[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 75 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20530-20531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-7817]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 021805B]


Endangered Species; Permits No. 1501 and 1506

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

[[Page 20531]]

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permits.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that two applicants have been issued a 
permit to take endangered and threatened sea turtles for purposes of 
scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permits 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)427-2521; and
    Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Southeast 
Region, NMFS, 263 13\th\ Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (tel: 
727/824-5312, fax 727/824-5517.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ruth Johnson or Patrick Opay, 
(301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 8, 2004, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (69 FR 60363) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take endangered and threatened sea turtles had been 
submitted by the above-named individuals. The requested permits have 
been issued 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 parts 222-226).
    Dr. Allen Foley, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish 
and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 6134 Authority Avenue, Building 
200, Jacksonville, FL 32221: Permit No. 1501 authorizes Dr. Foley to 
take listed turtles in Florida Bay. Researchers may annually capture 
175 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 20 green (Chelonia mydas), 10 
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and 20 Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys 
kempii) sea turtles by hand to continue long-term studies. Researchers 
may also annually capture an additional 50 adult loggerhead sea turtles 
by hand for studies of reproductive movements and behavior from 
southeast U.S. foraging grounds. Animals would be weighed, measured, 
examined, photographed, flipper and passive integrated transponder 
(PIT) tagged, paint marked on carapace, blood sampled, and released. 
The additional 50 loggerhead turtles would also be skin sampled, 
transported to a lab for ultrasound and laparoscopy, held 24 hours, 
testicular biopsy sampled, and released. A subset of 15 of the 50 
loggerheads may be tagged with satellite, sonic, and time-depth 
recorder (TDR) transmitters.
    Blair E. Witherington, Ph.D., (Principal Investigator), Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research 
Institute, Melbourne Beach Field Laboratory, 9700 South A1A, Melbourne 
Beach, FL 32951: Permit No. 1506 authorizes Dr. Witherington to 
annually capture 250 loggerhead, 10 green, 5 hawksbill, 2 Kemp's 
ridley, and 2 leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) neonate and juvenile 
sea turtles in the Florida Atlantic Ocean and Gulf coasts to continue 
long-term studies. Turtles would be captured using a long handled dip 
net, handled, measured and released. A subset of loggerhead turtles 
would be transported to a lab and examined with a veterinary high 
resolution magnetic resonance interferometry (MRI) or computerized 
tomography (CT) exam, held for 3-4 days and released to determine their 
level of anthropogenic debris ingestion.
    Issuance of this permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permit (1) was applied for in good faith, (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth 
in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: March 23, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-7817 Filed 4-19-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S