[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 156 (Monday, August 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 47813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16058]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 072605B]


Endangered Species; File No. 1518

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Carlos Diez, Departamento de 
Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 9066600, San 
Juan, Puerto Rico 00906-6600, has been issued a permit to take 
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea 
turtles for purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit 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, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 
(301) 713-2289; fax (301) 427-2521; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13\th\ Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5517.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 27, 2005, notice was published in the 
Federal Register (70 FR 30704) that a request for a scientific research 
permit to take hawksbill and green sea turtles had been submitted by 
the above-named individual. The requested permit has 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).
    Permit No. 1518 authorizes Mr. Diez to study green and hawksbill 
sea turtles. The purpose of the research is to identify marine habitat, 
determine distribution and abundance, determine sex ratios, evaluate 
the extent of ingestion of marine debris, determine growth rates and 
sexual maturity, and quantify threats. Mr. Diez will annually capture 
up to 320 hawksbill and 250 green sea turtles by hand or entanglement 
net. All turtles will be measured, weighed, tagged, and blood sampled. 
A subset of animals will be lavaged and have transmitters attached to 
them. One leatherback sea turtle could be incidentally captured during 
the course of the studies but would be released alive. The permit is 
issued for 5 years.
    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 any endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth 
in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: August 8, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-16058 Filed 8-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S