[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21754-21755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8752]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA713


Endangered Species; File Nos. 16526, 16323, 16436, 16422, 16438, 
16431, 16507, 16547, 16375, 16442, 16482, and 16508

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

ACTION: Issuance of permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that twelve applications have been 
issued permits to take Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus 
oxyrinchus) for purposes of scientific research. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for additional information regarding permittees.

ADDRESSES: The permits and related documents are available for review 
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; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 21, 2011, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (76 FR 58469) that 12 requests for scientific 
research permits to take Atlantic sturgeon had been submitted. The 
requested permits have been issued 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 parts 222-226).
    File No. 16526 The Maine Department of Marine Resources, Gail 
Wippelhauser, Ph.D., (Responsible Party (RP)), 21 State House Station, 
Augusta, ME 04333, was issued a five-year permit to determine the 
movement patterns and rate of exchange between coastal river systems in 
Maine, characterize the population structure, and generate estimates of 
population abundance. Researchers will capture adult, juvenile, and 
early life stage Atlantic sturgeon. Individuals will be measured, 
weighed, photographed, PIT tagged, Floy/T-bar tagged, tissue sampled, 
boroscoped, apical spine sampled, blood sampled, anesthetized, fin ray 
sectioned, and be implanted with an acoustic telemetry tag.
    File No. 16323 The Connecticut Department of Environmental 
Protection Marine Fisheries, Tom Savoy (RP), PO Box 719, Old Lyme, CT 
06371, was issued a five-year permit to monitor Atlantic sturgeon 
populations to determine behavior, movement, and current status of the 
species in Connecticut waters. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon 
will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy/T-bar tagged, 
genetic tissue sampled, anesthetized, and have a fin ray clipped for 
ageing analysis; and a subset will be implanted with an internal sonic 
tag to assess movement patterns.
    File No. 16436 The New York State Department of Environmental 
Conservation, Kathryn Hattala (RP), 21 South Putt Corners Road, New 
Paltz, NY 12561, was issued a five-year permit to research Atlantic 
sturgeon in the Hudson River estuary, specifically to assess abundance 
of juveniles, characterize the adult spawning stock, and generate 
population estimates. Captured Atlantic sturgeon will be measured, 
weighed, PIT and dart tagged, tissue sampled, implanted with an 
external telemetry tag, anesthetized, and gastric lavaged.
    File No. 16422 Stony Brook University, School of Marine and 
Atmospheric Sciences, Michael Frisk (RP), Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000, 
was issued a five-year permit to research Atlantic sturgeon in the 
marine and estuarine waters of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and 
Delaware. To characterize Atlantic sturgeon aggregations, Atlantic 
sturgeon will be captured, measured, weighed, Carlin/Dart tagged, PIT 
tagged, anesthetized, fin ray sampled, and genetic tissue sampled. Some 
sturgeon will additionally be implanted internally with a satellite 
tag, and others will be fitted with an external pop-up satellite tag. A 
subset of fish will be gastric lavaged, blood sampled, and gill 
biopsied.
    File No. 16438 Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc., Hal 
Brundage (RP), 126 Bancroft Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348, was issued 
a five-year permit to study juvenile Atlantic sturgeon abundance, 
distribution, movement, habitat preferences and biology in the Delaware 
River and Bay. Researchers will capture, measure, weigh, photograph, 
PIT and Floy tag, and genetic tissue sample juvenile Atlantic sturgeon. 
A subset will be anesthetized, gastric lavaged, blood sampled, and 
implanted with an internal sonic tag. Early life stage fish will also 
be lethally sampled.
    File No. 16431 The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, Stewart 
Michels (RP), 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna, DE 19977, was issued 
a five-year permit to sample juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware 
River to locate nursery habitat, and characterize population ecology 
and habitat use. Fish will be captured using gill nets, measured, 
weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, tissue sampled, 
anesthetized, gastric lavaged, and implanted with an internal sonic 
tag.
    File No. 16507 Dewayne Fox, Ph.D., of Delaware State University, 
1200 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, was issued a five-year 
permit to sample Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware River and Bay, as 
well as in the coastal waters of Delaware. The objectives of this 
research are to provide more detailed information on the spawning 
location of Atlantic sturgeon and to develop a fishery independent 
sampling program to help assess recovery of the species. Researchers 
will use gill nets to capture adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon and 
egg mats to capture larval fish. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon 
will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, and 
tissue sampled; a subset will be anesthetized, implanted with an 
internal sonic tag, fin ray sampled, and gonad tissue sampled.
    File No. 16547 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albert Spells 
(RP), 11110 Kimages Road, Charles City, VA 23030 was issued a five-year 
permit to study Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay and its 
tributaries. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon will be captured 
using gill nets, trawls, fyke nets, trammel nets, and pound nets, and 
larval fish will be collected using egg mats. Adult and juvenile fish 
will be measured, weighed, tissue sampled, PIT and Floy tagged, and a 
subset of fish will have an external satellite tag attached.

[[Page 21755]]

    File No. 16375 North Carolina State University, Joe Hightower, 
Ph.D., (RP), Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, was issued a 
five-year permit to determine the presence, abundance, and distribution 
of Atlantic sturgeon in North Carolina rivers and estuaries. 
Researchers will use gill nets to capture adult and juvenile Atlantic 
sturgeon. Captured fish will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT 
tagged, Floy tagged, tissue sampled, and a sub-set will be implanted 
with an internal sonic tag.
    File No. 16442 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Bill 
Post, (RP), 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, was issued a 
five-year permit to conduct scientific research on Atlantic sturgeon in 
the rivers and estuaries of South Carolina. Adult and juvenile Atlantic 
sturgeon will be captured using gill nets, and measured, weighed, 
photographed, PIT and dart tagged, tissue sampled, and a sub-set will 
be implanted with an internal satellite tag. Young of the year fish 
will be captured using trawls, and measured and weighed; larval fish 
will be collected with egg mats. This research will contribute to 
knowledge about Atlantic sturgeon coastal migrations and riverine 
movement patterns and information on the status of the species.
    File No. 16482 The University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry 
and Natural Resources Fisheries Division, Doug Peterson, Ph.D., (RP), 
Athens, GA 30602, was issued a five-year permit to determine population 
dynamics and seasonal habitat use of Atlantic sturgeon in Georgia. Gill 
nets and trammel nets will be used to capture adult and juvenile 
Atlantic sturgeon, which will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT 
and Floy tagged, and tissue sampled; a sub-set will also be 
anesthetized, laproscoped, fin ray clipped, and implanted with an 
internal satellite tag. Egg mats and D-frame nets will be used to 
collect larval fish.
    File No. 16508 The U.S. Geological Survey Florida Integrated 
Science Center, Kenneth Sulak, Ph.D., (RP), 7920 NW 71st Street, 
Gainesville, FL 32653, was issued a five-year permit to identify and 
track Atlantic sturgeon in Florida and Georgia rivers. Adult and 
juvenile Atlantic sturgeon will be captured using a combination of 
side-scan sonar and gill nets. Captured individuals will be measured, 
weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, tissue sampled, and have an 
external satellite tag attached.
    Issuance of these permits, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that the permits (1) were applied for in good faith, (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set 
forth in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: April 6, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-8752 Filed 4-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P