By: David D. Boyer, Alfred E. Smith (Nossaman LLP) 05/09/12
The Little Hoover Commission will meet to discuss its draft report on the Governor's Reorganization Plan 2 (GRP) this Friday, May 11, 2012. This will be the commission's only meeting to discuss its report before submitting it to the governor and Legislature.
NMFS is reopening the comment period for a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Fishery Conservation Plan (Plan) related to scientific research and fisheries management measures in waters of the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin, Washington.
Written comments on the draft EA and proposed Plan and associated applications must be received on or before May 11, 2012.
NMFS announces a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Subcommittee (SAS) on May 30, 2012, and a meeting of the General Advisory Committee (GAC) to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) on May 31, 2012.
The meeting of the SAS will be held on May 30, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT (or until business is concluded), and the meeting of the GAC will be held on May 31, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT (or until business is concluded).
Meeting Topics
Through this final rule NMFS establishes fishery management
measures for the 2012 ocean salmon fisheries off Washington, Oregon,
and California and the 2013 salmon seasons opening earlier than May 1,
2013. Specific fishery management measures vary by fishery and by area.
The measures establish fishing areas, seasons, quotas, legal gear,
recreational fishing days and catch limits, possession and landing
restrictions, and minimum lengths for salmon taken in the U.S.
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (3-200 NM) off Washington, Oregon, and
California.
NOAA Fisheries announces 3 inseason actions in the ocean
salmon fisheries. These inseason actions modified the commercial and
recreational fisheries in the area from Cape Falcon, Oregon to Point
Arena, California.
DATES: The effective dates for the inseason action are set out in this
document under the heading Inseason Actions. Inseason actions remain in
effect until modified by additional inseason action or superseded by
the 2012 annual management measures on May 1, 2012. Comments will be
accepted through May 2, 2012.
Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting
The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a work session which is open to the public.
DATES: The meeting will be held Monday, April 30th through Wednesday,
May 2, 2012. The HMSMT work session will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday,
April 30 and at 8:30 a.m. on the following days, and continue until
business is completed on each day.
ADDRESSES: The work sessions will be held at Large Conference Room,
Pacific Fishery Management Council Office, 7700 NE Ambassador Place,
Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220-1384.
NMFS, announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity Rivers Basin (UKTR) as threatened or endangered and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We have reviewed the status of the UKTR Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) and considered the best scientific and commercial data available, and conclude that the petitioned action is not warranted. In reaching this conclusion, we conclude that spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon in the UKTR Basin constitute a single ESU.
Based on a comprehensive review of the best scientific and commercial data currently available, and consistent with the 1998 status review and listing determination for the UKTR Chinook salmon ESU, the overall extinction risk of the ESU is considered to be low over the next 100 years. Based on these considerations and others described in this notice, we conclude this ESU is not in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, nor is it likely to become
so in the foreseeable future.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), are issuing a final rule under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as
amended, that redefines the geographic range of the endangered Central California Coast (CCC) coho salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) to include all naturally spawned populations of coho salmon that occur in Soquel and Aptos creeks.
Information supporting this boundary change includes recent observations of coho salmon in Soquel Creek, genetic analysis of these fish indicating they are derived from other nearby populations in the ESU, and the presence of freshwater habitat conditions and watershed processes in Soquel and Aptos Creeks that are similar to those found in closely adjacent watersheds that support coho salmon populations that are part of the ESU. We have also reassessed the status of this ESU throughout its redefined range and conclude that it continues to be endangered.