[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16937-16938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8614]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 040199A]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for a research permit (1214), and 
issuance of modification 1 to research permit 1174.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding 
permits for takes of endangered and threatened species for the purposes 
of scientific research and/or enhancement:
    NMFS has received a permit application from: Ms. Jane Anne 
Provancha, of Dynamac Corporation (1214), and NMFS has issued 
modification 1 to scientific research Permit 1174 to Mr. Harold 
Brundage III, of Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc, to take 
listed species.

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
request (1214) must be received on or before May 7, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The documents pertaining to this application and permit are 
available for review by appointment by contacting:
    Chief, Endangered Species Division; Office of Protected Resources, 
F/PR3, NMFS, 1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226 (301-
713-1401).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    For Application 1214, Barb Schroeder, Endangered Species Division, 
Office of Protected Resources, (301-713-1401).
    For Permit 1174, Terri Jordan, Endangered Species Division, Office 
of Protected Resources, (301-713-1401).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
ESA, is based on a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) Are 
applied for in good faith; (2) would not operate to the disadvantage of 
the listed species which are the subject of the permits; and (3) are 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA. Authority to take listed species is subject to conditions set 
forth in the permits. Permits and modifications are issued in 
accordance with and are subject to 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).
    Those individuals requesting a hearing on an application listed in 
this notice should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that 
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

[[Page 16938]]

contained in the permit action summaries are those of the applicant and 
do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

    The following species and covered in this notice: Green turtle 
(Chelonia mydas), Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), Shortnose 
sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum).

New Application Received

    Jane Provancha (1214) requests authorization to take listed green 
and loggerhead sea turtles for scientific research in Mosquito Lagoon, 
FL. The purpose of the research is to continue work that began under 
NMFS Permit 942, granted in 1995; specifically, to: (1) Continue the 
comparison of current marine turtle population structure and 
distribution in Mosquito Lagoon to baseline data collected in 1976-
1979, (2) evaluate current seasonal distribution and occurrence of sea 
turtles, (3) evaluate distribution patterns relative to submarine 
resource distribution, (4) determine regional ``importance value'' of 
this lagoon relative to other studied juvenile habitats on the east 
coast of Florida, and (5) determine the sex ratio of the subadult 
marine turtles inhabiting Mosquito Lagoon.

Modification Issued

    Notice is hereby given that on February 26, 1999, NMFS issued 
modification 1 to scientific research Permit 1174 to Mr. Harold 
Brundage III, of Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc. The 
applicant possesses a 5-year permit to sample for and collect shortnose 
sturgeon in the Delaware River and Estuary system and in the lower 
Susquehanna River/Chesapeake Bay Complex. This sampling program is 
under contract to the NMFS Northeast Region, Protected Resources 
Division. The objectives of the study are to collect data on current 
distribution, abundance, length structure and movements of shortnose 
sturgeon in the Delaware River Estuary and in the lower Susquehanna 
River and Chesapeake Bay. Modification 1 increases the authorized 
annual take of shortnose sturgeon in the Delaware River to generate a 
statistically valid population estimate, due to evidence that the 
population of shortnose sturgeon in the Delaware River may be 
substantially higher than previously thought.

    Dated: April 1, 1999.
Kevin Collins,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-8614 Filed 4-6-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F