[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 159 (Thursday, August 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42995-42996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20649]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 081001A]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit #1324 and modification #2 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 permit 1324 to Dr. Nancy Thompson, of NMFS-
Southeast Fisheries Science Center (1324) and modification #2 to permit 
1201 to Dr. Thane Wibbels, of University of Alabama at Birmingham.

ADDRESSES: The permits, 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).

[[Page 42996]]


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)
    Endangered Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
    Threatened Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

Permits and Modified Permits Issued

Permit #1324

    Notice was published on June 4, 2001 (66 FR 29934) that Dr. Nancy 
Thompson, of Southeast Fisheries Science Center applied for a 
scientific research permit (1324). The applicant requested a two-year 
permit that would authorize the take of threatened and endangered 
species of sea turtles in the northeast distant statistical sampling 
area (NED) for the U.S. longline fishery. The purpose of the research 
is to develop and test methods to reduce bycatch of research that 
occurs incidental to commercial, pelagic longline fishing. The 
researchers propose to work cooperatively with U.S. pelagic longline 
fishermen in the NED area to conduct this fishery-dependent testing. 
The fishery dependent use of commercial fishing boats for this research 
is necessary because (1) a large level of fishing effort is necessary 
for the statistical power to complete this testing and fishery 
independent work would be cost-prohibitive and (2) testing should be 
conducted aboard a mix of representative platforms so that the testing 
results are clearly applicable to the fleets that would ultimately 
adopt bycatch reduction measures through this research. Permit 1324 was 
issued on August 9, 2001, authorizing take of listed species. Permit 
1324 expires December 31, 2002.

Permit #1201

    The requestor currently 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.
    For modification #2, the applicant requests authorization to use 
two satellite transmitters in lieu of two previously authorized radio 
transmitters. Modification #2 to Permit 1201 was issued on August 6, 
2001, authorizing take of listed species. Permit 1201 expires February 
28, 2003.

    Dated: August 10, 2001.
Therese Conant,
 Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-20649 Filed 8-15-01; 8:45 am]
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