[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29089-29090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-13433]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 051801D]
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 Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) has submitted a Fisheries Management and Evaluation
Plan (FMEP) pursuant to the protective regulations promulgated for
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 LCR chinook in the
State of Oregon. 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.
[[Page 29090]]
DATES: Written comments on the draft FMEP must be received no later
than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on June 28, 2001.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the draft FMEP
should be addressed to Richard Turner, Sustainable Fisheries Division,
Hatchery and Inland Fisheries 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: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is relevant to the Lower
Columbia River chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Evolutionarily
Significant Unit (ESU).
Background
ODFW has submitted to NMFS an FMEP for inland recreational and
commercial fisheries potentially affecting listed adults and juveniles
of the LCR chinook salmon ESU. These include all freshwater fisheries
managed under the sole jurisdiction of the State of Oregon occurring
within the boundaries of the LCR chinook salmon ESU including all
tributaries of the Columbia River from the mouth at the Pacific Ocean
upstream to the Hood River, except for the Willamette River above
Willamette Falls and spring chinook in the Clackamas River. Also
included are the chinook salmon impacts in LCR mainstem recreational
and commercial fisheries between the Columbia River mouth and the Hood
River mouth. The objective of the fisheries is to harvest known,
hatchery-origin spring chinook and natural and hatchery fall chinook
and other fish species in a manner that does not jeopardize the
survival and recovery of the listed LCR ESU. All spring chinook
fisheries included in this FMEP will be managed such that only
hatchery-produced adult spring chinook that are adipose fin clipped may
be retained. The tributary fisheries for fall chinook salmon will be
managed to meet natural and hatchery escapements and limited by total
impacts from all fisheries including those that occur in the Pacific
Ocean and mainstem Columbia River. Impact levels to the listed LCR
chinook ESU are specified in the FMEP. Population viability analysis
and risk assessments in the FMEP indicate the extinction risk for the
listed ESU 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 chinook salmon, determine fishery effort and
catch of chinook salmon and angler compliance. ODFW will annually
conduct a review of fisheries compliance with the provisions of the
FMEP. ODFW will conduct, at a minimum of every 5 years, a comprehensive
review to evaluate the effectiveness of the FMEP.
As specified in the July 10, 2000, ESA 4(d) rule for salmon and
steelhead (65 FR 42422), 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.
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 activities associated with fishery harvest provided that an
FMEP has been approved by NMFS to be in accordance with the salmon and
steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000).
Dated: May 23, 2001.
Phil Williams,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-13433 Filed 5-25-01; 8:45 am]
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