[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 228 (Friday, November 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 74085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30133]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE315


Endangered Species; File Nos. 19331 and 19642

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of applications.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Harold Brundage [Responsible 
Party], Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc.; 126 Bancroft Rd; 
Kennett Square, PA 19348, has applied in due form for a permit [File 
No. 19331] to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) and 
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) for purposes of 
conducting scientific research; and that Jason Kahn [Responsible 
Party], NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910, has applied in due form for a permit to take shortnose sturgeon 
and Atlantic sturgeon for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before December 28, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The applications 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 either 
File No. 19331 or File No. 19642 from the list of available 
applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the 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.
    Written comments on these applications 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 either of these applications would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malcolm Mohead or Rosa L. 
Gonz[aacute]lez, (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permits 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).
    File No. 19331: The applicant proposes to combine and continue 
similar shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon research currently authorized 
in the Delaware River and Estuary by Permit No 14604 (expiring on April 
19, 2016) and Permit No. 16438 (expiring on April 5, 2017), 
respectively. At issuance of Permit No. 19331, both of the former 
permits would be terminated. The applicant's new objectives would be to 
characterize Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon habitat use in the lower 
Delaware River (between rkm 0 to rkm 245), studying the relative 
abundance, recruitment, temporal-spatial distributions, and 
reproduction, as well as assessing the potential for entrainment and 
impingement of various life stages of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon 
at the intakes of selected industrial sites on the Delaware River. The 
permit would be valid for five years from the date of issuance.
    File No. 19642: The applicant has proposed two studies to study 
Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay and other river 
systems of the Atlantic coast. The primary objective of Study No. 1 
would be discovering and quantifying new populations of Atlantic and 
shortnose sturgeon in the York, Rappahannock, Potomac, and Susquehanna 
Rivers, and other Chesapeake Bay tributaries of Virginia and Maryland. 
Researchers would also attempt to monitor spawning activity, movement, 
and habitat use of individuals of these populations through telemetry 
and side-scan sonar technology. In Study No. 2, researchers would 
opportunistically sample Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon legally 
captured under ESA incidental take permits or incidental take 
statements authorized by NMFS in other actions. Goals would be to track 
coastal movements of both species in mixed marine stocks. The permit 
would be valid for five years from the date of issuance.

    Dated: November 23, 2015.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-30133 Filed 11-25-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P