[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 20094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10084]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041802B]


Endangered Species; Permits

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

ACTION: Receipt of an application for a research and enhancement permit 
(1380).

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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 received an application for a research/enhancement 
permit from Mr. Christopher Slay, of Coastwise Consulting (1380).

DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the new application 
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number no later than 
5 p.m. eastern standard time on May 24, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the new application should be sent to 
the appropriate office as indicated below. Comments may also be sent 
via fax to the number indicated for the application. Comments will not 
be accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet. The application 
and related documents are available for review in the indicated office, 
by appointment:
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, F/PR1, 1315 East West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (phone:301-713-2289, fax: 301-713-
0376).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lillian Becker, Silver Spring, MD 
(phone: 301-713-2319, 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 nece ssarily 
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)

Application 1380

    The applicant proposes to capture live sea turtles using shrimp 
trawlers in association with hopper dredge activities along the 
southeastern U.S. coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Trawling may be 
conducted prior to dredging to assess the abundance of sea turtles in 
an area and/or during dredging operations to relocate turtles away from 
the channel being dredged. Captured turtles will be identified, 
measured, photographed, and tagged with both flipper and PIT tags 
before being released. The annual number of takes requested are: 750 
loggerhead, 225 Kemp's ridley, 150 green, 50 hawksbill, and 22 
leatherback turtles. Precautions will be taken to insure the health and 
safety of the turtles while onboard the trawler.

    Dated: April 18, 2002.
Ann Terbush,
Chief, permits, Conservation, and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-10084 Filed 4-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S