[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 75 (Thursday, April 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 23225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09142]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XV04


Endangered Species; File Nos. 14759-01 and 16375-01

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of applications for permit modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the North Carolina Cooperative 
Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina State University, 
Raleigh, NC 27695 [Joseph Hightower: Responsible Party], has applied in 
due form for permit modifications to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser 
brevirostrum) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) 
for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before May 20, 2013.

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 
Nos. 14759-01 and 16375-01 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
     Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint 
Petersburg, Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    Written comments on either application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division
     By email to [email protected] (include the File 
No. in the subject line of the email);
     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 and Conservation Division at the 
address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on the application would be appropriate.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit modifications are 
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 parts 222-226).
    Permit No. 14759 was issued August 20, 2010 (75 FR 53278), and 
Permit No. 16375 was issued on April 6, 2012 (77 FR 21754) to the 
applicant listed above. Each permit currently authorizes the permit 
holder to assess the presence, abundance, and distribution of shortnose 
sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon, respectively, within North Carolina 
rivers (Chowan, Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear) and 
estuaries (Albemarle Sound) using non-lethal sampling methods, using 
hydroacoustic surveys (side-scan, DIDSON) and gill nets. The permit 
holder is now requesting authorization to modify both permits to allow 
use of artificial substrates for characterizing spawning activity in 
the Roanoke and/or Cape Fear Rivers. Specifically, it is proposed that 
artificial substrates be used for collecting up to 50 shortnose 
sturgeon and 50 Atlantic sturgeon early life stages (ELS) per river 
annually. Proposed sampling for ELS would be conducted up to the first 
impassible dam, i.e., river kilometer 221 in the Roanoke River and 
river kilometer 300 in the Cape Fear River. The artificial substrates 
for collecting sturgeon ELS would be made from floor buffing pads, 
approximately 2 feet in diameter, and these would anchored to the river 
bottom and marked with a buoy. The pads would be monitored at least 
twice per week during suspected spawning runs of either species. The 
modifications would be valid until the respective permits expire on 
August 19, 2015 (File No. 14759), and April 5, 2017 (File No. 16375).

    Dated: April 15, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-09142 Filed 4-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P