Reopens Comment on Hatchery Plan for Seven Salmon Programs in Skokomish River Basin

Content

ACTION:

Notification; availability of a proposed evaluation and pending determination for public comment.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received a Hatchery and Genetics Management Plan (HGMP) for seven hatchery programs rearing
and releasing fall Chinook salmon, spring Chinook salmon, fall chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon and steelhead in the
Skokomish River basin. The plan describes a hatchery program operated by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
in collaboration with the Skokomish Indian Tribe as co-managers, and Tacoma Power Utility. This document serves to notify
the public of the availability and opportunity to comment on a Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination Documents (PEPD)
on implementing the proposed hatchery program and enforcing the associated HGMP, which concludes that it will not appreciably
reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery nor modify or destroy critical habitat of Hood Canal-Strait of Juan de Fuca
summer chum salmon, Puget Sound Chinook salmon, or Puget Sound steelhead. This notice was previously posted for public comment,
but since the PEPD document was not available during the comment period, we are reopening the related documents for public
comment with this notice.

DATES:

Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific time on May 13, 2026. Comments received after this date may not be
considered.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2026-0925, by the following method:

• Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type NOAA-NMFS-2026-0925 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach
your comments.

Also:

• The HGMP is available online at: Hatchery production, HGMPs and the ESA | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/hatcheries/hgmp#comment.

• The PEPD is available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/seven-hatchery-programs-skokomish-basin

Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may
not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing
on https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly
accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chante Davis at (503)321-2307 or chante.davis@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Endangered Species Act (ESA)-Listed Species Covered in This Notice

• Hood Canal-Strait of Juan de Fuca summer chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta): threatened, naturally and artificially propagated;

• Puget Sound Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): threatened, naturally and artificially propagated;

• Puget Sound Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): threatened, naturally and artificially propagated.

Background

The term “take” is defined under the ESA to mean harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect,
or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. The ESA prohibits the take of endangered salmonids and, pursuant to ESA section
4(d), ESA regulations can be extended to prohibit the take of threatened salmonids. However, NMFS may make exceptions to the
take prohibitions for hatchery programs that are approved by NMFS under the limits on the prohibitions outlined in 50 CFR
223.203(b). The operators, WDFW collaborating with tribal co-manager Skokomish Indian Tribe, have submitted an HGMP to NMFS
pursuant to NMFS' Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule of the ESA for hatchery activities in the Skokomish River basin, Washington. The
PEPD is NMFS' initial determination for how the HGMP addresses the criteria in 50 CFR 223.203(b)(5).

The hatchery program under review is designed to contribute to the reintroduction and recovery of Chinook salmon, sockeye
salmon and steelhead in the Skokomish River basin. These fish contribute to the stability of Pacific salmon fish stocks in
order to maintain sustainable U.S. fisheries and strengthen the national seafood supply chain. The hatchery programs are intended
to contribute to fulfilling federal trust responsibilities toward Tribes with rights guaranteed through treaties, as affirmed
in United States v. Washington (1974), by contributing to the recovery of ESA-listed salmon. Additionally, the programs are intended to contribute to the
survival and recovery of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon and Puget Sound Steelhead, provide information on exploitation rates,
and support returns of coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon to the Skokomish River basin.

Classification

Under section 4 of the ESA, the Secretary of Commerce is required to

adopt such regulations as deemed necessary and advisable for the conservation of species listed as threatened. The ESA salmon
and steelhead 4(d) rule regulations (50 CFR 223.203(b)) specifies categories of activities that contribute to the conservation
of listed salmonids and sets out the criteria for such activities. The rule further provides that the prohibitions of paragraph
(a) of the regulations do not apply to actions undertaken in compliance with a plan developed jointly by a state and a tribe
and determined by NMFS to be in accordance with the salmon and steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000).

Authority:

16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.

Dated: April 7, 2026. Jennifer Leigh Quan, Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2026-07034 Filed 4-10-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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