Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing of Nine Evolutionarily Significant Units of Chinook Salmon, Chum Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, and Steelhead

The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is adding several Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Puget Sound chinook salmon ESU in Washington, the Lower Columbia River chinook salmon ESU in Washington and Oregon, and the Upper Willamette spring-run chinook salmon ESU in Oregon are added as threatened; the Upper Columbia River spring-run chinook salmon ESU in Washington is added as endangered; the Hood Canal summer-run chum salmon ESU in Washington and the Columbia River chum salmon ESU in Washington and Oregon are added as threatened; the Ozette Lake sockeye salmon ESU in Washington is added as threatened; and the Middle Columbia River steelhead ESU in Washington and Oregon and the Upper Willamette River steelhead ESU in Oregon are added as threatened. This amendment is based on determinations by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, which has jurisdiction for these species, published in the Federal Register on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14308), and March 25, 1999 (64 FR 14508, 64 FR 14517, 64 FR 14528).