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The 30-day public comment period started Aug. 10, 2023, on the National Marine Fisheries Service Draft Environmental Assessment of the effects of issuing an incidental take permit to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

The division submitted an Endangered Species Act Section 10 Incidental Take Permit application to Marine Fisheries Office of Protected Resources on Dec. 2, 2022.

The permit application and conservation plan was submitted to address sturgeon and sea turtle interactions in the state’s estuarine anchored gill-net fishery.

As issuing an ITP is a major federal action, Marine Fisheries Service must conduct a National Environmental Policy Act analysis on the effects of issuing the permit and publish the document summarizing this analysis. The analysis is included in the draft Environmental Assessment, which was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 10, 2023.

The public comment period ends on Sept. 11, 2023.

The public may review and download the draft EA here: noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-permit-north-carolina-division-marine-fisheries-sea-turtles-and-sturgeon.

Public comments may be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal regulations.gov. Enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0098 in the search box. Click on the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.

For more commenting instructions, refer to the notice of availability published here:

federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2023-17170/environmental-assessments-availability-etc-effects-of-issuing-an-incidental-take-permit-no-27106

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