[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 48 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11862-11863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5453]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XV04


Endangered Species; File No. 14759

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 Joseph Hightower, Ph.D., North 
Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina 
State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, 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 April 12, 2010.

ADDRESSES:  The application and related documents are available for 
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the 
Features box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/, and then selecting File 
No. 14759 from the list of available applications. The application and 
related documents are available for review upon written request or by 
appointment in the following offices:
     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) 713-0376; 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 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) 713-0376, 
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. 14759.

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).
    The applicant is seeking a five-year permit to assess the presence, 
abundance, and distribution of shortnose sturgeon within North Carolina 
rivers (Chowan, Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear) and 
estuaries (Albemarle Sound) using non-lethal sampling methods combining 
hydroacoustic surveys (side-scan, DIDSON) with gill nets. Annually up 
to 10 shortnose sturgeon from the Chowan, Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, Cape Fear 
river systems and Albemarle Sound, and up to 20 shortnose sturgeon from 
the Roanoke River, would be captured,

[[Page 11863]]

measured, weighed, sampled for genetic tissue analysis, and PIT tagged. 
Additionally, up to five adults from each river and Albemarle Sound 
would be captured, anesthetized, and implanted with an internal sonic 
transmitter. Manual tracking and passive detections of telemetered fish 
at fixed receiver stations would provide information about movements 
and habitat use. Recaptures of tagged fish may also be used to produce 
abundance estimates if appropriate. Information gained about sturgeon 
presence, abundance and distribution would be used to guide future 
efforts to restore or protect key habitats.

    Dated: March 8, 2010.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-5453 Filed 3-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S