[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21754-21755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8752]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA713
Endangered Species; File Nos. 16526, 16323, 16436, 16422, 16438,
16431, 16507, 16547, 16375, 16442, 16482, and 16508
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Issuance of permits.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that twelve applications have been
issued permits to take Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus
oxyrinchus) for purposes of scientific research. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for additional information regarding permittees.
ADDRESSES: The permits 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;
Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg,
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malcolm Mohead or Colette Cairns,
(301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 21, 2011, notice was published
in the Federal Register (76 FR 58469) that 12 requests for scientific
research permits to take Atlantic 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).
File No. 16526 The Maine Department of Marine Resources, Gail
Wippelhauser, Ph.D., (Responsible Party (RP)), 21 State House Station,
Augusta, ME 04333, was issued a five-year permit to determine the
movement patterns and rate of exchange between coastal river systems in
Maine, characterize the population structure, and generate estimates of
population abundance. Researchers will capture adult, juvenile, and
early life stage Atlantic sturgeon. Individuals will be measured,
weighed, photographed, PIT tagged, Floy/T-bar tagged, tissue sampled,
boroscoped, apical spine sampled, blood sampled, anesthetized, fin ray
sectioned, and be implanted with an acoustic telemetry tag.
File No. 16323 The Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection Marine Fisheries, Tom Savoy (RP), PO Box 719, Old Lyme, CT
06371, was issued a five-year permit to monitor Atlantic sturgeon
populations to determine behavior, movement, and current status of the
species in Connecticut waters. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon
will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy/T-bar tagged,
genetic tissue sampled, anesthetized, and have a fin ray clipped for
ageing analysis; and a subset will be implanted with an internal sonic
tag to assess movement patterns.
File No. 16436 The New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, Kathryn Hattala (RP), 21 South Putt Corners Road, New
Paltz, NY 12561, was issued a five-year permit to research Atlantic
sturgeon in the Hudson River estuary, specifically to assess abundance
of juveniles, characterize the adult spawning stock, and generate
population estimates. Captured Atlantic sturgeon will be measured,
weighed, PIT and dart tagged, tissue sampled, implanted with an
external telemetry tag, anesthetized, and gastric lavaged.
File No. 16422 Stony Brook University, School of Marine and
Atmospheric Sciences, Michael Frisk (RP), Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000,
was issued a five-year permit to research Atlantic sturgeon in the
marine and estuarine waters of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and
Delaware. To characterize Atlantic sturgeon aggregations, Atlantic
sturgeon will be captured, measured, weighed, Carlin/Dart tagged, PIT
tagged, anesthetized, fin ray sampled, and genetic tissue sampled. Some
sturgeon will additionally be implanted internally with a satellite
tag, and others will be fitted with an external pop-up satellite tag. A
subset of fish will be gastric lavaged, blood sampled, and gill
biopsied.
File No. 16438 Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc., Hal
Brundage (RP), 126 Bancroft Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348, was issued
a five-year permit to study juvenile Atlantic sturgeon abundance,
distribution, movement, habitat preferences and biology in the Delaware
River and Bay. Researchers will capture, measure, weigh, photograph,
PIT and Floy tag, and genetic tissue sample juvenile Atlantic sturgeon.
A subset will be anesthetized, gastric lavaged, blood sampled, and
implanted with an internal sonic tag. Early life stage fish will also
be lethally sampled.
File No. 16431 The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, Stewart
Michels (RP), 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna, DE 19977, was issued
a five-year permit to sample juvenile Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware
River to locate nursery habitat, and characterize population ecology
and habitat use. Fish will be captured using gill nets, measured,
weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, tissue sampled,
anesthetized, gastric lavaged, and implanted with an internal sonic
tag.
File No. 16507 Dewayne Fox, Ph.D., of Delaware State University,
1200 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, was issued a five-year
permit to sample Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware River and Bay, as
well as in the coastal waters of Delaware. The objectives of this
research are to provide more detailed information on the spawning
location of Atlantic sturgeon and to develop a fishery independent
sampling program to help assess recovery of the species. Researchers
will use gill nets to capture adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon and
egg mats to capture larval fish. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon
will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, and
tissue sampled; a subset will be anesthetized, implanted with an
internal sonic tag, fin ray sampled, and gonad tissue sampled.
File No. 16547 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albert Spells
(RP), 11110 Kimages Road, Charles City, VA 23030 was issued a five-year
permit to study Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay and its
tributaries. Adult and juvenile Atlantic sturgeon will be captured
using gill nets, trawls, fyke nets, trammel nets, and pound nets, and
larval fish will be collected using egg mats. Adult and juvenile fish
will be measured, weighed, tissue sampled, PIT and Floy tagged, and a
subset of fish will have an external satellite tag attached.
[[Page 21755]]
File No. 16375 North Carolina State University, Joe Hightower,
Ph.D., (RP), Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, was issued a
five-year permit to determine the presence, abundance, and distribution
of Atlantic sturgeon in North Carolina rivers and estuaries.
Researchers will use gill nets to capture adult and juvenile Atlantic
sturgeon. Captured fish will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT
tagged, Floy tagged, tissue sampled, and a sub-set will be implanted
with an internal sonic tag.
File No. 16442 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Bill
Post, (RP), 217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, was issued a
five-year permit to conduct scientific research on Atlantic sturgeon in
the rivers and estuaries of South Carolina. Adult and juvenile Atlantic
sturgeon will be captured using gill nets, and measured, weighed,
photographed, PIT and dart tagged, tissue sampled, and a sub-set will
be implanted with an internal satellite tag. Young of the year fish
will be captured using trawls, and measured and weighed; larval fish
will be collected with egg mats. This research will contribute to
knowledge about Atlantic sturgeon coastal migrations and riverine
movement patterns and information on the status of the species.
File No. 16482 The University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources Fisheries Division, Doug Peterson, Ph.D., (RP),
Athens, GA 30602, was issued a five-year permit to determine population
dynamics and seasonal habitat use of Atlantic sturgeon in Georgia. Gill
nets and trammel nets will be used to capture adult and juvenile
Atlantic sturgeon, which will be measured, weighed, photographed, PIT
and Floy tagged, and tissue sampled; a sub-set will also be
anesthetized, laproscoped, fin ray clipped, and implanted with an
internal satellite tag. Egg mats and D-frame nets will be used to
collect larval fish.
File No. 16508 The U.S. Geological Survey Florida Integrated
Science Center, Kenneth Sulak, Ph.D., (RP), 7920 NW 71st Street,
Gainesville, FL 32653, was issued a five-year permit to identify and
track Atlantic sturgeon in Florida and Georgia rivers. Adult and
juvenile Atlantic sturgeon will be captured using a combination of
side-scan sonar and gill nets. Captured individuals will be measured,
weighed, photographed, PIT and Floy tagged, tissue sampled, and have an
external satellite tag attached.
Issuance of these permits, as required by the ESA, was based on a
finding that the permits (1) were 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 6, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-8752 Filed 4-10-12; 8:45 am]
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