[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27940-27941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-12747]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 051001B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of an application for a scientific research permit 
(1316); Issuance of permits 1298 and 1266.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 received an application for a scientific research 
permit from Dr. Jeff Schmid, of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida; 
NMFS has issued permit 1298 to Ms. Melissa Salmon, of Riverbanks 
Zoological Park and permit 1266 to John Glass, of REMSA, Inc.

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 June 20, 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:
    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 Kemp's ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
    Endangered Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
    Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

Fish

    Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

New Applications Received

Application 1316

    The applicant proposes to characterize the essential habitat 
associations of subadult Kemp's ridley turtles in the nearshore waters 
of the upper Ten Thousand Islands. The objectives are: (1) to monitor 
the movements of Kemp's ridley turtles via radio and sonic telemetry 
and to

[[Page 27941]]

quantify their habitat utilization from the geographical position data, 
(2) to produce a geographic information system (GIS) database of 
benthic habitats and subsequently map the habitat types within the 
study area, and (3) to test for habitat preferences of Kemp's ridley 
turtles in this region by comparing the amount of time a turtle spends 
in a given habitat relative to the availability of all other habitat 
types.

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1298

    Notice was published on March 5, 2001 (66 FR 13305), that Ms. 
Melissa Salmon, of Riverbanks Zoological Park applied for a enhancement 
permit (1298). The applicant has requested a 5-year permit to continue 
to maintain eleven adult shortnose sturgeon received from the South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources in 1996 for education 
purposes. NMFS believes that captive maintenance of endangered 
shortnose sturgeon for enhancement purposes is to the benefit of the 
species as a whole. The source for the captive display are shortnose 
sturgeon maintained in hatchery settings that have been deemed non-
releasable by NMFS. Because these cultured sturgeon have been deemed 
non-releasable at this time by NMFS, alternatives to sacrifice were 
needed. The recovery team for shortnose sturgeon felt that these 
cultured fish provided an excellent opportunity to educate the public 
and increase awareness of the species and its plight. These fish are 
used in research activities and, as recommended by the recovery team, 
in enhancement activities such as public education. Permit 1298 was 
issued on May 4, 2001, authorizing take of listed species. Permit 1298 
expires May 31, 2006.

Permit #1266

    Notice was published on October 19, 2000 (65 FR 62709), that John 
Glass, of REMSA, Inc. applied for a research/enhancement permit (1266). 
The applicant requested a 5-year permit to take leatherback, green, 
loggerhead, Kemp's ridley and green turtles from the Atlantic Ocean and 
Gulf of Mexico in conjunction with US Army Corps of Engineer Dredging 
projects for scientific research and enhancement purposes. Permit 1266 
was issued on May 8, 2001, authorizing take of listed species. Permit 
1266 expires April 30, 2006.

    Dated: May 15, 2001.
Phil Williams,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-12747 Filed 5-18-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S