Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish, 13146-13148 [2025-04799]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13146-13148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04799]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE728]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications for two permit renewals, two 
permit modifications, and five new permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received nine scientific 
research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, 
steelhead, green sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. The proposed 
research is intended to increase knowledge of species listed under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to help guide management and 
conservation efforts. The applications may be viewed online at: https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/preview_open_for_comment.cfm.

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see 
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on April 21, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: All written comments on the applications should be sent by 
email to [email protected]. Please include the permit number in 
the subject line of the email.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rob Clapp, Portland, OR (ph.: 503-231-
2314), Fax: 503-230-5441, email: [email protected]). Permit 
application instructions are available from the address above, or 
online at https://apps.nmfs.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); threatened Snake River (SnkR) fall-run; threatened SnkR spring/
summer-run (spr/sum); endangered Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring-run; 
threatened Upper Willamette River (UWR); threatened Lower Columbia 
River (LCR); threatened California Coastal (CC); threatened Central 
Valley spring-run (CVS).
    Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened Middle Columbia River (MCR); 
threatened PS; threatened SnkR; threatened UCR; threatened UWR; 
threatened Northern California (NC); threatened LCR; threatened 
California Central Valley (CCV).
    Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened Hood Canal summer-run (HCS); 
threatened Columbia River (CR).
    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): threatened Oregon Coast (OC); threatened 
LCR; southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC).
    Sockeye salmon (O. nerka): Endangered SnkR; threatened Ozette Lake 
(OL).
    Eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus): Threatened southern Distinct 
Population Segment (SDPS).
    Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris): Threatened SDPS.
    Rockfish (Sebastes spp.): Endangered Puget Sound/Georgia Basin (PS/
GB) boccacio (Sebastes paucispinis); threatened PS/GB Yelloweye 
rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus).

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 1336-10M

    Port Blakely Tree Farms (PBTF) is seeking to modify a permit that 
would authorize them to continue taking juvenile OC and LCR coho 
salmon; LCR, UWR, and PS Chinook salmon; LCR, PS, and UWR steelhead; 
and CR chum salmon in order to evaluate factors limiting fish 
distribution and water quality in streams owned by PBTF. This

[[Page 13147]]

activity will occur in the lower Columbia River and Puget Sound basins. 
PBTF is seeking to modify the permit by adding several locations where 
Port Blakely has recently acquired timberlands, and thus electrofishing 
may be required to determine stream typing before any forest management 
activities. Under the modification, they would also increase requested 
take for UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, LCR coho salmon, and OC 
coho salmon.
    Juveniles would be collected via backpack electrofishing, handled 
for identification, and released. The fish would be released back to 
their capture sites. The goal of the project is to determine the 
physical characteristics of uppermost fish habitats and quantify 
conditions that limit their distribution on lands owned in Washington 
and Oregon. The work is expected to benefit listed species by producing 
data to be used in conserving and restoring critical habitat. The 
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being 
taken, but a small number may be killed as an inadvertent result of 
these activities.

Permit 18696-6R

    Idaho Power is seeking to renew a five-year permit that currently 
allows them to annually capture juvenile and adult SnkR fall-run 
Chinook salmon, SnkR spr/sum Chinook salmon, SnkR steelhead, and SnkR 
sockeye salmon while studying bull trout and juvenile white sturgeon in 
and near Lower Granite Reservoir on the Snake River. The action would 
continue to take place from the confluence of the Snake and Grande 
Ronde Rivers up to the first of the Hells Canyon Complex of dams.
    The researchers would use small-mesh gill nets, D-ring plankton 
nets, benthic otter trawls, and hook-and-line angling to capture the 
fish. The gill net fishing would take place at times (October and 
November) and in areas (the bottom of the reservoir) that have 
purposefully been chosen to have the least possible impact on listed 
fish. When the nets are pulled to the surface, listed species would 
immediately be released (including by cutting the net, if necessary) 
and allowed to return to the reservoir. D-ring fishing would take place 
in June and July, but the same restrictions (immediately releasing 
listed fish, etc.) would still apply. The same is true for the otter 
trawls that would take place solely in July and the angling that would 
be performed from December-March. The research targets species that are 
not listed, but it would benefit listed salmonids by generating 
information about the habitat conditions in the Snake River and by 
helping managers develop conservation plans for all the species that 
inhabit the area. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the 
fish they capture, but a small number of individuals may be killed as 
an inadvertent result of the activities.

Permit 20047-3R

    The University of Washington is seeking to renew a permit that 
would authorize them to continue to take annually juvenile PS Chinook 
salmon, PS steelhead, PS/GB DPS bocaccio, PS/GB DPS yelloweye rockfish, 
HCS chum salmon, and adult SDPS eulachon in order to study the fish 
communities associated with tidal flats (with and without seagrass) in 
Puget Sound and coastal Washington.
    Juvenile salmon, steelhead, rockfish, and adult eulachon would be 
collected via beach seine, handled (weighed, measured, and checked for 
marks or tags), and released. This study would fill current information 
gaps on how habitat structure impacts higher trophic levels in 
nearshore habitats in the Pacific Northwest. It would benefit ESA-
listed salmon and steelhead recovery by reducing the uncertainty around 
current ecosystem linkages that are used to select habitat sites to 
preserve and restore. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of 
the listed fish being captured, but a small number of fish may be 
killed as an inadvertent result of these activities.

Permit 28047-2M

    The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking to modify a 
five-year permit that currently allows them allow them to take juvenile 
LCR, UWR, PS, and CC Chinook salmon; CR and HCS chum salmon; LCR, PS, 
UWR, and NC steelhead; and LCR, OC, and SONCC coho. The fish are taken 
during efforts to determine the uppermost ranges of several species of 
fish in more than 20 subbasins in western Oregon and Washington and 
northern California. The USFWS is seeking to modify the permit by 
adding several basins, largely in eastern Oregon, and juveniles from 
several species: UCR chinook and steelhead, SnkR spr/sum and fall 
Chinook and steelhead, and MCR steelhead. Under the modification, they 
would also substantially reduce the amount of take they are permitted 
in western Oregon and Washington and would take no fish in California.
    The researchers would continue to use backpack electrofishing units 
to capture the fish. Once captured, all listed salmonids would simply 
be identified and immediately released. In all cases, the researchers 
would be operating near what is already considered to be the upper 
limit of salmonid trout distribution, so they are unlikely to encounter 
many listed fish in any case. Regardless, the researchers are not 
proposing to kill any of the listed fish being captured, but a small 
number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of these 
activities. The research would produce a large amount of presence/
absence data on listed fish and thus help managers plan and carry out 
land management actions across a broad portion of three states.

Permit 28265

    The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking a 
five-year permit that would authorize them to take juvenile and adult 
LCR Chinook salmon, PS Chinook salmon, LCR coho salmon, LCR steelhead, 
PS steelhead, UCR steelhead, MCR steelhead, and UCR spring-run Chinook 
salmon in order to understand the distribution, abundance, and 
population trends associated with inland freshwater fishes and 
shellfishes throughout Washington.
    Juvenile and adult fish would be collected via backpack-, boat-, or 
barge-mounted electrofishing units. All listed fish that are captured 
would be identified by species, allowed to recover, and immediately 
released back to the site of their capture. The goals of this study are 
to: (1) identify and quantify freshwater fish and shellfish 
distributions in Washington streams and rivers, (2) generate data that 
will inform multispecies occupancy models to understand the 
relationships between occupancy, habitat, and landscape metrics, (3) 
develop a statewide database, and (4) develop standardized monitoring 
methodologies. This work is expected to benefit listed species by 
providing standardized survey data that would inform conservation and 
management decisions throughout the state of Washington. The 
researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed fish being 
captured, but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent 
result of these activities.

Permit 28375

    The USFWS is seeking a five-year permit that would authorize them 
to take juvenile PS Chinook salmon and juvenile and adult PS steelhead 
in order to assess relative salmon predation vulnerability based on the 
presence of artificial light at night (ALAN) and to evaluate the 
attraction of predatory fishes to ALAN. This work will be conducted in 
Lake Washington in Washington State.
    Juvenile and adult fish would be collected via gill nets and 
angling, and

[[Page 13148]]

captured fish would be handled, measured, and have their stomach 
contents analyzed gastric lavage. Gill netting will likely result in 
the mortality of all fish captured, and the researchers are proposing 
to kill a small number of ESA-listed fish. Any listed fish found alive 
upon the retrieval of the nets will be removed quickly and released 
back into Lake Washington. The goal of this study is to understand the 
effects of ALAN on juvenile salmon behavior and its impacts on 
depredation success by non-native species in the Lake Washington 
system. This work is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and 
steelhead recovery by providing information on the impacts predation 
has on salmon, and that information, in turn, would be used to help 
future management actions account for and reduce those impacts.

Permit 28588

    The University of Idaho is seeking a five-year permit that would 
allow them to take SnkR spr/sum Chinook and steelhead while conducting 
a study on Chinook downstream migration timing and its effects on 
species productivity. The information would be used to bolster life-
cycle modeling for the species and monitor population status in a 
relatively pristine (and remote) watershed--Big Creek, a tributary to 
the Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho.
    The researchers would use backpack electrofishing units to capture 
the fish. Once captured, the fish would be anesthetized, tagged with 
passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, measured, allowed to 
recover, and released. The research would generate information on the 
species' migration strategies and thus help managers better design 
recovery strategies and land management plans. It would also generate 
baseline population information to help managers maintain an 
understanding of the species' status. The researchers are not proposing 
to kill any of the fish they capture, but a small number of individuals 
may be killed as an inadvertent result of the activities.

Permit 28615

    The Washington State Department of Ecology is seeking a 5-year 
permit that would authorize them to take juvenile LCR, SnkR Basin, MCR, 
UCR, and PS steelhead; LCR, SnkR fall-run, SnkR spr/sum, and UCR 
spring-run Chinook salmon; CR and HCS summer-run chum salmon, LCR coho 
salmon, and OL sockeye salmon in order to conduct watershed health 
monitoring that will provide data on the physical, biological, and 
chemical aspects of Washington's rivers and streams. This work is 
conducted throughout the state of Washington.
    Juvenile Chinook, chum, coho, sockeye, and steelhead would be 
collected via backpack electrofishing, handled (measured), and 
released. The goal of this work is to establish a sampling framework 
that provides a basis for the quantitative evaluation of the health of 
Washington's rivers and streams and can provide information on the 
status, trends, and limiting factors for Washington's fisheries. This 
work is expected to benefit ESA-listed salmon and steelhead by 
providing insights into species distribution and habitat quality across 
the state. The researchers are not proposing to kill any of the listed 
fish being taken, but a small number may be killed as an inadvertent 
result of these activities.

Permit 28772

    The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a 5-year 
permit that would authorize them to take juvenile and adult SDPS green 
sturgeon, juvenile CVS Chinook salmon, and CCV steelhead in order to 
assess spawning frequency and spatial and temporal distribution among 
green sturgeon, and to evaluate the extent to which Oroville Facilities 
operations influence sturgeon spawning and rearing through effects on 
flow, temperature, and habitat. This work will be conducted in the 
Feather River Basin, California.
    Juvenile and adult green sturgeon would be collected and observed 
via ARIS and DIDSON sonar cameras, video, side-scanning sonar, 
telemetry, hook and line sampling, artificial substrates, D-ring 
plankton nets, and otter trawls. A small number of green sturgeon eggs 
and larvae would be intentionally sacrificed for genotyping. This study 
would not target salmon or steelhead, so any CVS Chinook salmon, or CCV 
steelhead captured would be immediately released. Juvenile and adult 
green sturgeon would be captured, handled (anesthetized, weighed, 
measured, and checked for marks or tags), and released. A subsample of 
captured green sturgeon would also be tissue sampled and tagged (PIT, 
acoustic) prior to release. With the exception of the small number of 
eggs and larvae that would be intentionally killed, the researchers are 
not proposing to kill any of the juvenile or adult fish being captured, 
but a small number of fish may be killed as an inadvertent result of 
these activities.
    The goals of this study are to: (1) evaluate migration patterns 
including residence times and factors affecting them, (2) identify 
spatial and temporal distribution of all life stages, (3) estimate 
annual adult green sturgeon abundance, (4) investigate whether sturgeon 
spawn annually in the Feather River, and (5) identify habitat 
preferences for all life stages. This work is expected to benefit green 
sturgeon by providing information to inform management decisions 
concerning future monitoring programs, operational changes at the 
Oroville facilities, and habitat enhancement in the lower Feather 
River.
    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: March 17, 2025.
Lisa Manning,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04799 Filed 3-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P