[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 16660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7541]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031601B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: NMFS has issued modification #1 to permit 1231 and modification 
#1 to permit 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 under the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA): NMFS has issued modification #1 to permit 1231 to Dr. Lewis 
Ehrhart, University of Central Florida and NMFS has issued modification 
#1 to permit #1201 to Dr. Thane Wibbels, University of Alabama at 
Birmingham.

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 April 26, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The permits and related documents are available for review 
in the indicated office, by appointment:
    Endangered Species Division, F/PR3, 1315 East West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910 (phone:301-713-1401, fax: 301-713-0376).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD 
(phone: 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. Scientific 
research and/or enhancement permits are issued under Section 
10(a)(1)(A) 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

    The following species are covered in this notice:

Sea turtles

    Threatened and endangered Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
    Endangered Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
    Endangered Kemp's ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
    Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
    Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1231

    Notice was published on December 29, 2000 (65 FR 82977) that Dr. 
Lew Erhart, of the University of Central Florida applied for a 
modification to permit #1231. The applicant holds a five-year permit to 
take and conduct research on green, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley, 
Leatherback and loggerhead turtles living in the Indian River Lagoon 
Estuary of central Florida in Brevard and Indian River counties. The 
data provided by the study will include information regarding habitat 
requirements, seasonal distribution and abundance, movement and growth, 
feeding preferences, sex distribution and the prevalence and severity 
of fibropapilloma. Modification #1 authorizes attaching satellite tags 
to no more than eight large juvenile green turtles. Modification #1 to 
Permit 1231 was issued on March 9, 2001, authorizing take of listed 
species. Permit 1231 expires March 31, 2005.

Permit #1201

    Notice was published on December 14, 2000 (65 FR 78146) that Dr. 
Thane Wibbels, University of Alabama at Birmingham applied for a 
modification to permit #1231. Modification #1 extends the expiration 
date of the permit from February 28, 2001 to February 28, 2003. The 
applicant possesses a two-year scientific research permit to take up to 
50 green (Chelonia mydas), 100 Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and 
100 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles annually in large mesh tangle 
nets. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the abundance, 
movements, and location of sea turtles in the estuaries of Alabama, and 
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 proposed research is 
a prerequisite to determining if the estuaries of Alabama represent a 
developmental habitat for sea turtles, and will benefit the species by 
providing information critical to developing a prudent management 
strategy which protects sea turtles while sustaining the productivity 
of the fisheries. Modification #1 to Permit 1201 was issued on March 9, 
2001, authorizing take of listed species. Permit 1201 expires February 
28, 2003.

    Dated: March 20, 2001.
Phil Williams,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-7541 Filed 3-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S