SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This draft PEA serves as a framework to analyze 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). NMFS proposes to authorize directed 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 proposes to 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 Office of Protected Resources (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.

This document has been prepared in compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the 2020 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) as modified by the Phase 1 2022 revisions, and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A (NAO 216-6A and its Companion Manual).

88 FR 89385