[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 78 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21178-21179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8225]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041905C]


Endangered Species; File No. 1526

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 Andre Landry, Sea Turtle and 
Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 5007 
Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77553, has applied in due form for a permit to 
take Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 
green (Chelonia mydas), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) for 
purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 25, 2005.

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)427-2521; and
    Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Southeast 
Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; phone 
(727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5517.
    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)427-2521, 
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. 1526.

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 purpose of the proposed research is to study Kemp's ridley, 
loggerhead, green, and hawksbill sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico to 
identify their relative abundance over time; detect changes in sea 
turtle size composition; document movement and migration patterns; and 
determine the role of near shore habitats in sea turtle survival. The 
applicant proposes to take up to 327 Kemp's ridley, 162 loggerhead, 450 
green, and 15 hawksbill sea turtles over the course of a 5-year permit. 
Two hundred and fifty-five of the Kemp's ridley, 90 of the loggerhead, 
435 green, and all hawksbill sea turtles would be captured by 
entanglement net. Fifteen green sea turtles would be captured by cast 
net. The remaining turtles would have been captured by relocation 
trawls authorized under separate permits and then provided to the 
applicant. All turtles would be blood sampled, measured, weighed, 
epiphyte sampled, flipper tagged, and passive integrated transponder 
tagged. A subset of these animals would have satellite or radio/sonic 
transmitters attached to their carapace and have fecal samples 
collected.


[[Page 21179]]


    Dated: April 20, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-8225 Filed 4-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S