[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 236 (Friday, December 7, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73024-73025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29522]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA713


Endangered Species; File No. 16547-01

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for a permit modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 11110 Kimages Road; Charles City, Virginia 23030 
[Albert Spells: Responsible Party], has requested a modification to 
scientific research Permit No. 16547 authorizing scientific research on 
endangered Atlantic sturgeon.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before January 7, 2013.

ADDRESSES: The modification request 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. 16547-01 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; and
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, at the address listed above. 
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or by 
email to [email protected]. Please include the File No. in the 
subject line of the email comment.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the 
address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on the application(s) would be appropriate.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 
16547, issued on April 11, 2012 (77 FR 21754), is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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).
    Permit No. 16547 currently authorizes the permit holder to: 
Evaluate the abundance of Atlantic sturgeon within the Chesapeake 
Distinct Population Segment (DPS); including the Chesapeake Bay and its 
tributaries above and below 22 parts per thousand salinity. Researchers 
are currently authorized to capture adult, juvenile and early life 
stages (ELS) of Atlantic sturgeon using gill nets, trawls, fyke nets, 
trammel nets, pound nets and egg mats; and to measure, weigh, tissue 
sample, PIT and Floy tag appropriately sized animals. A subset can be 
tagged either externally or internally with telemetry tags dependent on 
the life stage (adult, sub-adult and juvenile) and the salinity level 
where captured; or

[[Page 73025]]

also externally satellite tagged. The permit holder now requests 
authorization to: Telemetry tag adult or juvenile Atlantic sturgeon 
with either internal or external telemetry tags without respect to 
salinity level of the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries in the borders of 
Virginia and Maryland. The numbers of adult and sub-adult Atlantic 
sturgeon taken would be reduced from 425 to 350 per year, while numbers 
of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon taken would be reduced from 175 to 125 
annually. However, there would be an option added to internally 
telemetry tag 50 juvenile Atlantic sturgeon; and the numbers of ELS 
would also be increased from 25 to 50 annually while using a film crew 
to document the activity. The modification would be valid until the 
permit expires on April 5, 2017.

    Dated: November 30, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-29522 Filed 12-6-12; 8:45 am]
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