[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]
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