[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)] [Notices] [Page 11845] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-6385] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [I.D. 030497C] Marine Mammals; California Sea Lion Foraging and Predation on Salmonids AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of an Environmental Assessment (EA) that examines the environmental consequences of preventing California sea lion foraging and predation on salmonids at the Willamette Falls in Oregon. The proposed non-lethal removal of nuisance marine mammals is authorized under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). DATES: Comments on the EA must be received by April 14, 1997. ADDRESSES: Comments on the EA should be addressed to William Stelle, Jr., Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. Copies of the EA may be obtained by writing to this address or by telephoning the contact listed below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Scordino, 206-526-6143. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 109(h)(1)(C) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) provides Federal, state, and local government officials with authority to take marine mammals in the course of their official duties. Under this authority NMFS and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) may non-lethally remove California sea lions to prevent them from preying on salmonids at the Willamette Falls fish passage facility in Oregon City, OR. NMFS has determined that California sea lions at the Willamette Falls are a ``nuisance'' because of the vulnerability of salmonids to predation at this location, and because Willamette Falls are 128 miles (205 km) from the lower Columbia River estuary where California sea lions normally occur. Since 1990, California sea lions have been observed in the lower Willamette River (between the falls and the confluence with the Columbia River) during the winter/spring months from February to May coinciding with the spawning migrations of spring chinook salmon and winter and summer steelhead, and the downstream migration of smolts. ODFW has documented sea lions foraging near the fishway entrances at the Willamette Falls fishway in each of the last 4 years and preying on adult spring chinook salmon and steelhead. In recent years, the spring chinook salmon and winter steelhead populations, which are the only native salmonid populations above the falls, have declined, raising concerns from the public about the potential effects of sea lions foraging on salmonids migrating through the fishway at the Willamette Falls. A preliminary assessment of this situation indicates that a few California sea lions are returning each year to the Falls and that the number of sea lions involved may be increasing. In response to concerns over the possible impacts of increasing predation on returning salmonids, NMFS and ODFW propose to implement a program of non-lethal removal measures to prevent sea lion predation at the Willamette Falls while continuing to monitor the resource conflict at this site. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that federal agencies conduct an environmental analysis of their actions to determine if the actions may affect the environment. Accordingly, NMFS jointly prepared with ODFW an EA that explores the environmental consequences of three alternatives: (1) No action; (2) Non-lethal removal of California sea lions (proposed action); and, (3) Lethal removal of sea lions foraging at Willamette Falls. The draft EA was prepared in accordance with NEPA and implementing regulations at 40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1508 and NOAA guidelines concerning implementation of NEPA found in NOAA Administrative Order 216-6. Dated: March 7, 1997. Hilda Diaz-Soltero, Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 97-6385 Filed 3-12-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F