[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 19217]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07342]


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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, issuance of 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 been issued a permit 
modification to take Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus 
oxyrinchus) for purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit modification 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; and
     Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 7, 2012, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (77 FR 73024) that a request for a scientific 
research permit modification to take Atlantic sturgeon had been 
submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit 
modification has 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).
    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, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tag, 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 also 
externally satellite tagged.
    The permit holder now is authorized to: telemetry tag adult or 
juvenile Atlantic sturgeon with either internal or external telemetry 
tags without respect to salinity level in the waters of Virginia and 
Maryland. All previous activities are authorized; however, the numbers 
of adult and sub-adult Atlantic sturgeon taken will be reduced from 425 
to 350 per year, while numbers of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon taken will 
be reduced from 175 to 125 annually. The permit holder is also 
authorized to internally telemetry tag 50 juvenile Atlantic sturgeon. 
The numbers of ELS will also be increased from 25 to 50 annually while 
using a film crew to document the activity. The modification will be 
valid until the permit expires on April 5, 2017.

    Dated: March 26, 2013.
Helen Golde,
Acting Chief, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-07342 Filed 3-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P