[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43188-43190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15665]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE700
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of final determination and discussion of underlying
biological analysis.
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SUMMARY: NMFS has evaluated three Resource Management Plans (RMPs)
submitted to NMFS pursuant to the limitation on take prohibitions for
actions conducted under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and
steelhead promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The RMPs
specify the propagation of three species of salmon in the Dungeness
River watershed of Washington State. This document serves to notify the
public that NMFS, by delegated authority from the Secretary of
Commerce, has
[[Page 43189]]
determined pursuant to Limit 6 of the ESA 4(d) Rule for salmon and
steelhead that implementing and enforcing the plans will not
appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of the Puget
Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound steelhead.
DATES: The final determination on the take limit was made on June 10,
2016.
ADDRESSES: Written responses to the determination should be sent to
NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division, 510 Desmond Dr., Suite 103, Lacey,
WA 98503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Tynan at (360) 753-9579 or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Threatened, Puget Sound,
naturally produced and artificially propagated.
Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened, Puget Sound, naturally produced
and artificially propagated.
Chum salmon (O. keta): Threatened, naturally produced and
artificially propagated Hood Canal summer-run.
Background
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe have submitted to NMFS RMPs for three jointly
operated hatchery programs in the Dungeness River basin. The plans were
submitted in January 2013, pursuant to limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for the
listed Puget Sound Chinook Salmon evolutionarily significant unit (ESU)
and listed Puget Sound Steelhead distinct population segment (DPS). The
plans reflect refinements of existing plans provided previously and
evaluated pursuant to the 4(d) Rule. The hatchery programs release ESA-
listed Chinook salmon and non-listed coho and fall-run pink salmon into
the Dungeness River watershed. All three programs release fish native
to the Dungeness River basin. All of the programs are currently
operating.
As required by Sec. 223.203(b)(6) of the ESA 4(d) rule, NMFS must
determine pursuant to 50 CFR 223.209 and pursuant to the government-to-
government processes therein whether the three plans for Dungeness
River salmon hatchery programs would appreciably reduce the likelihood
of survival and recovery of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU or Puget
Sound Steelhead DPS. NMFS must take comments on how the plans address
the criteria in Sec. 223.203(b)(5) in making that determination.
Discussion of the Biological Analysis Underlying the Determination
The hatchery activities described in the three RMPs are intended to
conserve native, listed Dungeness River Chinook salmon and non-listed
fall-run pink salmon populations, and provide coho salmon for harvest
in tribal and non-Indian fisheries in the basin. The Chinook and pink
salmon programs are designed to preserve, and bolster the natural
spawning abundance of, the native Dungeness River populations of the
species. The Chinook salmon stock released through the Dungeness River
Hatchery Spring Chinook salmon program is included as part of the
listed Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU. The Dungeness River Hatchery
spring Chinook program would assist in the recovery of the listed
native Dungeness Chinook salmon population. The coho salmon program is
operated for harvest augmentation purposes, using broodstock derived
from the native, non-listed Dungeness River coho salmon population.
The three programs would be operated in such a way as to minimize
potential risks to listed natural-origin Dungeness River Chinook
salmon, summer chum salmon, and steelhead populations, including
interactions between hatchery and natural fish that may lead to adverse
genetic effects and competition and predation. The proposed hatchery
programs are consistent with the Dungeness River chapter of the Shared
Strategy for Puget Sound (SSPS 2005; Ruckelshaus et al. 2005) and the
Hood Canal Summer Chum Plan (HCCC 2005). These recovery plans were
approved by NMFS to protect and restore listed Chinook and summer chum
salmon populations across their range in Puget Sound (NMFS 2006; NMFS
2007).
As part of the proposed hatchery programs, monitoring and
evaluation would be implemented to assess their performance in meeting
population conservation or harvest augmentation objectives, and their
effects on ESA-listed natural-origin Chinook salmon, summer chum
salmon, and steelhead. Information gained through monitoring and
evaluation will be used to assess whether the impacts of the programs
on listed fish are as expected. Review of monitoring and evaluation
results by NMFS and the co-managers will occur annually to evaluate
whether assumptions regarding RMP effects and analysis remain valid,
and whether the objectives of the RMPs are being accomplished.
The RMPs include provisions for annual reports that will assess
compliance with performance standards established through the RMPs.
Reporting and inclusion of new information derived from RMP research,
monitoring, and evaluation activities provides assurance that
performance standards will be achieved in future seasons. NMFS'
evaluation is available on the West Coast Region Web site at http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov.
Summary of Comments Received in Response to the Proposed Evaluation and
Pending Determination
NMFS published notice of its proposed evaluation and pending
determination on the plans for public review and comment on February
20, 2015 (80 FR 9260). The proposed evaluation and pending
determination and an associated draft environmental assessment were
available for public review and comment for 30 days.
During the public comment period, NMFS received two comment letters
on the draft environmental assessment. None of the comments raised
issues that required substantive modification of the environmental
assessment. The comments and NMFS' detailed responses are available on
the West Coast Region Web site, as an appendix to the environmental
assessment. Based on its evaluation and recommended determination and
taking into account the public comments, NMFS issued its final
determination on the Dungeness River salmon hatchery plans.
Authority
Under section 4 of the ESA, the Secretary of Commerce is required
to adopt such regulations as he deems necessary and advisable for the
conservation of species listed as threatened. The ESA salmon and
steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000) specifies categories
of activities that contribute to the conservation of listed salmonids
and sets out the criteria for such activities. The rule further
provides that the prohibitions of paragraph (a) of the rule do not
apply to actions undertaken in compliance with a RMP developed jointly
by a state and a tribe and determined by NMFS to be in accordance with
the salmon and steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000).
[[Page 43190]]
Dated: June 28, 2016.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-15665 Filed 6-30-16; 8:45 am]
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