[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 207 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61940-61941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21487]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 101905A]


Endangered Species; File No. 1518

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for modification of a scientific 
research permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Carlos Diez, Departamento de 
Recursos Naturales y Abmientales de Puerto Rico, P.O. Box 9066600, San 
Juan, Puerto Rico 00906-6600, has requested a modification to 
scientific research Permit No. 1518.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before November 28, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The modification request 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
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5309;
    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)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. 1518.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 1518, 
issued on August 15, 2005 (70 FR 47813), 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. 1518 currently authorizes the permit holder 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. The 
permit holder requests a modification to the permit that would allow 
skin biopsy of 190 green and hawksbill sea turtles. A subset of 10 
green turtles would undergo

[[Page 61941]]

fibropapillomatosis tumor removal surgery and subsequent 
rehabilitation.
    In the case that a turtle has evidence of severe internal tumors, 
the turtle would be euthanized. The applicant does not expect that more 
than 2 turtles would require euthanasia. The goal of the additional 
research would be to create baseline parameters of health assessments, 
determine groups' heterogenity and dispersal, and provide insight into 
the pathogenesis of the disease in the wild through the use of long-
term capture and release surveys.

    Dated: October 20, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-21487 Filed 10-26-05; 8:45 am]
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