[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 230 (Monday, December 1, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 67152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29829]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112503A]


Endangered Species; File No. 1451

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

ACTION: Receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS, Office of Sustainable 
Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, has 
applied in due form for a permit to take threatened and endangered sea 
turtles for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before 
December 31, 2003.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)713-0376; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727)570-5301; fax (727)570-5320.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carrie Hubard or Sarah Wilkin, 
(301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, 
importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR 
222-226).
    The applicant proposes to initiate a sea turtle observer program 
for the shark bottom longline fishery in the western North Atlantic and 
Gulf of Mexico. The incidental capture of sea turtles by the fishery is 
covered by the Biological Opinion for the Highly Migratory Species 
Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks. If 
issued, this permit would authorize only the sampling of the sea 
turtles incidentally caught in the fishery, as recommended in the 
Biological Opinion. Unless they are too large to be safely boated, 
captured turtles would be brought on board and identified, measured, 
weighed, PIT tagged, and have a biopsy sample taken for genetic 
research. Turtles would be dehooked and/or disentangled and 
subsequently released. The purpose of the observer program is to 
monitor the impact of bottom longlining on protected species and to 
obtain information on sea turtle populations. All observers would be 
trained in the sampling techniques and provided the proper equipment 
before sailing on a fishing vessel. In accordance with the fishery's 
Biological Opinion, the applicant requests authority to sample 12 
loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 2 leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) 2 
Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), 2 green (Chelonia mydas), and 2 
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles annually. The permit would 
be valid for a period of five years.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and 
Education Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 
East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 
individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on this particular request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)713-0376, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please 
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or by other 
electronic media.

    Dated: November 25, 2003.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-29829 Filed 11-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S