[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 241 (Thursday, December 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 78146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31918]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D.120700B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of application to modify permits (1201).

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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 
applications for permit modifications from: Dr. Thane Wibbels, 
University of Alabama at Birmingham (1201).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on any of the new 
applications or modification requests must be received at the 
appropriate address or fax number no later than 5 p.m. eastern standard 
time on January 16, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on any of the new applications or 
modification requests should be sent to the appropriate office as 
indicated below. Comments may also be sent via fax to the number 
indicated for the application or modification request. Comments will 
not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet. The 
applications and related documents are available for review in the 
indicated office, by appointment: For permits 1201: Office of Protected 
Resources, Endangered Species Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910 (ph: 301-713-1401, fax: 301-713-0376).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For permits 1201: Terri Jordan, Silver 
Spring, MD (ph: 301-713-1401, fax: 301-713-0376, e-mail: 
[email protected]).?????

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

     Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (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 ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife 
permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    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 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: Sea Turtles

    The following species and evolutionarily significant units (ESU's) 
are covered in this notice:
    Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley turtle (Lepidochelys 
kempii), Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

Modification Requests Received

Permit #1201

    The applicant requests a modification to Permit 1201. Permit 1201 
authorizes the sampling for and collection of green, loggerhead and 
Kemp's ridley turtles in the estuaries of Alabama in the Northern Gulf 
of Mexico. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the abundance, 
movements, and location of juvenile sea turtles in the estuaries of 
Alabama, to potentially identify specific foraging areas. The presence 
of juvenile sea turtles in estuaries represents a potential conflict 
for fisheries and coastal development. However, there is little 
information about this issue for the estuaries of Alabama. The 
information from this study is critical to developing a prudent 
management strategy which protects sea turtles while sustaining the 
productivity of the fisheries. The proposed research is a prerequisite 
to determining if the estuaries of Alabama represent a developmental 
habitat for juvenile sea turtles.
    The applicant proposes to: (1) Identify potential foraging areas by 
conducting sampling surveys, and measuring and tagging all captured 
turtles, (2) Perform radio tracking on some of the turtles to determine 
short term movements, home range, and identify foraging areas, (3) 
Collect samples of fecal and stomach materials in order to identify and 
document the diets of juvenile turtles, (4) Collect blood samples to 
estimate of sex ratio. Modification #1 would extend the permit 
expiration date from February 28, 2001 to February 28, 2003.

    Dated: December 11, 2000.
Wanda L. Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-31918 Filed 12-13-00; 8:45 am]
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