[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 110 (Thursday, June 6, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28854-28855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14166]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 053096B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of application for an incidental take permit 
(P609).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the North Carolina Division of 
Marine Fisheries has applied in due form for a permit for the 
incidental take of listed sea turtles.

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application must be received on or before July 8, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review by appointment in the following offices:
    Office of Protected Resources, F/PR8, NMFS, 1315 East-West Hwy., 
Room 13307, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-713-1401); and
    Director, Southeast Region, NMFS, NOAA, 9721 Executive Center 
Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432 (813-893-3141).
    Written comments, or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be submitted to the Chief, Endangered Species 
Division, Office of Protected Resources.


[[Page 28855]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Application (P609) requests a five-year 
permit under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) 
(16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and 
wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217-227). The applicant requests 
authorization for the incidental take of sea turtles by shrimp trawling 
activities in North Carolina in a restricted area up to 1 nm offshore 
from Rich's Inlet (34 deg.17.6'N) to Brown's Inlet (34 deg.35.7'N). 
This permit would replace the NMFS 1992-1995 temporary rules which 
allowed shrimp trawlers to use shorter tow times in lieu of towing 
turtle excluder devices (TEDs), due to the heavy concentration of algae 
in this restricted area which clogs the TEDs and renders them 
inoperable. The exemption period would be from April 1 through November 
30 from 1996-2000. Tow times, measured from the time the trawl doors 
enter the water until the time they are removed from the water, would 
be limited to 55 minutes between April 1 and October 30, and 75 minutes 
for the month of November. The applicants would consult with NMFS if 
the following lethal take occurred in any one year that was directly 
attributable to tow-time exemption tows: one Kemp's ridley, hawksbill, 
green, or leatherback turtle, or two loggerhead turtles. There are 
approximately 45 shrimp trawlers utilizing the restricted area. Tow 
times will be monitored from shore, and the applicants plan to have 5% 
observer coverage in the restricted area for at least the first year of 
the permit. In addition, the applicant has proclamation power over this 
fishery, and may impose further restrictions as appropriate.
    Those individuals requesting a hearing should set out the specific 
reasons why a hearing on this particular application would be 
appropriate (see ADDRESSES). The holding of such hearing is at the 
discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All 
statements and opinions contained in this application summary are those 
of the applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

    Dated: May 30, 1996.
Margaret Lorenz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-14166 Filed 6-5-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F