[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 7760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03026]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD608


Endangered Species; File No. 19255

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of a permit, and termination of a permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Delaware Department of Natural 
Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) [Responsible Party: Michael 
Stangl], 3002 Bayside Dr., Dover, Delaware 19977, has been issued a 
permit to take shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic 
(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) sturgeon in the Delaware River for 
purposes of scientific research. Additionally, Permit No. 16431, issued 
to the same Permit Holder for study of Atlantic sturgeon, is hereby 
terminated.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 17, 2014, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (79 FR 68413) of a request for a permit to 
conduct research on shortnose sturgeon had been submitted by the above-
named applicant. On June 26, 2015, notice was published in the Federal 
Register (80 FR 36770) that the application was amended to include a 
request to conduct research on Atlantic sturgeon. The requested permit 
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. 19255 authorizes annual takes of endangered shortnose 
and Atlantic sturgeon to document nursery areas, individual movement 
patterns, seasonal movements, home ranges, and habitat usage(s) in the 
Delaware River. The authorized activities include capture of shortnose 
and Atlantic shortnose with gillnets. It also authorizes individuals to 
be weighed, measured, marked with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT), 
T-bar tagged, anesthetized, acoustic tagged, genetic tissue sampled, 
gastric lavaged, and photographed. It also authorized one unintentional 
mortality per species during the life of the permit. Specific 
activities and number of animals authorized per species are found on 
the permit. The shortnose sturgeon research activities are a 
continuation of the ones authorized under the DNREC expired Permit No. 
14396 (75 FR 4043). The Atlantic sturgeon research activities were 
incorporated from the ones authorized under the DNREC Permit No. 16431 
(76 FR 58469), which was set to expire April 5, 2017. Permit No. 16431 
was terminated with issuance of Permit No. 19225, valid until February 
5, 2021.
    Issuance of this permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permit (1) was applied for in good faith, (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth 
in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: February 9, 2016.
Perry F. Gayaldo,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-03026 Filed 2-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P