[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 29, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15666-15680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2972]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 223

[Docket No. 060313064-6064-01; I.D.031006D]
RIN 0648-AU43


Listing Endangered and Threatened Species and Designating 
Critical Habitat: 12-Month Finding on Petition to List Puget Sound 
Steelhead as an Endangered or Threatened Species under the Endangered 
Species Act

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; petition finding.

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SUMMARY: We (NMFS) have completed an updated Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) status review of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations in 
the Puget Sound area (Washington). We initiated this review in response 
to a petition received from Mr. Sam Wright on September 13, 2004, to 
list Puget Sound steelhead as a threatened or endangered species. We 
have determined that naturally spawned winter- and summer-run steelhead 
populations and two hatchery steelhead stocks, below natural and 
manmade impassable barriers, in the river basins of the Strait of Juan 
de Fuca, Puget Sound, and Hood Canal (Washington) constitute a Distinct 
Population Segment (DPS) and hence a ``species'' for listing 
consideration under the ESA. After reviewing the best available 
scientific and commercial information, evaluating threats facing the 
species, and taking into account those efforts being made to protect 
the species, we conclude that the Puget Sound steelhead DPS is likely 
to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future 
throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Therefore, we are 
proposing that the Puget Sound steelhead DPS be listed under the ESA as 
a threatened species. We will announce the timing and location of a 
public hearing to be held in the Puget Sound area, and propose 4(d) 
protective regulations and critical habitat for the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS in subsequent Federal Register notices. We are soliciting 
public comment on this proposed listing determination, as well as any 
other information relevant to the designation of critical habitat and 
the promulgation of 4(d) protective regulations for the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS.

DATES: Information and comments on the proposed action must be received 
by June 27, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments and information by any of the 
following methods. Please identify submittals as pertaining to the 
``Puget Sound Steelhead Proposed Listing''
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``Puget Sound 
Steelhead Proposed Listing'' in the subject line of the message.
     Internet: Comments may also be submitted electronically 
through the Federal e-Rulemaking portal at: http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: Submit written comments and information to Chief, 
NMFS, Protected Resources Division, 1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 
1100, Portland, OR 97232.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: NMFS, Protected Resources 1201 NE 
Lloyd Boulevard, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.
     Fax: 503-230-5441

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this 
notice contact Dr. Scott Rumsey, NMFS, Northwest Region, (503) 872-
2791, or Marta Nammack, NMFS, Office of Protected Resources, (301) 713-
1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On September 13, 2004, we received a petition from Mr. Sam Wright 
of Olympia, Washington, to list Puget Sound steelhead as an endangered 
or threatened species under the ESA, and to designate critical habitat. 
On April 5, 2005, we issued our finding that the petition presents 
substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be 
warranted (70 FR 17223), and we announced that we would initiate an 
updated review of the species' status. This Federal Register notice 
summarizes the information gathered and the analyses conducted as part 
of this review, and announces our finding regarding the ESA listing 
status of steelhead in Puget Sound.
    For a more detailed summary of the specific information presented 
in the petition, the reader is referred to the Federal Register notice 
which describes our analysis of the petition (70 FR 17223; April 5, 
2005). Most significantly, the petitioner provided 10 years of new 
harvest, spawning escapement, and total-run-size data for nine natural-
origin Puget Sound steelhead stocks. The petitioner concluded that the 
new information describes significant short- and long-term declining 
trends in nearly all river systems where data are available, despite 
significant reductions by the State of Washington in recreational and 
tribal harvest rates on wild steelhead. The petitioner argued that the 
populations of Puget Sound steelhead are at such low levels of 
abundance that risks posed by catastrophic events, environmental and 
demographic variability, and depensation confer a high level of 
extinction risk for the foreseeable future. The petitioner also 
underscored concerns regarding the widespread propagation of 
domesticated and non-indigenous stocks of hatchery steelhead, a lack of 
adequate monitoring of steelhead stocks, and habitat loss and 
degradation in the Puget Sound area.

Policies for Delineating Species under the ESA

    Section 3 of the ESA defines ``species'' as including ``any 
subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population 
segment of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds 
when mature.'' The term ``distinct population segment'' is not 
recognized in the scientific literature. In 1991 we issued a policy for 
delineating distinct population segments (DPSs) of Pacific salmon (56 
FR 58612; November 20, 1991). Under this policy a group of Pacific 
salmonid populations is considered an

[[Page 15667]]

``evolutionarily significant unit'' (ESU) if it is substantially 
reproductively isolated from other conspecific populations, and it 
represents an important component in the evolutionary legacy of the 
biological species. Further, an ESU is considered to be a ``DPS'' (and 
thus a ``species'') under the ESA. On February 7, 1996, we and FWS 
adopted a joint policy for recognizing DPSs under the ESA (DPS Policy; 
61 FR 4722). The DPS Policy adopts criteria similar to, but somewhat 
different from, those in the ESU Policy for determining when a group of 
vertebrates constitutes a DPS: the group must be discrete from other 
populations; and it must be significant to its taxon. A group of 
organisms is discrete if it is ``markedly separated from other 
populations of the same taxon as a consequence of physical, 
physiological, ecological, and behavioral factors.'' Significance is 
measured with respect to the taxon (species or subspecies). Although 
the ESU Policy did not by its terms apply to steelhead, the DPS Policy 
states that NMFS will continue to implement the ESU Policy with respect 
to ``Pacific salmonids'' (which include O. mykiss). FWS, however, does 
not use our ESU policy in any of its ESA listing decisions. In a 
previous instance of shared jurisdiction over a species (Atlantic 
salmon), we and FWS used the DPS policy in our determination to list 
the Gulf of Maine DPS of Atlantic salmon as endangered (65 FR 69459; 
November 17, 2000).
    In the recently published findings of our updated status review of 
listed West Coast steelhead ESUs (71 FR 834; January 5, 2006), we 
departed from our previous practice of applying the ESU policy to 
delineate species of O. mykiss, and instead applied the joint DPS 
policy. Given our shared jurisdiction with FWS over O. mykiss, and 
consistent with our approach for Atlantic salmon, we believe that 
application of the joint DPS policy is logical, reasonable, and 
appropriate for delineating species of O. mykiss under our 
jurisdiction. In applying the joint DPS policy, we concluded that the 
resident and anadromous life forms of identified population groups of 
O. mykiss are ``discrete,'' and we delineated 10 steelhead-only DPSs of 
O. mykiss. In this notice we similarly apply the joint DPS policy in 
defining the group of steelhead populations in the Puget Sound area 
that qualifies for listing consideration under the ESA. The reader is 
referred to previously published Federal Register notices for further 
discussion of the delineation of O. mykiss DPSs under the joint DPS 
policy (70 FR 67131, November 4, 2005; 71 FR 834, January 5, 2006).

Listing Determinations under the ESA

    The ESA defines an endangered species as one that is in danger of 
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and a 
threatened species as one that is likely to become endangered in the 
foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range 
(sections 3(6) and 3(20), respectively). The statute requires us to 
determine whether any species is endangered or threatened because of 
any of the following five factors: (1) the present or threatened 
destruction, modification or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) 
overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or manmade factors 
affecting its continued existence (section 4(a)(1)(A) (E)). We are to 
make this determination based solely on the best available scientific 
information after conducting a review of the status of the species and 
taking into account any efforts being made by states or foreign 
governments to protect the species. The focus of our evaluation of the 
ESA section 4(a)(1) factors is to evaluate whether and to what extent a 
given factor represents a threat to the future survival of the species. 
The focus of our consideration of protective efforts is to evaluate 
whether and to what extent they address the identified threats and so 
ameliorate a species' risk of extinction. The steps we follow in 
implementing this statutory scheme are to: (1) delineate the species 
under consideration; (2) review the status of the species; (3) consider 
the ESA section 4(a)(1) factors to identify threats facing the species; 
(4) assess whether certain protective efforts mitigate these threats; 
and (5) predict the species' future persistence.
    As noted above, as part of our listing determinations we must 
consider efforts being made to protect a species, and whether these 
efforts ameliorate the threats facing the species and reduce risks to 
its survival. Some protective efforts may be fully implemented, and 
empirical information may be available demonstrating their level of 
effectiveness in conserving the species. Other protective efforts are 
new, not yet implemented, or have not demonstrated effectiveness. We 
evaluate such unproven efforts using the criteria outlined in the 
Policy for Evaluating Conservation Efforts (``PECE''; 68 FR 15100; 
March 28, 2003) to determine their certainties of implementation and 
effectiveness.

Life History of West Coast Steelhead

    Steelhead is the name commonly applied to the anadromous form of 
the biological species O. mykiss. The present distribution of steelhead 
extends from Kamchatka in Asia, east to Alaska, and extending south 
along the Pacific coast to the U.S. Mexico border (Busby et al., 1996; 
67 FR 21586, May 1, 2002). O. mykiss exhibit perhaps the most complex 
suite of life-history traits of any species of Pacific salmonid. O. 
mykiss can be anadromous (``steelhead''), or freshwater residents 
(``rainbow or redband trout''), and under some circumstances yield 
offspring of the opposite life-history form. Those that are anadromous 
can spend up to 7 years in freshwater prior to smoltification (the 
physiological and behavioral changes required for the transition to 
salt water), and then spend up to 3 years in salt water prior to first 
spawning. O. mykiss are also iteroparous (meaning individuals may spawn 
more than once), whereas the Pacific salmon species are principally 
semelparous (meaning individuals generally spawn once and die). Within 
the range of West Coast steelhead, spawning migrations occur throughout 
the year, with seasonal peaks of activity. In a given river basin there 
may be one or more peaks in migration activity; since these ``runs'' 
are usually named for the season in which the peak occurs, some rivers 
may have runs known as winter, spring, summer, or fall steelhead.
    Steelhead can be divided into two basic reproductive ecotypes, 
based on the state of sexual maturity at the time of river entry and 
duration of spawning migration (Burgner et al., 1992). The summer or 
``stream-maturing'' type enters fresh water in a sexually immature 
condition between May and October, and requires several months to 
mature and spawn. The winter or ``ocean-maturing'' type enters fresh 
water between November and April with well-developed gonads and spawns 
shortly thereafter. In basins with both summer and winter steelhead 
runs, the summer run generally occurs where habitat is not fully 
utilized by the winter run, or where an ephemeral hydrologic barrier 
separates them, such as a seasonal velocity barrier at a waterfall. 
Summer steelhead usually spawn farther upstream than winter steelhead 
(Withler, 1966; Roelofs, 1983; Behnke, 1992).

Previous ESA Status Review

    In 1996, we conducted a comprehensive status review of coastal and 
inland steelhead stocks in

[[Page 15668]]

California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (Busby et al., 1996). We 
convened a Biological Review Team (BRT) (an expert panel of scientists 
from NMFS' Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers, FWS, the 
U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Forest Service) to: (1) identify 
ESUs of West Coast steelhead; and (2) evaluate the risk of extinction 
for the identified ESUs. As part of this review we identified a Puget 
Sound ESU of coastal steelhead occupying river basins of the Strait of 
Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and Hood Canal (Washington), as far west as 
the Elwha River, and as far north as the Nooksack River and Dakota 
Creek (inclusive), and the United States/Canada border. The Puget Sound 
ESU is primarily composed of winter steelhead stocks, but also includes 
several small stocks of summer steelhead occupying limited habitat. The 
BRT also included the resident life-history form in the Puget Sound 
ESU. Genetic studies generally show that, in the same geographic area, 
the resident and anadromous life forms of O. mykiss are more similar to 
each other than either is to the same form from a different geographic 
area. In particular, the BRT cited a scientific study indicating that 
rainbow trout and steelhead are not reproductively isolated in two 
river basins within the Puget Sound ESU (Leider et al., 1995).
    In the 1996 status review the BRT concluded that the Puget Sound 
steelhead ESU was not in danger of extinction or likely to become 
endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant 
portion of its range. However, the BRT did express concern that 17 of 
21 stocks in the ESU for which there were adequate data exhibited 
overall declining trends. Positive trends in abundance for the two 
largest steelhead runs in the ESU (the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers) 
mitigated the immediacy of extinction risk, although there was 
significant concern regarding the sustainability of other steelhead 
runs in the ESU (most notably the Deer Creek summer and Lake Washington 
winter steelhead populations, and populations in the Hood Canal area). 
Given the lack of strong trends in abundance for the major populations 
and the apparent limited contribution of hatchery fish to natural 
production, the BRT concluded that most winter steelhead stocks in the 
Puget Sound ESU appeared to be naturally self-sustaining.
    The BRT noted concern about the potential threat to the genetic 
integrity of Puget Sound steelhead posed by past and present hatchery 
practices in the Puget Sound area. Hatchery production in this ESU is 
widespread, and it is managed to support harvest. Most of the hatchery 
fish propagated in the Puget Sound region are winter-run steelhead 
derived from a single stock (the Chambers Creek hatchery stock) that is 
indigenous to the ESU but generally is not native to the local river 
basins where it is propagated. The summer steelhead hatchery programs 
in the Puget Sound area are derived from an out-of-ESU stock (the 
Skamania summer steelhead stock from the Columbia River). The Skamania 
hatchery stock has generally been introduced in river systems where 
summer steelhead did not naturally exist, although it has been 
introduced in some Puget Sound river basins having native summer 
steelhead populations (e.g., the Stillaguamish and Snohomish Rivers). 
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) employs a 
hatchery management strategy of promoting isolation between hatchery 
and natural stocks by releasing smolts early and selecting for early 
spawn timing in winter steelhead hatchery programs. This separation in 
run timing is intended to: allow for high rates of selective harvest on 
returning hatchery fish, while limiting harvest mortality on wild 
stocks; and minimize competition (as smolts and adults) and 
opportunities for interbreeding between naturally spawning hatchery 
fish and wild fish. However, the BRT noted that separation of run 
timing is seldom complete. High harvest rates targeting early-returning 
hatchery fish have likely resulted in high mortality levels for early-
run natural fish and reduced the natural diversity in spawn timing. 
Naturally spawning hatchery fish comprise a substantial proportion of 
the spawning escapement in many of the rivers in the ESU, possibly 
competing with, and posing genetic risks to, the local steelhead 
populations. Additionally, the BRT discussed evidence for hatchery 
introgression in some natural Puget Sound winter steelhead populations 
(Phelps et al., 1994).
    Informed by the BRT's findings (Busby et al., 1996), we concluded 
that the Puget Sound steelhead ESU did not warrant listing under the 
ESA (61 FR 41541; August 9, 1996), but expressed concern regarding the 
sustainability of summer steelhead populations and potentially adverse 
impacts from hatchery practices in Puget Sound.

Updated Status Review of Puget Sound Steelhead

    To ensure that our review was based on the best available and most 
recent scientific information, we solicited information during a 60-day 
public comment period regarding the ESU structure and extinction risk 
of, and efforts being made to protect, the species (70 FR 17223; April 
5, 2005). In July 2005 we convened a BRT to review the available 
information regarding the ESU structure and extinction risk of O. 
mykiss in the Puget Sound area. Specifically, the BRT addressed: (1) 
whether the geographic boundaries of the previously identified Puget 
Sound ESU warrant redelineation or refinement; (2) the relationship to 
the defined ESU of hatchery programs propagating O. mykiss within the 
Puget Sound area; (3) the relationship to the defined ESU of resident 
rainbow trout above and below impassable barriers; and (4) the level of 
extinction risk of the ESU throughout all or a significant portion of 
its range, including the consideration of the contribution of within-
ESU hatchery programs and resident populations to the viability of the 
ESU. The data reviewed, analyses conducted, and findings by the BRT are 
summarized in a July 26, 2005, memorandum ``Status Review Update for 
Puget Sound Steelhead'' (NMFS, 2005).
    On June 28, 2005, NMFS finalized a new policy for the consideration 
of hatchery-origin fish in ESA listing determinations (``Hatchery 
Listing Policy;'' 70 FR 37204). Under the Hatchery Listing Policy, 
hatchery stocks are considered part of an ESU if they exhibit a level 
of genetic divergence relative to the local natural population(s) that 
is no more than what occurs within the ESU (70 FR at 37215; June 28, 
2005). We recognize that there are a number of ways to compute and 
compare genetic divergence and that it is not possible to sample all 
fish within the ESU to precisely determine the range of genetic 
diversity within an ESU. In evaluating hatchery stocks associated with 
Puget Sound steelhead, the BRT included as part of the ESU those 
hatchery stocks that are no more than moderately diverged from local, 
native populations in the watershed(s) in which they are released. This 
approach is consistent with our recent status review updates for 27 
West Coast ESUs (see 71 FR 835, January 5, 2006; 70 FR 37160, June 28, 
2005; NMFS, 2003; NMFS, 2004). In factoring artificial propagation into 
the extinction risk assessment for the ESU, the BRT evaluated potential 
risks to the naturally-spawned components of the ESU posed by Puget 
Sound area hatchery programs determined not to be part of the ESU; as 
well as the specific benefits and risks for each of the hatchery 
programs included in the ESU.

[[Page 15669]]

    As noted above, we have adopted the approach of applying the joint 
DPS policy in delineating species of West Coast O. mykiss for listing 
consideration under the ESA (see 71 FR, 834; January 5, 2006). Although 
the BRT applied the ESU policy in delineating the species of Puget 
Sound steelhead for ESA listing consideration, their findings directly 
inform the delineation of the geographic boundaries for an O. mykiss 
DPS (summarized below).

Review of ``Species'' Delineation

    The BRT concluded that the best available scientific information 
did not warrant a reconsideration of the previously described 
geographic boundaries for the Puget Sound O. mykiss ESU (Busby et al., 
1996). The BRT's findings delineating a Puget Sound ESU of O. mykiss 
directly inform our species delineation under the joint DPS policy. 
Based on established phylogenetic groupings, available population 
genetic data, differences in migration and spawn timing, patterns in 
the duration of freshwater and marine residence, and the geographic 
separation of populations, the BRT concluded that steelhead in Puget 
Sound are substantially reproductively isolated from other such 
groupings of West Coast O. mykiss (Busby et al., 1996). These 
observations regarding reproductive isolation similarly satisfy the 
discreteness criterion under the joint DPS policy, as Puget Sound 
steelhead are markedly separated from other such population groups of 
O. mykiss as a consequence of physical, physiological, ecological or 
behavioral factors.
    The BRT also concluded that the Puget Sound steelhead represent an 
important component in the evolutionary legacy of the O. mykiss species 
based on its unique life-history, genetic, and ecological 
characteristics, as well as the unique glacial and fjord-like 
characteristics of the ecoregion it occupies (Busby et al., 1996). 
These traits that establish the evolutionary importance of the Puget 
Sound steelhead ESU also satisfy the ``significance'' criterion of the 
DPS Policy. The proposed Puget Sound steelhead DPS, if lost, would 
represent: the loss of unusual or unique habitats and ecosystems 
occupied by the species; a significant gap in the species' range; and a 
significant loss to the ecological, life-history, and genetic diversity 
of the taxon.
    Based on the BRT's findings summarized above, and our 
considerations under the joint DPS policy, we conclude that Puget Sound 
steelhead warrant delineation as a DPS. Consistent with previous 
findings under the ESU policy, the geographic boundaries of the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS continue to include winter- and summer-run 
steelhead runs in the river basins of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget 
Sound, and Hood Canal, Washington, bounded to the west by the Elwha 
River (inclusive) and to the north by the Nooksack River and Dakota 
Creek (inclusive).

DPS Membership of Resident O. mykiss

    The BRT concluded that where resident and anadromous O. mykiss co-
occur there is likely to be interbreeding between the two life-history 
forms. Applying the ESU policy, the BRT concluded that resident and 
anadromous O. mykiss below long-standing impassable barriers are not 
substantially reproductively isolated, and warrant consideration as 
part of the same Puget Sound O. mykiss ESU. This conclusion was based 
on empirical studies showing that resident and anadromous O. mykiss are 
typically very similar genetically when they co-occur with no physical 
barriers to migration or interbreeding (Chilcote, 1976; Currens et al., 
1987; Leider et al., 1995; Busby et al., 1996; Pearsons et al., 1998). 
It is also well established that resident forms of O. mykiss can 
occasionally produce anadromous migrants, and vice versa (Shapovalov 
and Taft, 1954; Burgner et al., 1992; Mullan et al., 1992; Zimmerman 
and Reeves, 2000; Kostow, 2003; Ardren, 2003; Blouin, 2003; Pearsons et 
al., 2003; Marshal and Foley, 2004; Narum et al., 2004; Seamons et al., 
2004). Additionally, there was information specific to the Puget Sound 
area describing the interbreeding of the two life-history forms, as 
well as the production of outmigrating smolts by resident O. mykiss 
(Marshall et al., 2004; McMillan, 2005).
    The discreteness criterion of the DPS Policy, however, does not 
rely on reproductive isolation but on the marked separation of 
population groups as a consequence of biological factors. Despite the 
apparent reproductive exchange between resident and anadromous O. 
mykiss, the two life forms remain markedly separated physically, 
physiologically, ecologically, and behaviorally. Steelhead differ from 
resident rainbow trout physically in adult size and fecundity, 
physiologically by undergoing smoltification, ecologically in their 
preferred prey and principal predators, and behaviorally in their 
migratory strategy. We recognize that there may be some overlap between 
co-occurring steelhead and rainbow trout in physical, ecological, 
behavioral and physiological traits; however, this apparent overlap 
does not prevent the two life forms from satisfying the discreteness 
criterion under the DPS policy. While O. mykiss display a continuum of 
life-history and morphological traits, at the end of that continuum, 
steelhead are markedly separate in their extreme marine migration 
(leading to, or resulting from, marked separation in physical, 
physiological, and ecological factors). As we stated in adopting the 
DPS policy, ``the standard adopted [for discreteness] does not require 
absolute separation of a DPS from other members of its species, because 
this can rarely be demonstrated in nature for any population of 
organisms. . . . [T]he standard adopted allows for some limited 
interchange among population segments considered to be discrete, so 
that loss of an interstitial population could well have consequences 
for gene flow and demographic stability of a species as a whole'' (61 
FR 4722; February 7, 1996). Given the marked separation between the 
anadromous and resident life-history forms in physical, physiological, 
ecological, and behavioral factors, we conclude that the anadromous 
steelhead populations are discrete from the resident rainbow trout 
populations within the DPS under consideration (see previous 
determination of West Coast steelhead DPSs for further elaboration of 
the discreteness between the anadromous and resident life-history 
forms, 71 FR, 834; January 5, 2006).

DPS Membership of Hatchery-origin Steelhead

    Prior to the meeting of the BRT, a Steelhead Hatchery Assessment 
Group (SHAG) convened to review the relationships of hatchery steelhead 
stocks to natural populations of Puget Sound steelhead. The SHAG 
reviewed the stock histories for 25 hatchery programs, and identified 
those stocks that are no more than moderately diverged from local, 
native populations in the watershed(s) in which they are released. The 
SHAG based these assessments on the available information describing 
the hatchery stock life-history characteristics, genetics, stock 
transfers, and hatchery practices. (For a more detailed treatment of 
the information reviewed by SHAG, the reader is referred to Appendix C 
of the BRT's report, NMFS, 2005).
    Informed by the SHAG review, the BRT identified two hatchery stocks 
that are part of the Puget Sound steelhead DPS: the Green River natural 
and Hamma Hamma winter-run steelhead stocks. Although the SHAG 
identified

[[Page 15670]]

the Lake Washington winter-run steelhead stock as having been closely 
related to the local natural population, the BRT concluded that the 
stock no longer exists since the program has not been in operation 
since 1993, and therefore the stock is not included as part of the 
Puget Sound steelhead DPS.
    The remaining 23 hatchery stocks reviewed, the Chambers Creek 
winter-run and Skamania summer-run steelhead hatchery stocks and their 
derivatives, were determined to be more than moderately diverged from 
the local native populations and are not included in the DPS. The 
Chambers Creek hatchery stock has been altered from the original donor 
natural stock over time through purposeful selection for early run 
timing and maturation, resulting in an advancement of the natural spawn 
timing from April to December-January. The Chambers Creek hatchery 
stock has been transferred from its native watershed and propagated 
widely throughout the Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest. Many of 
the 16 hatchery stocks derived from the Chambers Creek stock and 
propagated in other Puget Sound watersheds have subsequently 
incorporated local native winter-run steelhead into their respective 
broodstocks. Genetic analyses by Phelps et al. (1997) indicate that 
there is a high degree of similarity among these hatchery populations 
and the founding Chambers Creek stock, and little detectible genetic 
introgression in the local natural populations from the many years of 
Chambers Creek hatchery winter-run steelhead introductions. This result 
suggests a large degree of reproductive divergence from the local 
natural populations in the DPS from the Chambers Creek stock and its 
derivatives. The Skamania Hatchery summer-run steelhead stock was 
founded from outside the range of the Puget Sound DPS, with fish 
collected in the Washougal and Klickitat Rivers in the Columbia River 
Basin. The Skamania Hatchery, and the four other Puget Sound summer-run 
hatchery programs derived from it, are genetically distinct from the 
Puget Sound steelhead populations, possessing 58 chromosomes in 
contrast to the 60 chromosomes commonly found in Puget Sound steelhead 
(Busby et al., 1996; Phelps et al., 1997).

Determination of ``Species''

    Based on the foregoing information, we conclude that the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS constitutes a ``species'' under the ESA and 
includes: all naturally spawned winter-run and summer-run steelhead 
populations, below natural and man-made impassable barriers, in streams 
in the river basins of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and 
Hood Canal, Washington, bounded to the west by the Elwha River 
(inclusive) and to the north by the Nooksack River and Dakota Creek 
(inclusive), as well as the Green River natural and Hamma Hamma winter-
run hatchery steelhead stocks.

Assessment of Extinction Risk

    The BRT assessed the risk of extinction for Puget Sound steelhead 
at two levels first, at the individual population level, then at the 
overall ESU level. Individual populations were assessed according to 
the four ``Viable Salmonid Populations'' criteria (VSP; McElhany et 
al., 2000): abundance, productivity, spatial structure (including 
connectivity), and diversity. These four parameters are universal 
indicators of species' viability, and individually and collectively 
function as reasonable predictors of extinction risk. The collective 
viability of individual populations was then evaluated in the context 
of the entire ESU by the inclusion of larger-scale considerations such 
as the total number of viable populations, the geographic distribution 
and connectivity of populations, and the vulnerability of populations 
or certain genetic and life-history attributes to regional catastrophic 
events. The BRT included in its assessment of population- and ESU-level 
viability an evaluation of the likely contributions of resident and 
hatchery-origin fish included in the ESU. The BRT's assessment of ESU-
level extinction risk was expressed in terms that correspond to the 
statutory definitions of endangered and threatened species in the ESA: 
in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its 
range; likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future 
throughout all or a significant portion of its range; or neither. The 
BRT's ESU-level extinction risk assessment reflects the BRT's 
professional scientific judgment, guided by the analysis of the VSP 
factors, as well as by expectations about the likely interactions among 
the individual VSP factors. The BRT's assessment, however, did not 
include an evaluation of efforts being made to protect the species, as 
required under section 4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA. Therefore, the BRT's 
findings should not be interpreted as recommendations regarding ESA 
listing.

Consideration of Resident O. mykiss

    The BRT fully considered the best available scientific and 
commercial information on resident populations in assessing the 
extinction risk of the Puget Sound O. mykiss ESU. However, little or no 
data are available on the abundance, productivity, spatial structure, 
or diversity of the component resident populations, nor on their 
contribution to the viability of the entire ESU. As a result, the 
majority of the information available with which to assess the level of 
extinction risk for this ESU pertained to the anadromous component. In 
general, the BRT considered the resident component of O. mykiss 
populations in the Puget Sound ESU to be relatively minor based on 
field surveys of juvenile fish in freshwater. The majority of the BRT 
felt that resident O. mykiss below barriers to migration may reduce 
risks to ESU abundance by providing short-term buffers against 
demographic stochasticity in many of the ESU's populations, although 
there was insufficient information to characterize the effectiveness of 
such buffers. The BRT concluded that resident populations in the Puget 
Sound ESU are unlikely to significantly reduce the risk of extinction 
of anadromous populations over the long term. This conclusion is also 
supported by recent reports by the Independent Science Advisory Board 
(ISAB) and NMFS' Recovery Science Review Panel (RSRP) which recently 
concluded that anadromous O. mykiss contribute ``substantially and 
irreplaceably to any measure of O. mykiss productivity and viability'' 
(RSRP, 2004), and that the ``the presence of both resident and 
anadromous life-history forms is critical for conserving the diversity 
of steelhead/rainbow trout populations and, therefore, the overall 
viability of ESUs'' (ISAB, 2005-2). The RSRP and ISAB underscored that 
``resident populations by themselves should not be relied upon to 
maintain long-term viability of an [O. mykiss] ESU'' (RSRP, 2004), and 
that the ``likelihood of long-term persistence would be substantially 
compromised by the loss of anadromy in O. mykiss ESUs'' (ISAB, 2005-2). 
Based on the minor contribution of resident O. mykiss to the viability 
of the Puget Sound O. mykiss ESU, we conclude that the BRT's extinction 
risk assessment directly informs our evaluation of extinction risk for 
the Puget Sound steelhead-only DPS under consideration.

Consideration of Hatchery-Origin Steelhead

    The BRT explicitly considered both the potential positive and 
negative effects of hatchery production on the viability of the Puget 
Sound O. mykiss ESU. The BRT felt that the two within-ESU hatchery 
programs (the Hamma Hamma River and Green River natural

[[Page 15671]]

winter-run steelhead hatchery programs), have the potential to benefit 
natural steelhead populations in their respective rivers, but that both 
programs are relatively recent and have not collected sufficient data 
to demonstrate any contributions with any certainty. The BRT did note 
that the Hamma Hamma program does appear to have successfully increased 
the number of natural spawners in the population (although the relative 
increase in natural spawners is large, the absolute increase in natural 
spawners is modest), but the success of the program cannot be fully 
evaluated until the naturally produced offspring of the hatchery-origin 
fish return and reproduce.
    Given the widespread and high levels of production of hatchery fish 
not included in the Puget Sound ESU, the BRT concluded that the overall 
negative effect of artificial propagation in the Puget Sound area 
likely outweighs any potential positive effects. Informed by the above 
considerations regarding hatchery-origin steelhead, the BRT's analysis 
of ESU viability (summarized below) focused on the available 
information concerning the status of naturally spawning steelhead 
populations in the ESU. As previously noted, we conclude that the BRT's 
extinction risk assessment directly informs our evaluation of 
extinction risk for the Puget Sound steelhead-only DPS under 
consideration.

Summary of Puget Sound Steelhead Viability Analysis

    Abundance - Steelhead in the Puget Sound DPS are most abundant in 
northern Puget Sound, with winter-run steelhead in the Skagit and 
Snohomish rivers supporting the two largest populations. The Skagit and 
Snohomish river winter-run populations have been approximately three to 
five times larger than the other populations in the DPS, with average 
annual spawning of approximately 5,000 and 3,000 total adult spawners, 
respectively. Populations in Hood Canal and along the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca are generally small, averaging fewer than 100 spawners annually. 
The geometric means of most populations have declined in the last 5 
years, and are below the long-term means. However, winter-run 
populations in the Samish River (northern Puget Sound) and the Hamma 
Hamma River (Hood Canal) appear to be growing rapidly with recent 
increases in the abundance of natural spawners. The recent abundance in 
the Hamma Hamma River likely reflects supplementation from the (within-
DPS) Hamma Hamma hatchery program. The recent abundance estimates in 
the Samish River may include an uncertain number of hatchery fish 
originating from the (out-of-DPS) Whatcom Creek hatchery, and their 
naturally spawned progeny. WDFW reports that from 1992 to 2002 there 
has been a general downgrade in the abundance of Puget Sound steelhead 
populations, with declines in the proportion of ``healthy'' 
populations, and an increase in the proportion of ``depressed'' and 
``unknown status'' populations (SaSI, 1992, 2002). No abundance data 
series exists for most of the 16 summer-run steelhead populations in 
the DPS, although all appear to be small, averaging fewer than 200 
spawners annually. The BRT expressed concern that populations at such 
low levels of abundance may be near or below a ``quasi-extinction'' 
threshold, below which population dynamics become inherently 
unpredictable. The BRT concluded that the risk to the viability of 
Puget Sound steelhead due to declining abundance is high.
    ESU Productivity - Nearly all steelhead populations in the DPS 
exhibited diminished productivity as indicated by below-replacement 
population growth rates, and declining short- and long-term trends in 
natural escapement and total run size. Declining productivity was 
particularly evident in southern Puget Sound steelhead populations, but 
was also exhibited by some populations in northern Puget Sound, Hood 
Canal, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. At the time of the 1996 status 
review (Busby et al., 1996), the Skagit and Snohomish river populations 
appeared to be relative strongholds of productivity, demonstrating 
strongly positive and statistically significant population trends and 
growth rates. The recent trends, however, in escapement, total run 
size, recruitment, and population growth rate for these two populations 
are downward or below replacement, although not all analyses were 
statistically significant. Positive population trends were observed in 
the Samish and Hamma Hamma river winter-run populations (as noted 
above, the increasing trend for the Hamma Hamma River population likely 
reflects a recently established supplementation hatchery program, 
rather than an increase in naturally produced steelhead). Relevant 
productivity data are unavailable for all but one of the summer-run 
populations in the DPS. The Tolt River summer-run population, for which 
data are available, is showing evidence for increasing productivity. 
The BRT expressed concern that the observed population declines in the 
DPS have occurred despite widespread reductions by WDFW in the direct 
harvest of natural steelhead since the 1990s. The BRT also expressed 
concern that WDFW uses a March 15 date to delineate between naturally 
spawning hatchery-origin fish and native winter-run fish. The BRT felt 
that such an approach could bias productivity estimates as it does not 
provide a consistently accurate estimate of the proportion of hatchery-
origin fish or their contribution to natural production. Information 
was not available to evaluate trends in marine survival for any of the 
populations in the DPS. The BRT concluded that the risk to the 
viability of Puget Sound steelhead due to declining productivity is 
high.
    Spatial Structure/Connectivity - The BRT noted that the 
distribution of steelhead has been affected by a number of dams in 
several Puget Sound river basins that block accessibility to habitat 
and connectivity among populations. Additionally, the BRT noted that 
urban development has degraded or eliminated wetland and riparian 
habitats, resulting in changes to river hydrology and the loss of side-
channel areas, thereby reducing the spawning and rearing distribution 
of Puget Sound steelhead populations. Declines in natural abundance 
observed in nearly all of the DPS's populations, coupled with large 
numbers of man-made impassable barriers, have sharply reduced 
opportunities for migration and connectivity among steelhead 
populations in different watersheds. The BRT expressed concern 
regarding the sharp reduction in natural escapement for the centrally 
located Lake Washington watershed, and noted that the observation of 
weakening abundance trends for populations in neighboring river basins 
may reflect degraded connectivity among populations. The BRT concluded 
that the viability of Puget Sound steelhead is at moderate risk due to 
the reduced spatial complexity of, and connectivity among, populations.
    Diversity - The BRT noted concern regarding the apparent reduction 
of the summer-run steelhead populations in Puget Sound. Summer-run 
populations are concentrated in northern Puget Sound, with only two 
other populations distributed throughout the rest of the DPS. One of 
these latter summer-run populations (the Elwha River summer-run 
population) is thought to have been extirpated in the early1900s and 
replaced by out-of-DPS Skamania stock summer-run hatchery steelhead. 
Several BRT members noted that anecdotal historical accounts discuss 
significant early runs of wild steelhead, but

[[Page 15672]]

expressed concern that these early wild spawners have apparently 
disappeared from several river systems. Despite evidence of increasing 
productivity in the largest summer-run population in the ESU (the Tolt 
River population), it exhibits a negative trend in total run size and a 
flat trend in escapement. The other summer-run populations appear to be 
at very low levels of abundance. Additionally, the substantial 
production of out-of-DPS Skamania stock summer-run hatchery fish in 
watersheds with native summer-run populations (e.g., in the 
Stillaguamish River and South Fork Skykomish populations) poses genetic 
risks to the summer-run component of the DPS. The BRT expressed concern 
that the Chambers Creek and Skamania stock hatchery programs and their 
derivatives may have adverse effects on the DPS's diversity through 
genetic introgression and outbreeding depression. Some members of the 
BRT felt that adverse impacts from these out-of-DPS hatchery programs 
may be contributing to the declines in natural steelhead productivity, 
but acknowledged that the magnitude of any such impact could not be 
ascertained. Although these hatchery programs have selected for 
differences in average spawning time, any interbreeding between native 
and hatchery fish that may occur will likely have adverse consequences 
for the reproductive fitness of the local natural populations. The BRT 
noted that even very low levels of hatchery introgression can have a 
significant impact on genetic diversity after several generations. The 
BRT recognized the substantial reductions in the harvest of wild 
steelhead that were implemented in the mid 1990s, but noted that the 
previous harvest management may have removed a substantial proportion 
of the native summer-run and early winter-run steelhead spawn timing 
from many of the populations in the DPS. Present-day high harvest rates 
for marked hatchery-origin fish, although preventing out-of-DPS 
hatchery fish from spawning naturally, may continue to reduce the 
diversity of natural spawn timing through the incidental mortality of 
early-returning natural steelhead. The BRT concluded that the viability 
of Puget Sound steelhead is at moderate risk due to the reduced life-
history diversity of populations and the potential threats posed by 
artificial propagation and harvest in the Puget Sound.
    Overall DPS Viability - Informed by the assessment of demographic 
risks for each of the four VSP criteria (summarized above), an 
overwhelming majority of the BRT concluded that Puget Sound steelhead 
are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future 
throughout all or a significant portion of their range. The BRT's 
conclusion fully considered the best available information concerning 
the contribution of resident and hatchery-origin O. mykiss to the 
overall viability of the steelhead in the Puget Sound DPS. As noted 
above, the BRT's assessment did not include an evaluation of efforts 
being made to protect the species and therefore does not represent a 
recommendation for ESA listing status. The following sections summarize 
the likely factors for the decline of Puget Sound steelhead, as well as 
the protective efforts being made to protect steelhead and other 
salmonids in the Puget Sound area.

Summary of Factors Affecting the Species

    Section 4(a)(1) of the ESA and NMFS' implementing regulations (50 
CFR part 424) state that the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) must 
determine, through the regulatory process, if a species is endangered 
or threatened because of any one or a combination of the following 
factors: (1) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or 
curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) overutilization for 
commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) 
disease or predation; (4) inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; 
or (5) other natural or human-made factors affecting its continued 
existence. We have previously detailed the impacts of various factors 
contributing to the decline of West Coast steelhead in our previous 
listing determinations (e.g., 62 FR 43937, August 18, 1997; 57 FR 
14517, March 25, 1999) and supporting documentation (e.g.; NMFS, 1997, 
``Factors Contributing to the Decline of Chinook Salmon An Addendum to 
the 1996 West Coast Steelhead Factors for Decline Report;'' NMFS, 1996, 
``Factors for Decline A Supplement to the Notice of Determination for 
West Coast Steelhead Under the Endangered Species Act''). These Federal 
Register notices and technical reports conclude that all of the factors 
identified in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA have played a role in the 
decline of West Coast steelhead stocks. The following discussion 
briefly summarizes findings regarding the principal factors for decline 
in general terms, and notes factors of specific relevance to the Puget 
Sound DPS. The reader is referred to the above Federal Register 
notices, technical reports, and the BRT's findings (NMFS, 2005) for a 
more detailed treatment of the relevant factors for decline for this 
ESU.

1. The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment 
of its Habitat or Range

    West Coast steelhead have experienced declines in abundance over 
the past several decades as a result of loss, damage, or change to 
their natural environment. Water diversions for agriculture, flood 
control, domestic, and hydropower purposes have greatly reduced or 
eliminated historically accessible habitat and degraded remaining 
habitat. Forestry, agriculture, mining, and urbanization have degraded, 
simplified, and fragmented habitat. The destruction or modification of 
estuarine areas has resulted in the loss of important rearing and 
migration habitats. Losses of habitat complexity and habitat 
fragmentation have also contributed to observed declines. Sedimentation 
and degraded water quality from extensive and intensive land use 
activities (e.g., timber harvests, road building, livestock grazing, 
and urbanization) are recognized as primary causes of habitat 
degradation throughout the range of West Coast steelhead.
    Habitat utilization by steelhead in the Puget Sound area has been 
dramatically affected by large dams and other man-made barriers in a 
number of river basins: the Nooksack, Skagit, White, Nisqually, 
Skokomish, and Elwha river basins. Several of these dams have 
eliminated access to historical habitats, while others are located 
above historically impassable natural barriers. In addition to limiting 
habitat accessibility, dams (whether located above or below 
historically impassable barriers) affect habitat quality through 
changes in river hydrology, altered temperature profile, reduced 
downstream gravel recruitment, and the reduced recruitment of large 
woody debris. In some rivers, such as the Elwha River, increased water 
temperatures have decreased disease resistance in salmonids.
    Many upper tributaries in the Puget Sound region have been affected 
by poor forestry practices, while many of the lower reaches of rivers 
and their tributaries have been altered by agriculture and urban 
development. Urbanization has caused direct loss of riparian vegetation 
and soils, significantly altered hydrologic and erosional rates and 
processes (e.g., by creating impermeable surfaces such as roads, 
buildings, parking lots, sidewalks etc.), and polluted waterways with 
stormwater and point-source discharges. The loss of wetland and 
riparian habitat

[[Page 15673]]

has dramatically changed the hydrology of many streams, with increases 
in flood frequency and peak flow during storm events and decreases in 
groundwater driven summer flows (Moscrip and Montgomery, 1997; Booth et 
al., 2002; May et al., 2003). Flood events result in gravel scour, bank 
erosion, and sediment deposition. Land development for agricultural 
purposes has also altered the historical land cover, and as much of 
this development has occurred in river floodplains, there has been a 
direct impact on river flow levels and morphology. River braiding and 
sinuosity have been reduced through the construction of dikes, 
hardening of banks with riprap, and channelization of the mainstem. 
Constriction of river flows, particularly during high flow events, 
increases the likelihood of gravel scour and the dislocation of rearing 
juveniles. The loss of side-channel habitats has also reduced important 
areas for spawning, juvenile rearing, and overwintering habitats. 
Estuarine areas have been dredged and filled, resulting in the loss of 
important juvenile rearing areas. In addition to being a factor that 
contributed to the present decline of Puget Sound steelhead 
populations, the continued destruction and modification of steelhead 
habitat is the principal factor limiting the viability of the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.

2. Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific or 
Educational Purposes

    Steelhead runs have supported, and continue to support, important 
tribal and recreational fisheries throughout their range, contributing 
millions of dollars to numerous local economies, as well as providing 
important cultural and subsistence needs for Native Americans. 
Overfishing in the early days of European settlement led to the 
depletion of many stocks of salmonids, prior to extensive modifications 
and degradation of natural habitats. However, following the degradation 
of many west coast aquatic and riparian ecosystems, exploitation rates 
were higher than many populations could sustain. Therefore, harvest may 
have contributed to the further decline of some populations.
    Extensive artificial propagation has historically supported high 
levels of steelhead harvest in the Puget Sound area. The majority of 
harvest occurred in recreational fisheries, but tribal fisheries 
directed at steelhead are also important. Prior to the promulgation of 
regulations by WDFW in the mid 1990s protecting all wild steelhead from 
recreational fishery harvest, Puget Sound steelhead fisheries likely 
contributed to the present decline in abundance of natural steelhead 
populations. It is also likely that harvest directed at early returning 
hatchery-origin fish adversely affected natural population life-history 
diversity through the selective removal of commingled native summer-run 
and early-winter run steelhead adults. Present-day fisheries are 
implemented to harvest marked hatchery-origin fish only, and are 
managed in time to target early run hatchery-origin fish and minimize 
the incidental harvest of early-returning natural steelhead. Existing 
steelhead recreational fisheries in Puget Sound, while appropriately 
minimizing potential adverse impacts on natural steelhead populations, 
may still result in a continued mortality of early-returning natural 
steelhead through poaching and hook-and-release mortalities. Although 
overutilization for recreational purposes was a factor that contributed 
to the present decline of Puget Sound steelhead populations, we do not 
believe that overutilization is a factor limiting the viability of the 
Puget Sound steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.

3. Disease or Predation

    Introductions of non-native species (e.g., largemouth bass) and 
habitat modifications that benefit the survival or feeding 
effectiveness of native or introduced predators have resulted in 
increased predation risks to natural steelhead populations in many 
Pacific Northwest rivers and lakes. Predation by marine mammals 
(principally harbor seals and sea lions) is also of concern in areas 
where steelhead populations are already diminished due to other 
factors, or where man-made structures concentrate fish and make them 
susceptible to predation by marine mammals (e.g., the Ballard Locks at 
Lake Washington). Although fishes form the principal food sources of 
many marine mammals, salmonids appear to be a minor component of their 
overall diet, given the seasonal availability of anadromous fishes 
(Scheffer and Sperry, 1931; Jameson and Kenyon, 1977; Graybill, 1981; 
Brown and Mate, 1983; Roffe and Mate, 1984; Hanson, 1993). However, 
predation by marine mammals may significantly decrease salmonid 
abundance in some local populations when other prey species are absent 
and where physical and behavioral conditions lead to the concentration 
of salmonid adults and juveniles (Cooper and Johnson, 1992). Predation 
by seabirds can also substantially reduce the abundance of juvenile 
salmon and steelhead populations in some locations. Although predation 
may be a concern for some local populations at low abundance, we do not 
believe that it is a factor limiting the viability of the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.
    Fish disease and epizootics can also be a limiting factor to adult 
and juvenile steelhead survival. Salmonids are exposed to numerous 
naturally occurring bacterial, protozoan, viral, and parasitic 
organisms in spawning and rearing areas, hatcheries, migratory routes, 
and the marine environment. Included are fish pathogens causing 
diseases such as bacterial kidney disease, ceratomyxosis, columnaris, 
furunculosis, infectious hematopoietic necrosis, enteric redmouth 
disease, black spot disease, erythrocytic inclusion body syndrome, and 
whirling disease, among others, that are known to affect West Coast 
salmonids (Rucker et al., 1953; Wood, 1979; Leek, 1987; Foott et al., 
1994; Gould and Wedemeyer, undated). In general, very little current or 
historical information exists to quantify changes in infection levels 
and mortality rates attributable to these diseases. However, studies 
have shown that naturally spawned fish tend to be less susceptible to 
pathogens than hatchery-reared fish (Buchanon et al., 1983; Sanders et 
al., 1992). Hatchery-origin fish may have an increased risk of carrying 
fish disease pathogens because of relatively high rearing densities 
that increase stress levels and can lead to a greater manifestation and 
transmission of diseases within the hatchery population. Under natural, 
low density conditions, most pathogens do not lead to a disease 
outbreak in wild populations. When disease outbreaks do occur, they are 
often triggered by stressful hatchery rearing conditions, or by an 
adverse change in the natural environment. Consequently, it is possible 
that the release of hatchery fish may lead to the infection and 
increased mortality of natural-origin populations, particularly if 
habitat conditions such as low water flows and high temperatures 
exacerbate the susceptibility of natural- and hatchery-origin 
populations to infectious diseases. Although hatchery populations may 
be considered to be reservoirs for disease pathogens because of their 
elevated rearing densities and increased stress levels, there is little 
evidence to suggest that diseases are routinely transmitted from 
hatchery-orign to natural-origin fish (Steward and Bjornn, 1990). We do 
not believe that disease is a factor limiting the viability of the 
Puget Sound steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.

[[Page 15674]]

4. The Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms

    A variety of Federal, state, tribal, and local laws, regulations, 
treaties and measures affect the abundance and survival of West Coast 
steelhead, and the quality of their habitat. We reviewed existing 
regulatory mechanisms as part of our recent updated listing 
determinations for West Coast salmon and steelhead (69 FR 33102, June 
14, 2004; 70 FR 834, January 5, 2006). We noted several Federal, state, 
and local regulatory programs that have been successfully implemented 
to substantially reduce historical risks to West Coast steelhead DPSs 
(for example, the elimination of hatchery rainbow trout stocking in 
anadromous waters, and the conversion of many in-river recreational 
fisheries to mark-selective fisheries or catch-and-release only). The 
reader is referred to the previous proposed rule (69 FR 33102; June 14, 
2004) for a regional and state-by-state summary of these regulatory 
mechanisms, including those in the Puget Sound area. In particular, 
changes in regulations governing steelhead fisheries have significantly 
reduced the risks for many West Coast steelhead DPSs, including the 
Puget Sound DPS under consideration. Hatchery managers have implemented 
measures to reduce the potential negative interactions between 
hatchery-origin and natural-origin steelhead in the Puget Sound area. 
However, it is unclear whether some of these measures have been 
effective in minimizing the adverse consequences of artificial 
propagation on natural populations (e.g., the selection for early run 
timing in the Chambers Creek steelhead hatchery stock has reduced the 
frequency of interactions between hatchery-origin and natural fish, but 
it may have increased the severity of any interactions that do occur). 
The Hatchery Science Review Group (HSRG) recently detailed 
recommendations intended to further minimize the potentially harmful 
effects of artificial propagation on natural populations of Puget Sound 
salmonids (HSRG, 2004). At present, however, the regulatory and funding 
mechanisms are not in place to fully implement the HSRG's 
recommendations (HSRG, 2005; also see further discussion in the 
``Efforts Being Made to Protect West Coast Salmon and Steelhead `` 
section, below). In addition, although there have been efforts to 
improve habitat conditions across the range of the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS, land-use regulations across its range do not adequately 
address continued threats from habitat degradation and modification. We 
conclude that the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms (e.g., 
governing potentially harmful hatchery practices and certain land-use 
activities) is a factor limiting the viability of the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.

5. Other Natural or Manmade Factors Affecting Its Continued Existence

    Variability in ocean and freshwater conditions can have profound 
impacts on the productivity of salmon and steelhead populations. 
Natural climatic conditions have at different times exacerbated or 
mitigated the problems associated with degraded and altered riverine 
and estuarine habitats. In the last decade, evidence has shown: (1) 
recurring, decadal-scale patterns of ocean-atmosphere climate 
variability in the North Pacific Ocean (Zang et al., 1997; Mantua et 
al., 1997); and (2) correlations between these oceanic productivity 
``regimes'' and salmon population abundance in the Pacific Northwest 
and Alaska (Hare et al., 1999; Mueter et al., 2002). One indicator of 
the ocean-atmosphere variation for the North Pacific is the Pacific 
Decadal Oscillation index (PDO). Negative PDO values are associated 
with relatively cool ocean temperatures (and generally high salmon 
productivity) off the Pacific Northwest, and positive values are 
associated with warmer, less productive conditions. These favorable 
ocean conditions may also be correlated with favorable conditions for 
salmonid survival in the freshwater environment (e.g., above-average 
rainfalls resulting in improved flow regimes for smolt outmigration). 
Increases in many salmon populations in recent years may be largely a 
result of more favorable ocean conditions. PDO values were mostly 
positive during the two decades preceding 1998, and this regime was 
generally characterized by less productive ocean conditions and 
declining salmonid abundances. Between July 1998 and July 2002, the PDO 
exhibited mostly negative values, associated with higher ocean 
productivity and increasing returns for many West Coast salmonid 
populations. From August 2002 to present, the PDO has exhibited mostly 
positive values. It is not clear what impact, if any, these most recent 
conditions will have on West Coast salmonid populations in general, and 
the Puget Sound steelhead DPS in particular. Ocean-climate change and 
variability is a factor contributing considerable uncertainty to the 
viability of the Puget Sound steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.
    Extensive hatchery programs have been implemented throughout the 
range of West Coast steelhead. While these programs may have succeeded 
in providing fishing opportunities and increasing the total number of 
naturally spawning fish, the programs have also likely increased risks 
to natural populations as a result of food resource competition, 
increased predation, reduced genetic diversity and reproductive fitness 
through interbreeding, and masking of trends in natural populations 
through the straying of hatchery-origin fish onto spawning grounds. 
More recently, hatchery programs using local native salmon populations 
as broodstock have been initiated that are specifically designed to 
conserve depressed Pacific salmonid populations. State natural resource 
agencies have adopted or are developing policies designed to ensure 
that the use of artificial propagation is conducted in a manner 
consistent with the conservation and recovery of natural, indigenous 
populations. The role of artificial propagation in the conservation and 
recovery of salmonid populations continues to be the subject of 
vigorous and well funded scientific research.
    State and Federal hatcheries have attempted to propagate steelhead 
in Puget Sound since 1900. Early hatchery techniques reared steelhead 
for only a few days or weeks prior to release, experienced limited 
success, and likely reduced natural steelhead runs through the 
collection of fish for broodstock (Crawford, 1979). With the 
development of extended rearing programs for hatchery steelhead (Putzke 
and Meigs, 1940), and the resultant increase in adult steelhead 
returns, artificial propagation of steelhead in Puget Sound became more 
widespread. Hatchery steelhead in Puget Sound are propagated in nearly 
all of the major river systems, spawn naturally throughout the Puget 
Sound region, and are derived largely from a single highly domesticated 
winter-run stock (the Chambers Creek stock) or from a summer-run stock 
originally developed in the Columbia River basin (the Skamania Hatchery 
stock). Genetic analyses indicate that in some naturally spawning 
populations in larger river basins there is little if any detectable 
influence from years of Chambers Creek hatchery winter-run steelhead 
introductions, a result that suggests reproductive isolation of, and 
poor spawning success by hatchery-origin fish (Phelps et al., 1997). 
There is, however, some evidence for introgression by hatchery releases 
into

[[Page 15675]]

native winter-run steelhead populations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca 
(NMFS, 2005). Efforts to limit spawning interactions between hatchery 
and wild fish through the use of early returning hatchery stocks may 
have reduced the probability of interbreeding through the temporal 
separation of average run timing and the spatial separation of spawning 
areas. However, because of substantial genetic differences between the 
non-indigenous hatchery stocks and the native natural steelhead 
populations, the fitness consequences to the native natural population 
of any hatchery-wild crosses that may occur would be highly 
detrimental. The HSRG, in its recent recommendations for the form of 
Puget Sound steelhead hatchery programs, concluded that ``the 
widespread stocking and outplanting of steelhead smolts poses 
unacceptable ecological and genetic risks to naturally spawning 
populations, particularly in small streams that receive such outplants 
or to which hatchery-origin fish stray'' (HSRG, 2004). Several BRT 
members similarly expressed concern that the extensive propagation of 
the Chambers Creek and Skamania hatchery steelhead stocks may be 
contributing to the observed declines in Puget Sound steelhead 
populations, although the BRT acknowledged that there is insufficient 
information to quantify the level of reproductive exchange between 
hatchery- and natural-origin steelhead. Potentially harmful hatchery 
practices may pose ecological and genetic risks to natural populations 
and may represent a factor limiting the viability of the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS into the foreseeable future.

Efforts Being Made to Protect West Coast Salmon and O. mykiss

    Section 4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA requires the Secretary to make 
listing determinations solely on the basis of the best scientific and 
commercial data available after taking into account efforts being made 
to protect a species. Therefore, in making listing determinations, we 
first assess species extinction risk and identify factors that have led 
to the species' decline. The we assess existing efforts being made to 
protect the species to determine if those measures ameliorate the risks 
faced by the species.
    In judging the efficacy of existing protective efforts, we rely on 
the joint NMFS-FWS ``Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When 
Making Listing Decisions'' (``PECE;'' 68 FR 15100; March 28, 2003). 
PECE provides direction for the consideration of protective efforts 
identified in conservation agreements, conservation plans, management 
plans, or similar documents (developed by Federal agencies, state and 
local governments, tribal governments, businesses, organizations, and 
individuals) that have not yet been implemented, or have been 
implemented but have not yet demonstrated effectiveness. The policy 
articulates several criteria for evaluating the certainty of 
implementation and effectiveness of protective efforts to aid in 
determining whether a species warrants listing as threatened or 
endangered. Evaluations of the certainty an effort will be implemented 
include whether: the necessary resources (e.g., funding and staffing) 
are available; the requisite agreements have been formalized such that 
the necessary authority and regulatory mechanisms are in place; there 
is a schedule for completion and evaluation of the stated objectives; 
and (for voluntary efforts) the necessary incentives are in place to 
ensure adequate participation. The evaluation of the certainty of an 
effort's effectiveness is made on the basis of whether the effort or 
plan: establishes specific conservation objectives; identifies the 
necessary steps to reduce threats or factors for decline; includes 
quantifiable performance measures for the monitoring of compliance and 
effectiveness; incorporates the principles of adaptive management; and 
is likely to improve the species' viability at the time of the listing 
determination.
    The PECE also notes several important caveats. Satisfaction of the 
above mentioned criteria for implementation and effectiveness 
establishes a given protective effort as a candidate for consideration, 
but does not mean that an effort will ultimately affect the risk 
assessment. The policy stresses that just as listing determinations 
must be based on the viability of the species at the time of review, so 
they must be based on the state of protective efforts at the time of 
the listing determination. The PECE does not provide explicit guidance 
on how protective efforts affecting only a portion of a species' range 
may affect a listing determination, other than to say that such efforts 
will be evaluated in the context of other efforts being made and the 
species' overall viability. There are circumstances where threats are 
so imminent, widespread, and/or complex that it may be impossible for 
any agreement or plan to include sufficient efforts to result in a 
determination that listing is not warranted.

Summary of Protective Efforts

    As noted above, the consideration of protective efforts under PECE 
is concerned with evaluating formalized conservation efforts that have 
yet to be fully implemented or show effectiveness. We recognize that 
there are many long established efforts that are providing vital 
contributions to conserving and recovering Puget Sound salmonid stocks. 
Such efforts include: Federal actions approved by NMFS and FWS under 
section 7(a)(2) of the ESA affecting currently listed species; actions 
approved by NMFS under the section 4(d) protective regulations for 
salmonid ESUs currently listed as threatened; Federal forest management 
under the Northwest Forest Plan in the Olympic, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, 
and Gifford Pinchot National Forests; and improved harvest management 
by WDFW and the Puget Sound area tribes to conserve wild populations of 
Puget Sound steelhead. Although not directly quantifiable, the 
protective benefits of these well established measures are manifested 
in the present demographic performance of Puget Sound steelhead 
populations. Although not explicitly considered by the BRT, we believe 
that such efforts are reflected in the BRT's assessment of limiting 
factors and extinction risk for the DPS. Additionally, in the Puget 
Sound area there are numerous small-scale protective efforts aimed at 
conserving salmonid species that are currently listed under the ESA. It 
is unlikely that such efforts individually or collectively 
comprehensively address the complex suite of limiting factors and broad 
spatial scales necessary to substantially mitigate the BRT's assessment 
of extinction risk for the Puget Sound steelhead DPS. Below we confine 
our summary of protective efforts to recent developments in 
conservation and recovery efforts for the Puget Sound area, and 
significant large-scale or comprehensive efforts with the potential to 
address the complex and widespread factors likely limiting the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS.
    The Shared Strategy for Puget Sound (Shared Strategy) is a 
collaborative effort among local citizens, local governments, non-
governmental organizations, tribal governments, Washington State, 
technical experts, NMFS, and FWS to protect and restore Puget Sound 
Chinook salmon, Hood Canal summer chum salmon, and bull trout 
populations in the Puget Sound region. Shared Strategy, in 
collaboration with NMFS' Technical Recovery Team, has made significant 
progress in: identifying demographically independent Chinook salmon 
populations; identifying recovery targets and ranges for Chinook salmon 
populations in each watershed; identifying the actions needed at the

[[Page 15676]]

watershed level to achieve these targets; and developing recovery 
plans, specific actions, and resource commitments for the successful 
implementation of Puget Sound recovery efforts. Recently, the Shared 
Strategy released a draft recovery plan addressing the threatened Puget 
Sound Chinook ESU and threatened bull trout (available on the Internet 
at: http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org/plan/index.htm). The draft 
Shared Strategy plan represents a synoptic and comprehensive effort to 
identify watershed-specific limiting factors, conservation objectives, 
necessary restoration and conservation measures, required resources, 
and adaptive management protocols. We have reviewed the draft plan in 
the context of recovery planning for the threatened Puget Sound Chinook 
ESU, and we believe that the watershed-scale plans, if implemented, 
including certain measures identified by NMFS, collectively represent a 
robust program for achieving the recovery of Puget Sound chinook. At 
present, however, the necessary funding to implement the draft Shared 
Strategy plan has not been secured. Without assurances that the 
necessary funding resources are and will be available, the draft Shared 
Strategy plan does not satisfy the ``certainty of implementation'' 
criterion under PECE. Although we believe that, if implemented, the 
draft Shared Strategy plan will be effective in conserving the Puget 
Sound Chinook ESU, there is considerable uncertainty whether the 
identified conservation measures will be effective in substantially 
addressing the factors limiting Puget Sound steelhead populations. The 
draft Shared Strategy plan focuses on the recovery needs of Chinook 
populations, and does not necessarily contemplate the limiting factors 
and needed conservation measures specific to the O. mykiss species. At 
present there is insufficient information to evaluate whether the draft 
Shared Strategy plan adequately accounts for differences in life-
history and habitat-use characteristics among populations of Puget 
Sound Chinook and steelhead.
    The HSRG is an independent scientific panel established and funded 
by Congress to evaluate artificial propagation practices in Puget Sound 
and coastal Washington, and to provide guidance to regional 
policymakers and technical staff in implementing hatchery reforms. In 
2004 the HSRG released its recommendations for the reform of Puget 
Sound and coastal Washington salmonid hatcheries, including Puget Sound 
steelhead hatchery programs. The HSRG's recommendations for Puget Sound 
steelhead hatcheries include: (1) establishing ``wild steelhead 
management zones'' in each of the recognized ecoregions of Puget Sound, 
in which streams would not be not planted with hatchery fish and 
instead would be managed for native stocks; (2) discontinuing some 
current programs as necessary to implement such wild steelhead 
management zones; (3) convening of a workshop by WDFW to further 
develop methods of implementing segregated steelhead hatchery programs 
(such as the programs derived from the Chambers Creek and Skamania 
Hatchery stocks) while minimizing interactions with native naturally 
spawning steelhead populations; (4) instituting monitoring and 
evaluation by WDFW as a basic component of conducting segregated 
hatchery programs; (5) developing locally adapted broodstock in areas 
where hatchery steelhead programs may be developed or reformed; (6) 
sizing hatchery programs intended to provide harvest opportunities in a 
manner that minimizes impacts on wild populations; (7) developing the 
capability of collecting unharvested returning hatchery-origin adult 
steelhead to minimize spawning interactions with natural populations; 
and (8) discontinuing hatchery programs where unharvested hatchery-
origin adults cannot be collected at their return (HSRG, 2004). WDFW is 
in the process of developing a new statewide steelhead management plan 
that will consider the HSRG's recommendations. At present, however, the 
regulatory and funding mechanisms are not in place to implement the 
HSRG's recommendations (HSRG, 2005a), and the specific reforms that 
WDFW intends to implement are unknown. Additionally, further research 
and data collection will be necessary prior to the implementation of 
certain HSRG recommendations. For example, the HSRG cautions that, 
because of the low abundance and productivity of wild steelhead 
populations in Puget Sound, developing locally adapted broodstock is 
not currently a viable alternative for most populations (HSRG, 2005b). 
If WDFW completes its new steelhead management plan prior to the 
publication of the final rule (i.e, within 1 year from the date of 
publication of this notice), we anticipate considering it in developing 
our final listing determination.
    The conservation of approximately 1.1 million acres of forest lands 
in the Puget Sound region is covered by five Habitat Conservation Plans 
(HCPs), which we have determined are compliant with section 10(a)(2)(B) 
of the ESA and that include steelhead as HCP-covered species. The HCPs 
are West Fork Timber, Plum Creek Timber (Central Cascades), Port 
Blakely Tree Farms, WA Department of Natural Resources, and Green 
Diamond (formerly called Simpson Timber - Shelton Timberlands). All of 
these forestry HCPs address long-term salmonid survival on industrial 
forest lands and are designed to provide healthy watersheds and 
riparian areas, and properly functioning salmonid habitats. These HCPs 
also give landowners long-term management clarity and certainty. 
Specific HCP conservation measures focus on attaining mature forest 
conditions in riparian areas, minimizing sediment input to streams, 
protecting and recovering floodplain functions, and protecting water 
quality during timber management and associated road operations. Each 
HCP has a different blend of conservation measures that reflect 
landowner operations, geographic limitations, and baseline 
environmental conditions. Although forest practices on all private 
lands are not yet procedurally compliant with ESA regulations under 
Section 10 or Section 4(d), the Washington State Forest Practice Rules 
were changed in 2000 to reflect the substance of NMFS' Section 4(d) 
protective regulations for threatened salmonids (65 FR 42422; July 10, 
2000). Effective July 2001, these new rules cover a wide variety of 
forest practices and include: a new, more functional classification of 
rivers and streams on non-Federal forest land; improved plans for 
properly designing, maintaining, and upgrading existing and new forest 
roads; additional protections for unstable slopes; greater protections 
for riparian areas intended to maintain properly functioning 
conditions; a process for adaptive management; and other features. The 
above described protective efforts addressing forest land management 
are being implemented. Although these protective efforts are important 
contributions to addressing habitat degradation in upper tributaries 
and attendant adverse effects on habitat quality and structure 
downstream, there is insufficient information to assess the 
effectiveness and relative importance of these efforts in mitigating 
the extinction risk of the Puget Sound steelhead DPS. It is unlikely 
that these forestry measures substantially alter the BRT's assessment 
of extinction risk given that the loss and degradation of nearshore, 
estuarine, and lowland habitats due to

[[Page 15677]]

agricultural activities and urbanization remain significant limiting 
factors for the DPS.
    Two municipal watersheds are also covered under HCPs that include 
protection of instream flows for anadromous salmonids: the City of 
Seattle Cedar River Watershed and the City of Tacoma Green River Water 
Supply. Instream flows are also provided through agreements negotiated 
with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the Skagit, Sultan, 
Snoqualmie and Nisqually rivers. As noted above, there is insufficient 
information to assess the effectiveness of these efforts in mitigating 
the extinction risk of the Puget Sound steelhead DPS. Despite likely 
benefits at the watershed scale, it is unlikely that these efforts 
address instream flow issues on a spatial scale sufficiently broad to 
alter the extinction risk assessment for the DPS as a whole.
    Two long-standing hydroelectric dams on the Elwha River are slated 
for removal starting in 2008. Congress has authorized funds for current 
phases of the complex effort that requires construction of several new 
water supplies. These dam removals will restore anadromous salmonid 
access to over 100 km of mainstem and tributary habitat. The 
construction of a fish ladder in 2000 at Electron Dam in the Puyallup 
River Basin has provided access to over 16 km of mainstem habitat. 
Studies are underway to evaluate its effectiveness in providing passage 
for adult and juvenile fish. Passage is now provided for steelhead and 
other salmonids (except sockeye) above Landsburg Dam on the Cedar 
River, which formerly blocked access to approximately 27.4 km of 
mainstem habitat since 1900. Although these efforts are important 
developments in providing for fish passage and addressing adverse 
impacts of dams on downstream habitats, in total they currently lack 
sufficient certainty of implementation and effectiveness to alter our 
risk assessment.
    We support the many valuable conservation and recovery planning 
efforts in Puget Sound. While we are optimistic that these promising 
efforts will contribute to recovering listed Puget Sound salmonids, 
PECE establishes strict criteria for the consideration of such 
protective efforts in ESA listing determinations. At present, the 
efforts being made to protect Puget Sound salmonid species lack the 
certainty of implementation and effectiveness, or lack sufficient 
scope, to substantially mitigate the BRT's assessment of extinction 
risk for the Puget Sound steelhead DPS. In developing our final listing 
determination, we will consider the best available information 
concerning the protective efforts described above, any changes or 
amendments to those efforts, as well as any other protective efforts 
that may come to our attention. Our evaluation of protective efforts 
will be conducted consistent with the PECE criteria for evaluating the 
likelihoods of implementation and effectiveness.

Proposed Listing Determination

    The overwhelming majority of the BRT concluded that Puget Sound 
steelhead is ``likely to become endangered within the foreseeable 
future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.'' The BRT 
fully considered the best available scientific and commercial 
information concerning the contributions of resident and hatchery-
origin O. mykiss to the viability of the Puget Sound steelhead 
populations in total. The BRT noted that the resident O. mykiss below 
impassable barriers may reduce risks to the steelhead population 
abundance in the short term, but concluded that these resident 
populations are unlikely to significantly reduce the risk of extinction 
of steelhead populations over the long term. The BRT also noted that 
the two within-ESU hatchery programs (the Hamma Hamma River and Green 
River natural winter-run steelhead hatchery programs) have the 
potential to benefit natural populations in their respective rivers, 
but both programs are relatively recent and have not collected 
sufficient data to demonstrate positive contributions with any 
certainty. The BRT concluded that these two within-ESU hatchery 
programs do not significantly reduce the risk of extinction for Puget 
Sound steelhead.
    We have reviewed the BRT's findings, considered the factors 
threatening the future viability of the Puget Sound steelhead DPS, and 
taken into account those efforts being made to protect the species. We 
conclude that the DPS is likely to become an endangered species within 
the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its 
range because of: the threatened destruction, modification, or 
curtailment of its habitat or range; the inadequacy of existing 
regulatory mechanisms; and other natural and manmade factors affecting 
its continued existence (see the ``Factors Affecting the Species'' 
section above for a description of the specific risks associated with 
these statutory listing factors). We also conclude that, at present, 
protective efforts in Puget Sound do not substantially mitigate the 
factors threatening the DPS's future viability, nor do they ameliorate 
the BRT's assessment of extinction risk for the Puget Sound steelhead 
DPS. Based on the foregoing information, we propose that the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS be listed under the ESA as a threatened species.

Protective Regulations for Threatened West Coast Salmonids

    ESA section 9(a) take prohibitions (16 U.S.C. 1538(a)(1)(B)) apply 
to all species listed as endangered. In the case of threatened species, 
ESA section 4(d) leaves it to the Secretary's discretion whether and to 
what extent to extend the statutory 9(a) ``take'' prohibitions, and 
directs the agency to issue regulations it considers necessary and 
advisable for the conservation of the species. We have flexibility 
under section 4(d) to tailor protective regulations based on the 
contributions of available conservation measures. The 4(d) protective 
regulations may prohibit, with respect to threatened species, some or 
all of the acts which section 9(a) of the ESA prohibits with respect to 
endangered species. These 9(a) prohibitions and 4(d) regulations apply 
to all individuals, organizations, and agencies subject to U.S. 
jurisdiction.
    We have already adopted ESA 4(d) rules that exempt from the take 
prohibitions a range of activities that provide for the conservation of 
threatened salmonid ESUs (50 C.F.R. 223.203). These 4(d) regulations 
for threatened salmonids provide the necessary flexibility to ensure 
that fisheries and artificial propagation programs are managed 
consistently with the conservation needs of ESA-listed ESUs. (For a 
more detailed description of the latest amendments to the 4(d) 
protective regulations, the reader is referred to 70 FR 37160, June 28, 
2005). The 4(d) protective regulations apply the take prohibitions to 
unmarked anadromous fish with an intact adipose fin. In other words, 
the take prohibitions do not apply to listed hatchery fish with a 
clipped adipose fin (``ad-clipped''). In a subsequent Federal Register 
notice we will propose protective regulations for the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS.

Peer Review

    In December of 2004 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
issued a Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review (Peer 
Review Bulletin) establishing minimum peer review standards, a 
transparent process for public disclosure, and opportunities for public 
input. The OMB Peer Review Bulletin, implemented under the Information 
Quality Act (Public Law 106-554), is intended to provide public 
oversight on the quality of agency

[[Page 15678]]

information, analyses, and regulatory activities. The text of the Final 
Peer Review Bulletin was published in the Federal Register on January 
14, 2005 (70 FR 2664). The Peer Review Bulletin requires Federal 
agencies to subject ``influential'' scientific information to peer 
review prior to public dissemination. Influential scientific 
information is defined as ``information the agency reasonably can 
determine will have or does have a clear and substantial impact on 
important public policies or private sector decisions,'' and the Peer 
Review Bulletin provides agencies broad discretion in determining the 
appropriate process and level of peer review. The Peer Review Bulletin 
establishes stricter standards for the peer review of ``highly 
influential'' scientific assessments, defined as information whose 
``dissemination could have a potential impact of more than $500 million 
in any one year on either the public or private sector or that the 
dissemination is novel, controversial, or precedent-setting, or has 
significant interagency interest.''
    We consider the BRT's status review memorandum (``Status Review 
Update for Puget Sound Steelhead;'' NMFS, 2005) to be ``influential 
scientific information,'' and, as such, it is subject to the pre-
dissemination peer review requirements of the Peer Review Bulletin. In 
November 2005 we solicited scientific peer review of the BRT's status 
review memorandum from three independent experts who have not been 
involved in the drafting of the report or in collecting the data 
considered therein, nor are the experts affiliated with agencies or 
organizations that have an interest in the outcome of the status review 
update for Puget Sound steelhead. The purpose of the review is to 
assess the scientific validity of the status review, including any 
assumptions, methods, results and conclusions. Specific aspects of the 
scientific peer review include: the quality of the data collected or 
used for the assessment; the appropriateness of the analyses employed; 
the validity of the results and conclusions; and the appropriateness of 
the scope of the assessment and information considered. The reviewers' 
comments will be summarized and addressed in the BRT's final status 
review update report, as well as in our final listing determination for 
Puget Sound steelhead. A description of our peer review plan for the 
BRT's status review memorandum was posted on the Internet in December 
2005 by the U.S. Department of Commerce and is available at: http://
www.osec.doc.gov/cio/oipr/ID47.htm.

Identification of Those Activities That Would Constitute a Violation of 
Section 9 of the ESA

    We and the FWS published in the Federal Register on July 1, 1994 
(59 FR 34272), a policy that the agencies shall identify, to the 
maximum extent practicable at the time a species is listed, those 
activities that would or would not constitute a violation of section 9 
of the ESA. The intent of this policy is to increase public awareness 
of the effect of this listing on proposed and ongoing activities within 
the species' range. At the time of the final rule, we will identify to 
the extent known specific activities that will not be considered likely 
to result in violation of section 9, as well as activities that will be 
considered likely to result in violation. We believe that, based on the 
best available information, the following actions will not result in a 
violation of section 9:
    1. Possession of Puget Sound steelhead which are acquired lawfully 
by permit issued by NMFS pursuant to section 10 of the ESA, or by the 
terms of an incidental take statement pursuant to section 7 of the ESA; 
or
    2. Federally funded or approved projects that involve activities 
such as silviculture, grazing, mining, road construction, dam 
construction and operation, discharge of fill material, stream 
channelization or diversion for which ESA section 7 consultation has 
been completed, and when activities are conducted in accordance with 
any terms and conditions provided by NMFS in an incidental take 
statement accompanying a biological opinion.
    Activities that we believe could potentially ``harm'' steelhead 
populations (see ESA 3(19) and 50 CFR 222.102 [harm]) in the proposed 
Puget Sound DPS, and result in a violation of the section 9 take 
prohibition include, but are not limited to:
    1. Land-use activities that adversely affect steelhead habitats in 
the Puget Sound area (e.g., logging, grazing, farming, urban 
development, road construction in riparian areas and areas susceptible 
to mass wasting and surface erosion);
    2. Destruction/alteration of the steelhead habitats in the proposed 
DPS, such as removal of large woody debris and ''sinker logs'' or 
riparian shade canopy, dredging, discharge of fill material, draining, 
ditching, diverting, blocking, or altering stream channels or surface 
or ground water flow;
    3. Discharges or dumping of toxic chemicals or other pollutants 
(e.g., sewage, oil, gasoline) into waters or riparian areas supporting 
Puget Sound steelhead populations;
    4. Violation of discharge permits;
    5. Pesticide applications;
    6. Interstate and foreign commerce of steelhead from the proposed 
DPS and import/export of steelhead from the DPS without a threatened or 
endangered species permit;
    7. Collecting or handling of steelhead from the proposed DPS. 
Permits to conduct these activities are available for purposes of 
scientific research or to enhance the propagation or survival of the 
species; or
    8. Introduction of non-native species likely to prey on steelhead 
in the Puget Sound area or displace steelhead from their habitats.
    These lists are not exhaustive. They are intended to provide some 
examples of the types of activities that might or might not be 
considered by NMFS as constituting a take of the proposed Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS under the ESA and its regulations. Questions regarding 
whether specific activities will constitute a violation of the section 
9 take prohibition, and general inquiries regarding prohibitions and 
permits, should be directed to NMFS (see ADDRESSES).

Critical Habitat

    Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the ESA requires that, to the maximum extent 
prudent and determinable, critical habitat be designated concurrently 
with the listing of a species. In keeping with agency regulations at 50 
CFR 424.12, we conclude that critical habitat is not presently 
determinable for the Puget Sound steelhead DPS. Specifically, we lack 
biological, economic, and related mapping information sufficient to 
perform required analyses of the impacts of critical habitat 
designation to determine which areas may qualify as critical habitat 
for this DPS. We intend to propose critical habitat in separate 
rulemaking as soon as possible after completing the required analyses. 
In this notice we are soliciting information necessary to inform these 
analyses (see Information Solicited and ADDRESSES) and will consider 
such information in developing a future proposed designation for the 
Puget Sound steelhead DPS.

Information Solicited

Proposed Rule

    To ensure that the final action resulting from this proposed rule 
will be as accurate and effective as possible, and informed by the best 
available scientific and commercial information, we are soliciting 
information,

[[Page 15679]]

comments, and suggestions from the public, other governmental agencies, 
the scientific community, industry, and any other interested parties. 
We recognize that in several instances there are serious limits to the 
quantity and quality of available information, and accordingly we have 
exercised our best professional judgment in developing this proposed 
rule. We will appreciate any additional information or comment 
regarding: (1) the relatedness of specific hatchery stocks to the Puget 
Sound steelhead DPS; (2) biological or other relevant data concerning 
the viability and/or threats to the Puget Sound steelhead DPS, 
including the abundance, productivity, spatial structure, and diversity 
of the subject DPS; (3) current or planned activities in the subject 
area and their possible impact on the species; (4) the relationship, 
range, distribution, and habitat-use patterns of steelhead populations 
in the Puget Sound area; and (5) the consideration of efforts being 
made to protect salmonid populations in the Puget Sound area. We invite 
and will consider all pertinent information and comment. We further 
request that data, information, and comments be accompanied by: 
supporting documentation such as maps, logbooks, bibliographic 
references, personal notes, and/or reprints of pertinent publications; 
and the name of the person submitting the data, the address, and any 
association, institution, or business that the person represents.

Public Hearings

    Joint Commerce-Interior ESA implementing regulations state that the 
Secretary shall promptly hold at least one public hearing if any person 
so requests within 45 days of publication of a proposed regulation to 
list a species or to designate critical habitat (see 50 CFR 
424.16(c)(3)). In a forthcoming Federal Register document, we will 
announce the date and location of any public meeting (or meetings) to 
provide the opportunity for the interested individuals and parties to 
fully understand issues relating to this proposed rule, give comments, 
exchange information and opinions, and engage in a constructive 
dialogue concerning this proposed rule. We encourage the public's 
involvement in such ESA matters.

Critical Habitat

    As noted above, we are soliciting biological and economic 
information relevant to making a critical habitat designation for the 
Puget Sound steelhead DPS. Data reviewed may include, but are not 
limited to: scientific or commercial publications, administrative 
reports, maps or other graphic materials, information received from 
experts, and comments from interested parties. Comments and data 
particularly are sought concerning:
    (1) Maps and specific information describing the amount, 
distribution, and use type (e.g., spawning, rearing, or migration) of 
steelhead habitat in the Puget Sound area (both freshwater and marine), 
as well as any additional information on occupied and unoccupied 
habitat areas;
    (2) The reasons why any habitat should or should not be determined 
to be critical habitat as provided by sections 3(5)(A) and 4(b)(2) of 
the ESA;
    (3) Information regarding the benefits of excluding lands covered 
by Habitat Conservation Plans (ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permits), 
including the regulatory burden designation may impose on landowners 
and the likelihood that exclusion of areas covered by existing plans 
will serve as an incentive for other landowners to develop plans 
covering their lands;
    (4) Information regarding the benefits of excluding Federal and 
other lands covered by habitat conservation strategies and plans (e.g. 
Northwest Forest Plan, Washington's Forest and Fish Plan), including 
the regulatory burden designation may impose on land managers and the 
likelihood that exclusion of areas covered by existing plans will serve 
as an incentive for land users to implement the conservation measures 
covering the lands subject to these plans;
    (5) Information regarding the benefits of designating particular 
areas as critical habitat;
    (6) Current or planned activities in the areas that might be 
proposed for designation and their possible impacts;
    (7) Any foreseeable economic or other potential impacts resulting 
from designation, in particular, any impacts on small entities;
    (8) Whether specific unoccupied areas (e.g., areas behind dikes or 
dams) may be essential to provide additional habitat areas for the 
conservation of this DPS; and
    (9) Potential peer reviewers for a proposed critical habitat 
designation, including persons with biological and economic expertise 
relevant to the species, region, and designation of critical habitat.
    We seek information regarding critical habitat for the Puget Sound 
steelhead DPS as soon as possible, but by no later than June 27, 2006 
(see ADDRESSES, above).

References

    A comprehensive list of the referenced materials is available on 
the Internet at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov, or upon request (see ADDRESSES 
section above).

National Environmental Policy Act

    ESA listing decisions are exempt from the requirement to prepare an 
environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under the 
NEPA. See NOAA Administrative Order 216-6.03(e)(1) and Pacific Legal 
Foundation v. Andrus, 657 F.2d 829 (6th Cir. 1981). Thus, we have 
determined that the proposed listing determination described in this 
notice is exempt from the requirements of the NEPA. We are preparing a 
draft Environmental Assessment (EA) under the NEPA analyzing 
alternative 4(d) protective regulations for the Puget Sound steelhead 
DPS. We will solicit review and comment on the draft EA in a 
forthcoming notice of availability to be published in the Federal 
Register.

Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, Regulatory Flexibility Act, and Paperwork 
Reduction Act

    As noted in the Conference Report on the 1982 amendments to the 
ESA, economic impacts cannot be considered when assessing the status of 
a species. Therefore, the economic analysis requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act are not applicable to the listing process. 
In addition, this rule is exempt from review under E.O. 12866. This 
proposed rule does not contain a collection-of-information requirement 
for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

E.O. 13084 - Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal 
Governments

    E.O. 13084 requires that if we issue a regulation that 
significantly or uniquely affects the communities of Indian tribal 
governments and imposes substantial direct compliance costs on those 
communities, we must consult with those governments or the Federal 
government must provide the funds necessary to pay the direct 
compliance costs incurred by the tribal governments. This proposed rule 
does not impose substantial direct compliance costs on the communities 
of Indian tribal governments. Accordingly, the requirements of section 
3(b) of E.O. 13084 do not apply to this proposed rule. Nonetheless, we 
intend to inform potentially affected tribal governments and to solicit 
their input and coordinate on future management actions.

[[Page 15680]]

E.O. 13132 - Federalism

    In keeping with the intent of the Administration and Congress to 
provide continuing and meaningful dialogue on issues of mutual State 
and Federal interest, this proposed rule will be given to the relevant 
state agencies in the State of Washington (the state in which the 
subject DPS occurs), who will be invited to comment. We have conferred 
with the State of Washington and Puget Sound area tribal governments in 
the course of assessing the status of Puget Sound steelhead, and 
considered, among other things, state and local conservation measures. 
As the ESA listing process continues, we intend to continue engaging in 
informal and formal contacts with Washington, Puget Sound tribes, and 
other affected local or regional entities, giving careful consideration 
to all written and oral comments received. We also intend to consult 
with appropriate elected officials in the establishment of a final 
rule.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 223

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Transportation.

    Dated: March 21, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 223 is 
proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 223--THREATENED MARINE AND ANADROMOUS SPECIES

    1. The authority citation for part 223 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543; subpart B, Sec.  223.12 also 
issued under 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.
    2. In Sec.  223.102, paragraph (a)(23) is added to read as follows:


Sec.  223.102  Enumeration of threatened marine and anadromous species.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *

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                         Species\1\                                                                                                          Citation(s)
-------------------------------------------------------------                                                       Citation(s) for Listing      for
                                                Scientific                        Where Listed                          Determinations)        Critical
                 Common name                       name                                                                                        Habitat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  *                                        *                                                     *                        *            *
         (23) Puget Sound Steelhead             Oncorhynchus     U.S.A., WA, Distinct Population Segment including          [INSERT DATE OF           NA
                                                      mykiss       all naturally spawned anadromous winter-run and         PUBLICATION WHEN
                                                                  summer-run O. mykiss (steelhead) populations, in     PUBLISHED AS A FINAL
                                                              streams in the river basins of the Strait of Juan de                    RULE]
                                                                    Fuca, Puget Sound, and Hood Canal, Washington,
                                                                bounded to the west by the Elwha River (inclusive)
                                                                 and to the north by the Nooksack River and Dakota
                                                                     Creek (inclusive), as well as the Green River
                                                                      natural and Hamma Hamma winter-run steelhead
                                                                                                  hatchery stocks.
                  *                                        *                                                     *                        *           *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Species includes taxonomic species, subspecies, distinct population segments (DPSs) (for a policy statement, see 61 FR 4722, February 7, 1996), and
  evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) (for a policy statement, see 56 FR 58612, November 20, 1991)

 [FR Doc. 06-2972 Filed 3-28-06; 8:45 am]
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