[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 58471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24245]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA712


Endangered Species; File No. 16306

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 Gail Wippelhauser, Maine 
Department of Marine Resources, 21 State House Station, Augusta, ME 
04333, has applied in due form for a permit to take shortnose sturgeon 
for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 21, 2011.

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. 16306 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the following offices:

Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 
(301) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376;
Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930; 
phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.

    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division
     By e-mail to [email protected] (include the File 
No. in the subject line of the e-mail),
     By facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or
     At the address listed above.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 
Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the 
specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be 
appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colette Cairns or Malcolm Mohead, 
(301) 427-8401.

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 proposes to collect information on shortnose sturgeon 
life history in the Gulf of Maine, including movement, natal river 
origin, and other vital population parameters. The proposed research 
would take place in the waters of the Gulf of Maine, the Penobscot, 
Kennebec, and Saco Rivers in Maine, the Merrimack River in 
Massachusetts, and other small coastal rivers of Maine and New 
Hampshire. Adult and juvenile shortnose sturgeon would be collected 
using gill nets, trammel nets, beach seines and trawls. Shortnose 
sturgeon eggs would be lethally collected using egg mats or D-frame 
nets. All adult and juvenile shortnose sturgeon would be measured, 
weighed, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagged, Floy/T-bar 
tagged, tissue sampled, boroscoped, photographed, and released. 
Depending on the research objective to be met, several subsets of 
captured shortnose sturgeon would be assigned different take 
activities. One subset of the sturgeon from each river would 
additionally be fitted with either an internal or external satellite 
tag; another subset would have an apical spine or scute removed; a 
third subset would be blood sampled; a fourth subset would undergo 
gastric lavage; a fifth subset would have a fin ray section removed; 
and a final subset of ten adult/juvenile fish would be fitted with an 
internal/external acoustic tag with trailing antennae. As required for 
the specific procedure, fish would be anesthetized using tricaine 
methanesulfonate (MS-222) or electronarcosis. The proposed research 
would provide managers with a more comprehensive understanding of the 
population dynamics of shortnose sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine and aid 
in the management of this protected species. The permit would be valid 
for five years from the date of issuance.

    Dated: September 15, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-24245 Filed 9-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P