Steelhead
(O. mykiss): Threatened, naturally
produced and artificially propagated in
the Upper Columbia River Basin.
• Southern Resident Killer Whales
(Orcinus orca): Endangered.
Background and Purpose
The HGMP submitted by WDFW and
Douglas PUD describes the release of
one million additional subyearling
summer Chinook salmon at the Wells
Hatchery. The HGMP was submitted to
NMFS for review under Endangered
Species Act (ESA) Limit 5 of the 4(d)
Rule. This production is in addition to
Douglas PUD’s existing production of
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 135 / Tuesday, July 14, 2020 / Notices
summer Chinook of 320,000 yearlings
and 484,000 subyearling Chinook at
Wells Hatchery. These two existing
programs are implemented under the
terms and conditions of ESA Section
10(a)(1)(B) Permit No. 23193. These
programs were evaluated in a 2019 Final
Environmental Assessment (FEA) for
ESA Section 4(d) Approval and Section
10(a)(1)(A) Permit Issuance for
Steelhead Hatchery Programs and
Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits Issuance for
Summer/Fall and Fall Chinook Salmon
Hatchery Programs in the Upper
Columbia River Basin. The HGMP
describes broodstock collection,
incubation, rearing, release, and
monitoring and evaluation.
The Proposed Action is for NMFS to
make an ESA determination under Limit
5 of the 4(d) Rule for WDFW and
Douglas PUD Wells Summer Chinook
Salmon Hatchery Program for Southern
Resident killer whales (SRKW).
Alternatives considered for the project
include:
• A ‘‘No Action Alternative’’ where
NMFS would not make a determination
under the ESA 4(d) Rule;
• A ‘‘Proposed Action Alterative’’
(Preferred Alternative) where NMFS
would make a determination that the
submitted HGMP meets the criteria of
Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule to produce up
to 1,000,000 Chinook salmon
subyearlings;
• A ‘‘Reduced Production
Alternative’’ where the hatchery
operators would submit a revised HGMP
proposing the production of 500,000
Chinook salmon smolts (i.e., a 50
percent reduction) and NMFS would
make a determination that the revised
HGMP meets the criteria of Limit 5 of
the 4(d) Rule; and
• A ‘‘No Production Alternative’’
where the proposed hatchery program
would not be implemented.
Based on the information examined
through the study of this project, the
NMFS has determined that a
Supplemental Environmental
Assessment is the appropriate level of
environmental documentation. The
NMFS has determined that there are no
significant impacts associated with the
project and has issued a FONSI.
This notice is being provided for
information purposes only, and as such,
there is no public comment period
associated with this notice. This notice
is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C.
552(a).
Summary of Comments Received in the
Response to the Hatchery and Genetic
Management Plan and the 2019 FEA
NMFS published notice of its HGMP
for public review and comment on
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January 7, 2020 (85 FR 704), as required
under ESA Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. The
HGMP was available for public review
and comment for 30 days. One set of
comments was received by one
individual during this public
commenting period. NMFS considered
this information as we reviewed the
HGMP. WDFW and Douglas PUD did
not make any changes to their HGMP,
based on these comments.
The 2019 FEA that precedes the FSEA
was also made available for a 30-day
public comment period upon notice of
availability in the Federal Register on
April 2, 2019 (84 FR 12594). We
received comments from two
commenters. The comments were nonsubstantive and did not offer
suggestions for improving the hatchery
programs nor did they provide any
supporting information or
documentation for their critiques. None
of the comments resulted in edits to the
FEA.
Viewing the FSEA and FONSI
To view the FSEA and FONSI, please
visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
west-coast/laws-and-policies/westcoast-hatchery-nepa-documents.
Authority
The FSEA and FONSI have been
prepared in accordance with NEPA (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40
CFR 1500–1508) and associated CEQ
guidelines: Department of Homeland
Security Directive 5100.1, National
Environmental Policy Act Implementing
Procedures and Policy for Considering
Environmental Impacts.
Dated: July 9, 2020.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office
of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–15141 Filed 7–13–20; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA269]
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to U.S. Navy Marine
Structure Maintenance and Pile
Replacement in Washington
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
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42363
Notice of issuance of Letters of
Authorization.
ACTION:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, and
implementing regulations, notification
is hereby given that two Letters of
Authorization (LOA) have been issued
to the U.S. Navy (Navy) for the take of
marine mammals incidental to
maintenance construction activities at
facilities in Washington.
DATES: The Letters of Authorization are
effective from July 16, 2020, through
January 15, 2021, and from July 16,
2020, through February 15, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The LOAs and supporting
documentation are available online at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
incidental-take-authorization-us-navymarine-structure-maintenance-and-pilereplacement-wa. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Laws, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
An authorization for incidental
takings shall be granted if NMFS finds
that the taking will have a negligible
impact on the species or stock(s), will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses (where
relevant), and if the permissible
methods of taking and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of such takings are set
forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible
impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact
resulting from the specified activity that
cannot be reasonably expected to, and is
not reasonably likely to, adversely affect
the species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of
pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i)
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42362-42363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15141]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA271]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; of availability of a Final Supplemental Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Wells Summer
Chinook Salmon Hatchery Program for southern resident killer whales.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS announces the availability of
a Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment (FSEA) and Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife (WDFW) and Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County's
(Douglas PUD) Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP), in accordance
with National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The HGMP specifies the release of one million
additional subyearling summer Chinook salmon at the Wells Hatchery.
This notice provides information on where to view the FSEA and FONSI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Natasha Preston at (503) 231-2178 or
by email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
Upper Columbia River Spring-run Chinook (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha): Endangered, naturally produced and artificially
propagated in the Upper Columbia River Basin
Upper Columbia River Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened,
naturally produced and artificially propagated in the Upper Columbia
River Basin.
Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca):
Endangered.
Background and Purpose
The HGMP submitted by WDFW and Douglas PUD describes the release of
one million additional subyearling summer Chinook salmon at the Wells
Hatchery. The HGMP was submitted to NMFS for review under Endangered
Species Act (ESA) Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule. This production is in
addition to Douglas PUD's existing production of
[[Page 42363]]
summer Chinook of 320,000 yearlings and 484,000 subyearling Chinook at
Wells Hatchery. These two existing programs are implemented under the
terms and conditions of ESA Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit No. 23193. These
programs were evaluated in a 2019 Final Environmental Assessment (FEA)
for ESA Section 4(d) Approval and Section 10(a)(1)(A) Permit Issuance
for Steelhead Hatchery Programs and Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits
Issuance for Summer/Fall and Fall Chinook Salmon Hatchery Programs in
the Upper Columbia River Basin. The HGMP describes broodstock
collection, incubation, rearing, release, and monitoring and
evaluation.
The Proposed Action is for NMFS to make an ESA determination under
Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule for WDFW and Douglas PUD Wells Summer Chinook
Salmon Hatchery Program for Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW).
Alternatives considered for the project include:
A ``No Action Alternative'' where NMFS would not make a
determination under the ESA 4(d) Rule;
A ``Proposed Action Alterative'' (Preferred Alternative)
where NMFS would make a determination that the submitted HGMP meets the
criteria of Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule to produce up to 1,000,000 Chinook
salmon subyearlings;
A ``Reduced Production Alternative'' where the hatchery
operators would submit a revised HGMP proposing the production of
500,000 Chinook salmon smolts (i.e., a 50 percent reduction) and NMFS
would make a determination that the revised HGMP meets the criteria of
Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule; and
A ``No Production Alternative'' where the proposed
hatchery program would not be implemented.
Based on the information examined through the study of this
project, the NMFS has determined that a Supplemental Environmental
Assessment is the appropriate level of environmental documentation. The
NMFS has determined that there are no significant impacts associated
with the project and has issued a FONSI.
This notice is being provided for information purposes only, and as
such, there is no public comment period associated with this notice.
This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).
Summary of Comments Received in the Response to the Hatchery and
Genetic Management Plan and the 2019 FEA
NMFS published notice of its HGMP for public review and comment on
January 7, 2020 (85 FR 704), as required under ESA Limit 5 of the 4(d)
Rule. The HGMP was available for public review and comment for 30 days.
One set of comments was received by one individual during this public
commenting period. NMFS considered this information as we reviewed the
HGMP. WDFW and Douglas PUD did not make any changes to their HGMP,
based on these comments.
The 2019 FEA that precedes the FSEA was also made available for a
30-day public comment period upon notice of availability in the Federal
Register on April 2, 2019 (84 FR 12594). We received comments from two
commenters. The comments were non-substantive and did not offer
suggestions for improving the hatchery programs nor did they provide
any supporting information or documentation for their critiques. None
of the comments resulted in edits to the FEA.
Viewing the FSEA and FONSI
To view the FSEA and FONSI, please visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/laws-and-policies/west-coast-hatchery-nepa-documents.
Authority
The FSEA and FONSI have been prepared in accordance with NEPA (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508) and associated CEQ
guidelines: Department of Homeland Security Directive 5100.1, National
Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures and Policy for
Considering Environmental Impacts.
Dated: July 9, 2020.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-15141 Filed 7-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
