[Federal Register: July 1, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 126)]
[Notices]
[Page 39066-39067]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01jy03-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 052803B]
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 and request for comment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) has submitted a Fisheries Management and Evaluation
Plan (FMEP) pursuant to the protective regulations promulgated for
Middle Columbia River (MCR) steelhead and Lower Columbia River (LCR)
chinook salmon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The FMEP
specifies the future management of inland recreational fisheries
potentially affecting the MCR steelhead and LCR
[[Page 39067]]
chinook salmon. This document serves to notify the public of the
availability of the FMEP for review and comment before a final approval
or disapproval is made by NMFS.
DATES: Written comments on the draft FMEPs must be received at the
appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m.
Pacific daylight time on July 31, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the draft FMEP
should be addressed to Richard Turner, Salmon Recovery Division,
Propagation, Tributary Fisheries, and Recovery Branch, 525 N.E. Oregon
Street, Suite 510, Portland, OR 97232 or faxed to (503) 872-2737. The
documents are also available on the Internet at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/.
Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-
mail or the Internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Turner, Portland, OR, at phone
number (503) 736-4737, or e-mail: rich.turner@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is relevant to the Middle
Columbia River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Lower Columbia River
chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU).
Background
WDFW has submitted to NMFS an FMEP (Mid-Columbia Region) for inland
recreational fisheries potentially affecting listed adult and juvenile
MCR steelhead and LCR chinook salmon. These include fisheries occurring
in the Little White Salmon, White Salmon, Klickitat, Walla Walla, and
Yakima Rivers. The objective of the FMEP is to harvest known hatchery-
origin steelhead and salmon and other fish species in a manner that
does not jeopardize the survival and recovery of the MCR steelhead and
the LCR chinook salmon ESUs. All fisheries included in the FMEP will be
managed such that the retention of adult steelhead that are not
externally marked (i.e., do not have the adipose fin clipped) will be
prohibited. Only hatchery-origin steelhead that are adipose-fin clipped
may be retained. Tule fall chinook from the LCR chinook salmon ESU will
also be harvested in tributary recreational fisheries. Impact levels to
listed MCR steelhead and LCR chinook salmon are specified in the FMEP.
Population viability analysis and risk assessments in the FMEP indicate
the extinction risk for listed steelhead and salmon under the proposed
fishery impact levels to be low. A variety of monitoring and evaluation
tasks are specified in the FMEP to assess the abundance of steelhead
and salmon, determine fishery effort and catch of steelhead and salmon,
and angler compliance. A review of compliance with the provisions of
the FMEP will be conducted by WDFW annually and a comprehensive review
to evaluate the effectiveness of the FMEP will occur at a minimum every
5 years.
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 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 will not apply to activities associated with
fishery harvest provided that those fisheries are managed in accordance
with an FMEP that has been approved by NMFS and implemented in
accordance with a letter of concurrence from NMFS.
As specified in Sec. 223.203 (b)(4) of the ESA 4(d) rule, NMFS may
approve an FMEP if it meets criteria set forth in Sec. 223.203
(b)(4)(i)(A) through (I). Prior to final approval of an FMEP, NMFS must
publish notification announcing its availability for public review and
comment.
Dated: June 23, 2003.
Phil Williams,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-16569 Filed 6-30-03; 8:45 am]
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