[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 52534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14713]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 083006A]


Endangered Species; File No. 1580

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dynergy Northeast Generation, Inc. 
(Dynergy), 992-994 River Road, Newburgh, NY 12550, has applied in due 
form for a permit to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) 
for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 6, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301) 713-2289; fax (301) 427-2521; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-
2298; phone (978) 281-9300; fax (978) 281-9394.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and 
Education Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 
East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 
individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on this particular request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)427-2521, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period.
    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing e-mail comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 1580.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malcolm Mohead or Shane Guan. (301) 
713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, 
importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR 
222-226).
    Dynergy seeks a two (2) year scientific research permit on 
shortnose sturgeon in its efforts to study the abundance of all of 
sampled species in the Hudson River estuary from Battery Park 
(Manhattan) to River Mile 152. Based on previous permitted sampling 
efforts, Dynergy requests to lethally take up to 40 shortnose sturgeon 
larvae and to capture, handle, collect, measure, externally tag and 
release up to 82 juvenile and adult sturgeon obtained by various 
sampling methods. Dynergy sampling programs will include a Longitudinal 
River Ichthyoplankton Survey, a Beach Seine Survey, a Fall Juvenile 
Survey and an Adult Striped Bass Mark/Recapture Survey. Gear associated 
with the plankton survey are a 1.0-m\2\ epibenthic sled, and a 1.0-m\2\ 
Tucker Trawl to be towed by boat against the prevailing current for 5 
minutes intervals on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (depending on the 
season) beginning March 6 and ending on December 1 of each year of the 
permit. An average of 133 sample trawls will be done per week. The 
Beach Seine Survey will utilize a 30.5-m total length beach seine with 
bag deployed by boat in 450 m\2\ semi-circular sweeps to collect YOY 
fish in the shore zone. The sampling period is bi-weekly from June 12 
to October 16 each year of the permit with an average of 100 samples 
per week. Gear associated with the Fall Juvenile Survey is a 3-m Beam 
Trawl and Tucker Trawl to be towed by boat on alternating weeks in 
three separate sampling periods from July 1 to December 1 in each year 
of the permit with an average of 180 trawls per week. The Adult Striped 
Bass Mark/Recapture Survey will utilize a 9-m otter trawl with tow 
duration of typically 10 minutes and with approximately 500 trawls 
occurring between January and April and then between October and 
December.

    Dated: August 30, 2006.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-14713 Filed 9-5-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S