[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 67631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27514]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC348


Endangered Species; File Nos. 17367 and 17364

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of applications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS), Southeast Regional Office, Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 
30602 [Thomas Sinclair: Responsible Party], has applied in due form for 
a permit [File No. 17367] to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser 
brevirostrum) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) 
for purposes of conducting scientific research; and also that the 
USFWS, Northeast Fishery Center, PO Box 75, Lamar, PA 16848 [Michael 
Millard: Responsible Party], has applied in due form for a permit [File 
No. 17364] to take Atlantic sturgeon for purposes of conducting 
scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before December 13, 2012.

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. 17367 or 17364 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;
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.
    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(s) would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malcolm Mohead or Colette Cairns at 
(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. 17367: The applicant proposes using existing captive 
populations of shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon to conduct scientific 
research facilitating the development of new methods needed for 
achieving species recovery in four facilities in the Southeast Region 
of the USFWS. Research would include nutrition, physiology, 
propagation, contaminants, genetics, fish health, cryopreservation, 
tagging, refugia, and other collaborative research with others. 
Additionally, work would examine abiotic factors (e.g., pH, 
temperature, salinity dissolved oxygen, etc.) potentially influencing 
distribution and abundance in the wild. The permit would be valid for 
five years from the date of issuance.
    File No. 17364: The applicant proposes refining propagation and 
culture techniques of captive Atlantic sturgeon held in refugia at the 
USFWS's Northeast Fisheries Center providing a source of research 
animals for studies related to tagging, tracking, behavior, physiology, 
genetics, health, cryopreservation, and other methods for population 
conservation, recovery, or enhancement of the species in the wild. The 
permit would be valid for five years from the date of issuance.

    Dated: November 7, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-27514 Filed 11-9-12; 8:45 am]
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