The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to issue a modification to a research permit to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Lands and Natural Resources (Responsible Party: Arnold Palacios), for takes of threatened green (Chelonia mydas) and endangered hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles in the wild, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 et seq.). The modification would be valid through January 31, 2017. The original objectives of the sea turtle research would remain unchanged: to characterize population structure, size class composition, foraging ecology, and migration patterns for green and hawksbill sea turtles in the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) to identify potential conservation or critical habitat areas for immature and adult sea turtles in nearshore waters. Authorized research consists of counts and hand captures of sea turtles during vessel surveys. Captured sea turtles may be measured, weighed, flipper and passive integrated transponder tagged, temporarily marked, tissue sampled, photographed, and released. A subset of the turtles may be satellite tagged before release and then tracked from the vessel. Sea turtle carcasses, tissues, or parts may be opportunistically salvaged each year. The permit would be modified to authorize blood and scute sampling of a subset of captured sea turtles to address a new objective: to analyze a broad suite of environmental pollutants that may be threatening the health of sea turtles in the NMI. All other research objectives, capture methods, take numbers, action area, and activities would remain unchanged. The data generated by the permit modification would help determine the movement and habitat use of green and hawksbill sea turtles found in the waters of the action area. Moreover, this data would provide information that could help with the management, conservation, and recovery of these listed species.

In response to the receipt of an application from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), NMFS, Office of Protected Resources (PR) proposes to modify Permit No. 16436 and terminate Permit No. 16439 pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Both permits are held by the NYSDEC. The Permit Holder proposes to continue studying the population dynamics and seasonal habitat use of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) authorized in Permit 16436 and proposes to consolidate the existing takes of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in Permit 16439 and then terminate Permit No. 16439 upon issuance of the modification. The Permit Holder also requests increasing the numbers and procedures for taking both Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon to meet new objectives, including tracking movement, habitat and diet changes in response to major construction projects on the Hudson River. The modification would be valid through the expiration date of the original permit on April 5, 2017.

NMFS proposes to issue a modification to scientific research permit No. 16547 to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 11110 Kimages Road; Charles City, Virginia 23030 [Albert Spells: Responsible Party], authorizing scientific research on endangered Atlantic sturgeon pursuant to 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 222-226). The modification would be valid through April 5, 2017. Permit No. 16547 currently permits the permit holder to: evaluate abundance of Atlantic sturgeon within the Chesapeake Bay Distinct Population Segment (DPS), including the entirety of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries above and below 22 parts per thousand (ppt) salinity. Researchers are authorized to capture adult, juvenile and early life stages (ELS) of Atlantic sturgeon using gill nets, trawls, fyke nets, trammel nets, pound nets and egg mats; and to measure, weigh, tissue sample, PIT and Floy tag appropriately sized animals. Dependent on the life stage and the salinity level, a subset may be telemetry tagged internally or externally. The permit holder now requests to: telemetry tag adult sub-adult or juvenile Atlantic sturgeon with either internal or external telemetry tags without respect to salinity level within the same action area. However, the numbers of adult and sub-adult Atlantic sturgeon requested would be reduced from 425 to 350 per year; the numbers of juveniles would be reduced from 175 to 125 annually, and the sub-set of juveniles requested to be telemetry tagged is increased to 50 from 25, including the option for internal telemetry tagging. Finally, the number of ELS proposed would increase from 25 to 50 annually to document spawning in other rivers. All other aspects of the currently permitted activity--the action area, capture methods, incidental takes, impacts to other listed species, types of research activities, and objectives--would remain the same.

"The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources, proposes to issue modifications to two scientific research permits for takes of shortnose sturgeon in the wild, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (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). The Permit modifications addressed in this SEA are for Permit No. 1578-00 issued to the Maine Division of Marine Resources (MDMR) in 2006, and Permit No. 1595-03 issued to Michael Hastings of the University of Maine (UM) in 2009. This SEA, therefore, supplements the prior respective EA and SEA, and all other minor permit modifications. Permit No. 1578 currently authorizes research focusing on the location of spawning habitat, feeding habitat, and migratory pathways of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in the Kennebec River, between Augusta and Waterville, Maine. The proposed modification (File 1578-01) would change research objectives, as well as expand the geographic scope of the research, increasing numbers of sturgeon sampled, acoustic tags deployed, and new research methods including: borescoping, Floy anchor tagging, blood collection, gastric lavage, electronarcosis and scute sampling. Permit 1595-03 currently assesses the distribution, abundance, movements and spawning of shortnose sturgeon in the lower Penobscot River and Estuary. The objectives and action area of research would not be changed in the proposed modification (File 1595-04); however, it proposes increased numbers of sturgeon captured, lower water temperatures for sampling adults and juvenile sturgeon, and new research methods including: scute sampling, Floy anchor tagging, fall egg and larvae sampling, electronarcosis and gastric lavage. Both permit modifications would assist researchers in the future development of collaborative research programs in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) determining the number and size of extant populations of shortnose sturgeon in the GOM and the rate of exchange between coastal river systems"--Abstract (p. [1]-2).

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to issue a modification to a research permit to Dewayne Fox, PhD., for takes of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the wild, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The modification would be valid through April 5, 2017. The objectives of the research for Atlantic sturgeon would remain unchanged: to collect data on the biology, distribution and abundance of endangered Atlantic sturgeon to facilitate recovery of the species. Three projects fall under the permitted research. The first project authorizes directed mortality of Atlantic sturgeon eggs. As part of the second project, a hydroacoustic assessment survey, 100 Atlantic sturgeon are authorized for capture by gill net, and for measuring, weighing, tissue sampling, and PIT tagging. The third involves the capture of 300 Atlantic sturgeon annually by gill net throughout Delaware's coastal waters, and in the Delaware Bay and River. All captured Atlantic sturgeon are measured, passive integrated transponder tagged, tissue sampled, and released. Subsets of captured Atlantic sturgeon are fitted with internal satellite tags or external pop-off satellite tags; sampling also includes gonad tissue biopsy. The applicant now requests authorization for 100 annual shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) takes for the remainder of the permit; all capture methods, action areas and activities would remain the same as for the currently authorized Atlantic sturgeon takes. The authorization to sample an additional sturgeon species would allow the permit holder to test use of a hydroacoustic assessment method for shortnose sturgeon which is currently authorized for Atlantic sturgeon.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to issue modifications to two research permits held by the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit [hereinafter "Permit Holder" and Joseph Hightower, Ph.D., Responsible Party/Principal Investigator: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695] for takes of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) (File No. 14759-01) and for takes of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) (File No. 16375-01) in the wild, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The research objectives for both permits would remain unchanged: to collect data on the biology, distribution and abundance of endangered shortnose sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon to facilitate recovery of the respective species. In Permit No. 14759, the Permit Holder is currently authorized to capture with gill net, measure, weigh, genetic tissue sample, PIT tag and Floy tag up to 15 shortnose sturgeon annually from the Chowan and Cape Fear River Basins and Albemarle Sound. Additionally, the Permit Holder is authorized to capture and sample up to 25 shortnose sturgeon per year from the Roanoke River Basin. Annually, a sub- set of up to five sub-adults or adults from each of the river basins and Albemarle Sound can also be anesthetized and surgically implanted with internal sonic transmitters annually. In Permit No. 16375, the Permit Holder is authorized to capture with gill nets measure, weigh, genetic tissue sample, PIT and Floy tag up to 200 Atlantic sturgeon annually from the same locations authorized in Permit No. 14759. Further, a sub-set of up to ninety juvenile, sub-adult or adult Atlantic sturgeon may be annually implanted with acoustic transmitter tags within the Albemarle Sound, and Roanoke, Chowan and Cape Fear River Basins, with no more than 45 tagged in each the Cape Fear River system or the combined area for the Albemarle Sound, Roanoke River and Chowan River. The applicant now requests authorization to verify spawning activity shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon by deploying artificial egg mats downstream of suspected spawning areas to take up to 50 early life stages (ELS) of each species annually from both the Roanoke River and Cape Fear River (total of 200 ELS). The expanded action area for each species up to the first impassible dam on the Roanoke River (rkm 221) and on the Cape Fear (rkm 300), will also be a part of the permit modification. All other currently authorized takes, methods and activities would remain the same for each permit. The modifications would be valid through the expiration dates of the original Permit No. 14759 (August 19, 2015) and Permit No. 16375 (April 5, 2017).

In response to the receipt of an application for a permit modification from Warnell School of Forest Resources, Fisheries Division [hereinafter, Permit Holder, and Douglas Peterson, PhD, Responsible Party (RP)/Principal Investigator (PI)], University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602], NMFS, Office of Protected Resources (PR) proposes to modify Permit No. 16482 to include additional "takes" of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).The permit holder proposes to continue studying the population dynamics and seasonal habitat use of Atlantic sturgeon in the rivers and estuaries as currently authorized in Permit 16482 in the Savannah (GA/SC), Ogeechee (GA), Altamaha (GA), Satilla (GA), and Saint Marys Rivers (GA/FL). The Permit Holder is authorized to capture Atlantic sturgeon with gill nets and trammel nets and also measure, weigh, genetic tissue sample, PIT tag and Floy tag, acoustic tag, laparoscope, biopsy, anesthetize, gastric lavage, fin ray clip, acoustic tag and to collect early life stages. However, the permit holder now proposes to combine takes of shortnose sturgeon, which were previously authorized under separate permits while fishing concurrently for Atlantic sturgeon. One existing shortnose sturgeon permit in Georgia waters would be terminated when the modification is issued, while other expired shortnose sturgeon permits would be reapplied for as previously authorized. The permit holder also requests taking 100 blood samples from both species captured from the Altamaha River. Further, the modification expands the project area to include northeast Florida's Nassau and St. Johns rivers and adjoining waterways, as well as to authorize the take of shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon. The modification would be valid through the expiration date of the original permit on April 5, 2017.