45216 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 150 / Monday, August 4, 2008 / Notices 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application 

for modification 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. 

Boyd Kynard, S.O. Conte Anadromous 

Fish Research Center (USGS–BRD), Box 

796, One Migratory Way, Turners Falls, 

MA 01376, has requested a modification 

to scientific research Permit No. 1549. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

September 3, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: The modification request 

and related documents are available for 

review upon written request or by 

appointment in the following offices: 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; and 

Northeast Region, NMFS, One 

Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 

01930–2298; phone (978)281–9300; fax 

(978)281–9394. 

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing on this request should be 

submitted to the Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 

individuals requesting a hearing should 

set forth the specific reasons why a 

hearing on this particular modification 

request would be appropriate. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile at (301)427–2521, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

e-mail. The mailbox address for 

providing e-mail comments is 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: File No. 1549. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Malcolm Mohead or Kate Swails, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject modification to Permit No. 1549, 

issued on February 1, 2007 (72 FR 

5680), is requested under the authority 

of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 

as amended (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). 

Permit No. 1549 currently authorizes 

the permit holder to determine up and 

downstream migrations, habitat use, 

spawning periodicity, seasonal 

movements, and growth of shortnose 

sturgeon in the Connecticut River (from 

Agawan to Montague, MA), and in the 

Merrimack River (at Haverhill, MA), and 

in the Androscoggin River (ME). In 

addition, Dr. Kynard is authorized to 

take a total of 1,000 fertilized eggs 

annually from each of the following 

rivers: Kennebec River and 

Androscoggin River (ME); Merrimack 

River (MA); Hudson River (NY); 

Delaware River (DE); Potomac River 

(MD); and Santee-Cooper River (SC). 

The permit holder is now requesting 

to conduct new research in the 

Merrimack River authorizing him: (1) to 

take 200 adult/large juvenile and 100 

small juvenile (0–3 years) shortnose 

sturgeon; (2) to use trawls for capture of 

smaller juveniles; (3) to telemetry tag 15 

adults/large juveniles and 15 early 

juveniles; (4) to change the action area 

to include the Estuary to I–495 at 

Haverhill, Massachusetts; and (5) to 

increase incidental mortality of 

shortnose sturgeon to a total of three 

fish. The purpose of the proposed 

modification is to provide a mark/ 

recapture population estimate for the 

river and to provide evidence for 

recolonization verses recruitment to 

explain an apparent recent increase in 

abundance of shortnose sturgeon found 

in the river. This modification would be 

valid through the expiration date of the 

original permit, January 31, 2012. 

Dated: July 28, 2008. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–17818 Filed 8–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XJ45 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

scheduling a public meeting of its Skate 

Committee in August, 2008 to consider 

actions affecting New England fisheries 

in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

Recommendations from this group will 

be brought to the full Council for formal 

consideration and action, if appropriate. 

DATES: This meeting will be held on 

Monday, August 25, 2008, at 9 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at 

the Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, 

Peabody, MA 01960: telephone: (978) 

535–4600; fax: (978) 535–8238. 

COUNCIL ADDRESS: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council; 

telephone: (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Committee will review and finalize the 

Draft Amendment 3 document, which is 

scheduled for public hearings in 

October. The Plan Development Team 

(PDT) will also recommend a rebuilding 

schedule and plan for smooth skate that 

NMFS recently determined has become 

overfished. Amendment 3 proposes 

catch limits, time/area closures, and 

possession limits to reduce skate 

landings and mortality to levels that are 

consistent with rebuilding smooth, 

thorny and winter skate biomass while 

preventing overfishing. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

listed in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the Council’s intent to take 

final action to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, at (978) 

465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting date. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: July 29, 2008. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–17734 Filed 8–1–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XJ46 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 


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