[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6272-6273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1636]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 012706B]


Endangered Species; File No. 1551

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS, Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center (SEFSC), 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33149, has 
applied in due form for a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas), 
loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), 
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), 
and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) for purposes of scientific 
research.

[[Page 6273]]


DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before March 9, 2006.

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
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5309.
    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. 1551.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Opay or Carrie Hubard, 
(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 applicant proposes to conduct scientific research that would 
study the survival, recruitment, age and growth, population dynamics, 
movements and migrations, habitat utilization, and distribution of sea 
turtles. The research would contribute information towards a better 
understanding of fishery interaction issues relating to these species. 
The information would be used to improve stock assessments, assess 
anthropogenic activities, and inform sea turtle conservation efforts. 
Up to 455 loggerhead, 336 green sea turtles, 230 Kemp's ridley sea 
turtles, 92 hawksbill sea turtles, 20 olive ridley sea turtles, 61 
leatherback sea turtles, and 25 hardshell sea turtles species that 
would not be identifiable at the time of capture would be taken by 
pound net, entanglement net, hoop/dip net, or hand capture annually. An 
additional 1,700 loggerhead, 550 green, 600 Kemp's ridley, 550 
hawksbill, 50 olive ridley, 850 leatherback, and 1,000 unidentified 
hardshell species could be harassed by aerial surveys. Up to 1,105 
loggerhead, 536 green, 330 Kemp's ridley, 97 hawksbill, 22 olive 
ridley, 66 leatherback, and 30 unidentified hardshell species would be 
handled, measured, weighed, photographed, flipper tagged, passive 
integrated transponder (PIT) tagged, skin biopsied, and released 
annually. Researchers would take a variety of measurements, including 
the mouth, head, plastron, and tail length. Researchers would collect a 
blood sample, cloacal and lesion cultures, a epibiota sample, a keratin 
sample, and a fecal sample from a subset of these animals. Researchers 
would also gastric lavage, fat biopsy, tetracycline mark, laparoscopy, 
liver biopsy, take gonad, muscle and other colemic biopsies, attach 
electronic tags, attach a living tag, and conduct behavioral studies on 
a subset of these sea turtles. Up to 1 leatherback and 5 hardshell 
(total all species combined) mortalities could occur during the course 
of the research. The permit would be issued for 5 years. Research would 
take place in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

    Dated: February 1, 2006.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-1636 Filed 2-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S