[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 69585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-26406]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112304D]


Endangered Species; File No. 1514

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 Pacific Islands Regional Office, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Ste. 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814, has applied in due form for a permit to take green 
(Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and 
loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles for purposes of scientific 
research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before December 30, 2004.

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
    Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Southwest 
Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-
4213; phone (562)980-4020; fax (562)980-4027.
    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.
    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. 1514.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Opay or Ruth Johnson, 
(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 proposed research would occur in the Pacific Ocean and provide 
data on the at sea distribution and movement patterns of green, 
hawksbill, leatherback, olive ridley, and loggerhead sea turtles. 
Researchers would also use pop-up satellite tags (PSATs) to investigate 
post-release mortality of hard-shelled turtles that have been hooked or 
entangled by longline gear. Data from the PSATs would be used to 
compare the behavior of longline caught turtles to the known behavior 
of turtles that have not been caught in fishing gear (controls) to 
investigate potential effects of the fishery interactions on turtle 
behavior patterns after release. Seven green, 34 leatherback, 21 
loggerhead, and 42 olive ridley sea turtles that have been captured in 
the Hawaii longline fishery would be measured, photographed, tissue 
sampled, flipper tagged, and released, or salvaged (if dead). The hard-
shelled species would also have a PSAT attached to their shell.
    An additional six (combined total of all species) hawksbill, olive 
ridley, loggerhead, and green sea turtles captured in the American 
Samoa longline fishery would be measured, photographed, tissue sampled, 
flipper tagged, PSAT tagged and released, or salvaged (if dead). One 
leatherback captured in this fishery would also be measured, 
photographed, tissue sampled, flipper tagged, and released, or salvaged 
(if dead). All turtles would have been captured in the longline fishery 
and coverage for the incidental capture of these turtles would be 
provided under the incidental take statement of the 2004 Biological 
Opinion for the Western Pelagics Fishery Management Plan. The applicant 
requests a five year permit.

    Dated: November 24, 2004.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-26406 Filed 11-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S