[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 66 (Friday, April 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16996-16997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07000]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF116


Endangered Species; Permit Nos. 17861, 19641, 20314, 20340, 
20347, 20351, 20528, 20548, and 20651

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that nine individuals or organizations 
have been issued permits to take Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser 
oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) and shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) 
for purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permits 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 Erin Markin, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 18, 2017, a notice was published 
in the Federal Register [82 FR 5536] announcing nine requests for 
scientific research permits to take Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose 
sturgeon had been submitted. The requested permits have 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). Each permit is issued to an individual permit holder or 
organization and its responsible party (RP), and is summarized as 
follows:
    Permit No. 17861: Douglas Peterson (Permit Holder), University of 
Georgia Warnell School of Forestry, Athens, GA 30602, was issued a 10-
year scientific research permit to study the ecology, population 
dynamics, and status of Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon in 
Georgia and Florida river systems. Sturgeon of each species are 
authorized to be captured with nets during spring and fall and then 
tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and Floy tags, 
genetic tissue sampled, and measured and weighed prior to release. 
Subsets of fish will be acoustically tagged, gonadal sampled through 
endoscopic sex determination, and have blood and fin-ray samples taken. 
Early life stages of each species are also authorized to be collected, 
documenting the occurrence and periodicity of spawning in Georgia and 
Florida river systems.
    Permit No. 19641: The Connecticut Department of Energy and 
Environmental Protection, Marine Fisheries, Tom Savoy (RP), P.O. Box 
719, Old Lyme, CT 06371, was issued a ten-year scientific research 
permit to study Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon in Connecticut 
waters, monitoring their presence, abundance, age and sex composition, 
habitat utilization, and seasonal movement. Atlantic sturgeon and 
shortnose sturgeon are authorized to be captured with nets and trawls, 
and then measured, weighed, tissue sampled, PIT tagged, Floy tagged, 
and photographed,

[[Page 16997]]

prior to release. A subset of fish also will be fin ray sampled, blood 
sampled, acoustic tagged, and gastric lavaged.
    Permit No. 20314: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albert Spells 
(RP), 11110 Kimages Road, Charles City 23030, was issued a 10-year 
scientific research permit to study Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake 
Bay and its Maryland, Virginia and Delaware tributaries. The research 
objectives are to identify the health of the Atlantic sturgeon 
population, monitor reproductive success, spawning adult and juvenile 
abundance in tributaries, and evaluate movement patterns and habitat 
preferences in and between tributaries of the Bay. Adult and juvenile 
Atlantic sturgeon are authorized to be captured with nets and trawls 
and then measured, genetic tissue sampled, PIT tagged, Floy tagged, 
photographed, and weighed and measured prior to release. A subset of 
fish will be acoustically tagged and have fin rays, blood and gonad 
tissues sampled. Early life stages will also be collected to document 
the occurrence and periodicity of spawning of Atlantic sturgeon in 
Chesapeake Bay tributaries.
    Permit No. 20340: The New York State Department of Environmental 
Conservation, Kim McKown (RP), 205 Belle Mead Road, East Setauket, NY 
11733, was issued a 10-year scientific research permit to conduct 
studies on Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon in the Hudson 
River. Major objectives include acoustic telemetry and mark-recapture 
studies to determine adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose 
sturgeon movement, population numbers, and habitat preference. Fish are 
authorized to be captured by gill nets in year-round sampling, and then 
measured, weighed, PIT tagged, genetic tissue sampled, and photographed 
before release. A subset of these fish will be externally and/or 
internally tagged, fin ray sampled for aging, gastric lavaged, gonadal 
biopsied, and blood sampled. Early life stages of Atlantic sturgeon and 
shortnose sturgeon will be collected, documenting the occurrence of 
spawning in the Hudson River.
    Permit No. 20347: The University of Maine, School of Marine 
Sciences, Gayle Zydlewski (RP), 5741 Libby Hall, Room 202A, Orono, ME 
04469, was issued a 10-year scientific research permit authorizing 
research on Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon occurring in the 
Gulf of Maine (GOM) and its tributaries. Adult, and juvenile sturgeon 
of each species will be sampled with nets, trawls, and trotlines, 
annually, and then measured, weighed, PIT tagged, tissue sampled, and 
photographed. A subset will be acoustically tagged, apical scute and 
fin ray sampled for age analysis, gastric lavaged, borescoped, and 
blood sampled. Early life stages of both sturgeon species will be 
collected to document the occurrence of spawning in GOM tributaries.
    Permit No. 20351: The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, 
Stony Brook University, Michael Frisk (RP), Stony Brook, NY 11794, was 
issued a 10-year scientific research permit to conduct studies on 
Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon, examining the movement 
Atlantic sturgeon marine aggregation areas located in New York, New 
Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut waters. Research will also provide 
genetic stock identification and acquire diet, age, and parasite-
prevalence data. Other objectives will target Atlantic sturgeon adult 
and sub-adults within the marine aggregation areas, and juvenile 
Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. 
Sturgeon are authorized to be captured with nets and trawls, then 
measured, weighed, PIT tagged, tissue sampled, and photographed before 
release. A subset of these fish will be acoustically tagged, fin ray 
sampled, gastric lavaged, gonadal sampled, apical scute sampled, 
ultrasound performed, and blood sampled. Early life stages of both 
sturgeon species will be collected, documenting the occurrence of 
spawning in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.
    Permit No. 20528: The South Carolina Department of Natural 
Resources, Bill Post (RP), 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, 
was issued a 10-years scientific research permit to conduct studies on 
Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon in South Carolina waters, 
determining their presence, status, health, habitat use, and movements. 
Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon are authorized to be captured 
with nets, and then measured, weighed, PIT tagged, genetic tissue 
sampled, and photographed before released. A subset of these 
individuals will be acoustically tagged, fin ray sampled, and gonadal 
biopsied. Early life stages of both sturgeon species will be collected, 
documenting the occurrence and periodicity of spawning in South 
Carolina river systems.
    Permit No. 20548: Dewayne Fox (Permit Holder), Delaware State 
University, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 1200 North 
DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, was issued a 10-year scientific 
research permit to study Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon using 
gillnets, biotelemetry, and hydroacoustic tools in the Delaware and 
Hudson Rivers and estuaries, and in Atlantic coastal environments 
between Virginia and New York. The primary objective are developing 
quantitative estimates of run size, recruitment, and habitat 
assessment. Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon are authorized to 
be captured, measured, weighed, PIT tagged, tissue sampled, and 
photographed. A subset of individuals will be externally and/or 
internally tagged, fin ray sampled, blood sampled, and gonadal 
biopsied. Early life stages of Atlantic sturgeon will be collected to 
document the occurrence of spawning in river systems.
    Permit No. 20651: Entergy Indian Point, Anthony Vitale (RP), 450 
Broadway, Buchanan, NY 10511, was issued a 5-year scientific research 
permit for conducting research on Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose 
sturgeon in the Hudson River and Estuary for the Hudson River 
Biological Monitoring Program (HRBMP), involving fisheries sampling to 
monitor ichthyoplankton and juvenile fish abundance and distribution 
from Battery Park, Manhattan, upstream to Troy Dam during March through 
October, and in portions of New York Harbor during November through 
April. Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon are authorized to be 
captured with trawls and nets, and then measured, weighed, PIT tagged, 
tissue sampled, and photographed. Early life stages of each species 
will be collected to document occurrence of spawning in the Hudson 
River.
    Issuance of these permits, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permits were: (1) Applied for in good faith, (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set 
forth in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: April 4, 2017.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-07000 Filed 4-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P