[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 68 (Thursday, April 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18549-18550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7983]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 040204C]


Endangered Species; File No. 1227

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 the NMFS Southwest Fisheries 
Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, has 
requested a modification to scientific research Permit No. 1227.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 10, 2004.

[[Page 18550]]


ADDRESSES: The modification request and related documents are available 
for review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
offices:
    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
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.
    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.
    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing email comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 1227.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Opay, (301)713-1410 or 
Patricia Lawson, (301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 1227, 
issued on May 1, 2000 (65 FR 25312) 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. 1227 authorizes the permit holder to capture 
leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) from the wild or rescue them from 
ghost fishing gear. It authorizes the researchers to tissue sample, fat 
sample, flipper and PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag up to 100 
of this species over the life of the 5 year permit. Twenty of these 100 
may also be satellite tagged. The permit holder requests authorization 
to attach satellite transmitters using the harness backpack method 
allowed in the current permit on up to an additional 40 of the 
remaining leatherbacks that they are already permitted to take in the 
eastern Pacific Ocean nearshore to California and Oregon through 
December of 2005. The information from this research is part of studies 
on the migration and habitat use of these species in the Pacific Ocean. 
The permit holder also requests authorization to conduct short-term 
tracking of 20 additional leatherbacks in the Monterey Bay area without 
having to capture them, using VHF/TDR (time depth recorder)/sonic tag 
units attached with suction cups. The VHF/TDR/sonic tag units will be 
used to study the short-term movements, dive behavior and foraging 
ecology of this species. They will provide fine-scale movements and 
diving behavior of leatherbacks in the vicinity of Monterey Bay and 
give important information regarding the foraging ecology of this 
species off the coast of California.

    Dated: April 2, 2004.
Patrick Opay,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-7983 Filed 4-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S