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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86319-86320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25214]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE386]

Notice of Availability of a Final Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment on the Effects of Permitting Translocation of Sturgeon for 
Scientific Research and Enhancement Under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the 
Endangered Species Act

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of final programmatic environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: NOAA has prepared a final programmatic environmental 
assessment (PEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) under the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, analyzing 
the environmental impacts of the NMFS Office of Protected Resources 
(OPR) proposal to authorize directed take under the sturgeon Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) permitting program for the translocation of shortnose 
(Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic (A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) 
sturgeons for research and enhancement purposes. Based on its finding 
of no significant impact, NMFS has determined that an environmental 
impact statement need not be prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Markin, Ph.D., 
[email protected], (301) 427-8416; Malcolm Mohead, 
[email protected], (301) 427-8427.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This final PEA analyzes the potential impacts on the natural and 
human environments for the authorization of directed take of sturgeon 
by translocation, in scientific research or enhancement permits under 
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, to achieve recovery objectives. For the 
purposes of the sturgeon permitting program, translocation is the 
intentional capture, holding, handling, transport, and release of 
individuals within a river system (e.g., translocation of fish across a 
dam or fish passage) or between river systems within the U.S. 
historical range of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon (i.e., Maine to 
Florida). Under the Proposed Action, NMFS would authorize directed

[[Page 86320]]

take for the translocation of ESA-listed Atlantic and shortnose 
sturgeon as a research or enhancement activity to support sturgeon 
conservation management and recovery objectives. NMFS would authorize 
translocation concurrent with additional research or enhancement 
activities, if the research or enhancement activity's objectives are 
(1) stated as a term and condition to implement reasonable and prudent 
measures of an active biological opinion, (2) an identified objective 
in a NMFS recovery outline or recovery plan for the species, or (3) 
determined necessary by NMFS Regional Offices and the NMFS OPR to 
recover the species. Programmatic NEPA reviews add value and efficiency 
to the decision making process when they inform the scope of decisions 
and subsequent tiered NEPA reviews. Therefore, NMFS decided that 
completing a PEA for the proposed action was appropriate.
    NMFS published a Notice of Availability of the draft PEA in the 
Federal Register on December 27, 2023 (88 FR 89385) beginning a 30-day 
public comment period. NMFS considered the public comments received on 
the draft PEA and has responded to comments in appendix 1 of the final 
PEA.
    After publishing the draft PEA for public comment, NMFS identified 
one additional sampling method that was inadvertently left out of the 
draft PEA. Epidermal mucus sampling was found to be consistent with an 
existing category of activities that normally do not have a significant 
effect on the human environment, and therefore do not require 
preparation of an environmental assessment or environmental impact 
statement (40 CFR 1501.4). NMFS incorporated this additional method 
into the final PEA which resulted in no changes to the impact 
determinations. Additional information is located in section 1.2.1 of 
the final PEA.
    The PEA and FONSI have been prepared in compliance with NEPA of 
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the 2020 Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) as modified by the 
Phase 1 2022 revisions, and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA 
Administrative Order 216-6A and its Companion Manual). The final PEA 
and FONSI may be downloaded or viewed at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/draft-environmental-assessment-permitting-translocation-sturgeon-scientific-research-and.

    Dated: October 25, 2024.
Amy Sloan,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-25214 Filed 10-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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