[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3568-3569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1571]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 011604B]


Endangered Species; File No. 1377

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Anton Tucker, Mote Marine 
Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, has 
requested a modification to scientific research Permit No. 1377.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before 
February 25, 2004.

ADDRESSES: The modification request 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.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request 
should be submitted 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 modification 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 other electronic 
media.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 1377, 
issued on December 4, 2002 (67 FR 76727) is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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).
    Permit No. 1377 authorizes the permit holder to: capture, flipper 
and PIT tag and collect blood and tissue samples from 150 juvenile and 
subadult green (Chelonia mydas), 150 juvenile and sub-adult Kemp's 
ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), 100 juvenile and sub-adult loggerhead 
(Caretta caretta), and 5 juvenile and sub-adult hawksbill (Eretmochelys 
imbricata) sea turtles annually in Charlotte Harbor, Florida. 
Additionally, 10 green, 10 Kemp's ridley, 10 loggerhead, and 5 
hawksbill sea turtles may also be collected annually from Pine Island 
Sound and the Gulf of Mexico waters near Crystal River, FL incidental 
to gill net operations targeting sharks conducted by the Center for 
Shark Research. These turtles will be measured, flipper tagged and 
released. In the second through fifth years of the permit, up to 5 
green and/or Kemp's ridley turtles will also have

[[Page 3569]]

satellite tags attached. This permit expires December 31, 2007. The 
permit holder requests authorization to expand the study area to 
include the Florida Keys, and to allow the capture, flipper and PIT 
tagging and collection of blood and tissue samples from an additional 
150 juvenile and subadult green, 150 juvenile and sub-adult Kemp's 
ridley, 100 juvenile and sub-adult loggerhead, and 5 juvenile and sub-
adult hawksbill sea turtles in the Florida Keys. The permit holder 
requests the addition of sampling techniques for all captured turtles 
to include scute scraping for heavy metal analysis, bioelectrical 
impedance analysis to determine fat content, gastric lavage to obtain 
stomach contents, and laparoscopic surgery to determine sex and 
reproductive status. Additionally, the permit holder requests 
authorization to utilize additional telemetry instruments and 
attachment methods, including radio tags, sonic (acoustic) tags, time 
depth recorders, and animal-borne video, audio and environmental data 
collection systems (AVEDS). Instruments will be attached to a maximum 
of 25 turtles of any species in Charlotte Harbor, and 25 turtles of any 
species in the Florida Keys, annually.

    Dated: January 16, 2004.
Carrie W. Hubard,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-1571 Filed 1-23-04; 8:45 am]
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