[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 51803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17900]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC41


Endangered Species; File No. 10037

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 Dr. Douglas Peterson, Warnell 
School of Forest Resources (Fisheries Division), University of Georgia, 
Athens, GA 30602, has applied in due form for a permit to take 
shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) for purposes of scientific 
research on the Ogeechee River, GA.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 11, 2007.

ADDRESSES:  The applications 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
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these 
applications 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 the 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 email comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 10037.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Malcolm Mohead or Kate Swails, (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).
    Dr. Peterson seeks permission to conduct research on shortnose 
sturgeon for five years to assess the abundance, age structure, 
distribution, movement, and critical habitat and will also investigate 
the adverse effects of estrogenic compounds. Researchers propose to 
capture 300 shortnose sturgeon yearly using gill and trammel nets and 
to anesthetize, measure, weigh, tissue and fin-ray sample, and scan for 
PIT tags. A subset of 10 sturgeon annually (40 during permit) would be 
laparoscoped and implanted with internal radio tags; a subset of 5 
sturgeon annually (20 during permit), would be laparoscoped and fitted 
with external radio tags; and a subset of 12 sturgeon would be health 
evaluated using laparoscopy and venipuncture annually. Up to 40 
shortnose sturgeon eggs would be collected annually using buffer pads 
to document spawning. The unintentional mortality of 2 shortnose 
sturgeon annually is also requested.

    Dated: September 5, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-17900 Filed 9-10-07; 8:45 am]
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