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Friday, July 5, 2002 Part II Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Withdrawal of Proposed Rule To List the Southwestern Washington/ Columbia River Distinct Population Segment of the Coastal Cutthroat Trout as Threatened; Proposed Rule VerDate May<23>2002 11:50 Jul 03, 2002 Jkt 197001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\05JYP2.SGM pfrm17 PsN: 05JYP2 44934 Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2002 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Trotter 1997) and inland from the Coast intermittent, especially during the Range of Alaska to roughly the crest of summer (Johnson et al. 1999). Fish and Wildlife Service the Cascades of Washington and Oregon Coastal cutthroat trout differ in (Trotter 1997). The southwestern appearance from other subspecies by the 50 CFR Part 17 Washington/Columbia River DPS numerous small to medium irregularly- shaped spots evenly covering virtually RIN 1018–AF45 proposed for listing as threatened includes the Columbia River and its the entire sides of the body, often Endangered and Threatened Wildlife tributaries from the mouth to the extending to the ventral surface and and Plants; Withdrawal of Proposed Klickitat River on the Washington side anal fin (Behnke 1992). Skin color on Rule To List the Southwestern of the river and Fifteenmile Creek on the sea-run fish is often silvery, and may Washington/Columbia River Distinct Oregon side; the Willamette River and mask body spots, while freshwater Population Segment of the Coastal its tributaries from its confluence with residents are darker with a copper or Cutthroat Trout as Threatened the Columbia upstream to Willamette brassy sheen. Falls; Willapa Bay and its tributaries; Relatively little is known about the AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, and Grays Harbor and its tributaries. specific life history and habitat requirements of coastal cutthroat trout. Interior. The DPS inhabits portions of five Coastal cutthroat trout spend more time ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal. Ecoregions, the Coast Range, Puget in the freshwater environment and make Lowland, Cascades, Willamette Valley, SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and more extensive use of this habitat, and Eastern Cascades. Most of the DPS Wildlife Service (Service), withdraw the particularly small streams, than do most occurs in the Coast Range, Puget proposed rule, published in the Federal other Pacific salmonids (Johnson et al. Lowland, and Cascades Ecoregions. The Register on April 5, 1999, to list the 1999). The life history of coastal Coast Range Ecoregion has a maritime southwestern Washington/Columbia cutthroat trout may be one of the most climate, characterized by medium to River Distinct Population Segment complex of any Pacific salmonid. high rainfall averaging 200 to 240 (DPS) of coastal cutthroat trout as Coastal cutthroat trout exhibit a variety centimeters (cm) (80 to 90 inches (in) threatened. The DPS includes all coastal of life history strategies across their per year, which peaks in the winter cutthroat trout in waters draining into range (Northcote 1997, Johnson et al. months, with very little precipitation in Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, and the 1999) that include three basic July or August. Random events, such as Columbia River upstream to the variations: Resident or primarily non- strong storms with heavy rains can have Klickitat River in Washington and to migratory; freshwater migrants; and damaging effects, especially on a Fifteen Mile Creek in Oregon, excluding marine migrants. Residents may stay disturbed landscape. Floods and the Willamette River above Willamette within the same stream segment their landslides triggered by these events can Falls. The coastal cutthroat trout entire life. Freshwater migrants may significantly affect aquatic resources inhabits streams, lakes, rivers, estuaries, make migrations from small tributaries throughout the stream system. The and near-shore ocean habitats to larger tributaries or rivers, or may Puget Lowland Ecoregion experiences throughout the range of the DPS. migrate from tributary streams to lakes reduced rainfall (50 to 120 cm (20 to 47 The change in forest management or reservoirs. Marine migrations in)), with peak flows from December to regulation, the latest information (anadromy) are generally thought to be June. The area tends to have indicating relatively healthy-sized total limited to near shore marine areas; groundwater resources from bordering populations in a large portion of the individuals may not venture out of the mountain ranges that help sustain river DPS, and our improved understanding estuary in some cases (Trotter 1997). flows during droughts. The Cascades of the ability of freshwater forms to There are numerous exceptions to these Ecoregion includes headwater produce anadromous progeny, lead us generalized behaviors and we lack tributaries of many coastal cutthroat to conclude that this DPS does not meet observations of definitive genetic streams. Precipitation can average 280 the definition of a threatened species (in relationships between individual or cm (110 in) per year, much of it in the danger of becoming endangered in the population migratory strategies (Behnke form of heavy snowfall. There is little foreseeable future) at this time. 1997). In areas above long-standing storage capacity for long-term barriers, coastal cutthroat trout are ADDRESSES: The complete file for this groundwater except where porous rock limited to resident or fresh-water withdrawal is available for inspection, substrate exists. In these porous areas, migratory life history strategies. In areas by appointment, during normal business streams receive 75 to 95 percent of their accessible to the ocean, all three life hours at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife average discharge as groundwater and history strategies (resident, freshwater Office, 2600 SE 98th Avenue, Suite 100, are able to maintain flows during dry migratory, and anadromous) are likely Portland, OR 97266. periods. Surface water flow originating to be expressed in the same area. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: in the Cascade Range influences river Coastal cutthroat trout appear to Kemper McMaster, State Supervisor, flows throughout this region. A smaller exhibit very flexible life history Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office (see portion of the DPS occurs in the strategies. The extent to which ADDRESSES) (telephone 503/231–6179; Willamette Valley Ecoregion, which lies individuals expressing these various facsimile 503/231–6195). in the rainshadow of the Coast Ranges strategies are isolated from other life SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: and typically experiences rainfall of 120 history forms is largely unknown, cm (47 in), with peak flows in December though there is growing evidence that Background and January. A small portion of the DPS individuals may express multiple life Coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus occurs in the Eastern Cascades Slopes history behaviors in their life time clarki clarki), one of 10 formally and Foothills Ecoregion, which is (Johnson et al. 1999). For convenience described subspecies of cutthroat trout marked by a transition between the high we refer to individuals that migrate to (Behnke 1992), are distributed along the rainfall areas of the Cascades Ecoregion marine waters as anadromous or Pacific Coast of North America from and the drier regions to the east. This anadromous life form. In doing so, we Prince William Sound in Alaska to the Ecoregion receives 30 to 60 cm (10 to 20 do not intend to imply that they Eel River in California (Behnke 1992, in) of precipitation. Streamflow is often represent a separate population from VerDate May<23>2002 11:50 Jul 03, 2002 Jkt 197001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\05JYP2.SGM pfrm17 PsN: 05JYP2 Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2002 / Proposed Rules 44935 freshwater forms. We are treating all morphological characteristics, including juveniles may enter the estuary and forms as part of a single population in their large heads and narrow caudal remain there over the summer without this analysis. (tail) regions (Bisson et al. 1988, smolting or migrating to the open ocean. As a result of their wide distribution Hawkins and Quinn 1996). In laboratory Seaward migration of Columbia River and variable life history behavior, tests of two different hatchery stocks of smolts may occur to more protected coastal cutthroat trout are exposed to a coastal cutthroat trout, Hawkins and areas at an earlier age and smaller size wide range of water temperatures. Quinn (1996) found critical swimming than migration to more exposed areas Several studies concluded that cutthroat speeds were between 5.58 to 6.69 body such as the outer Washington coast. trout, like other salmonids, were not lengths per second, whereas steelhead Columbia River smolts generally make typically found in water temperatures (Oncorhynchus mykiss) had critical their first migration at age two, at a higher than 22 degrees Celsius (C) (72 velocities of 7.69 body lengths per mean size of about 160 mm (6 in) degrees Fahrenheit (F)) although they second. In field studies, two-to four-year (Johnson et al. 1999). could tolerate temperatures as high as old coastal cutthroat trout were found in Upstream movement of juveniles 26 to 28 degrees C (79 to 82 degrees F) streams with velocities of 0.14 to 0.20 appears to begin with the onset of for short periods. Optimum meters per second (0.46 to 0.66 feet per winter freshets (overflows) during temperatures for coastal cutthroat trout second) (Hanson 1977). Coastal November and continues through the spawning range from 6.1 to 17.2 degrees cutthroat trout juveniles were most spring, frequently peaking during late C (43 to 63 degrees F), and for egg often in streams where water velocities winter and early spring. Many of these incubation from 4.4 to 12.7 degrees C were between 0.25 and 0.50 meters per yearling fish may average less than 200 (40 to 55 degrees F) (Bell 1986). The second (0.82 to 1.6 feet per second) mm (8 in) in length and can be found preferred temperature range of adult (Pauley et al.