[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 46 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12184-12185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3360]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 030306C]


Endangered Species; File No. 1506

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for permit modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Blair E. Witherington, Florida 
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research 
Institute, Melbourne Beach Field Laboratory, 9700 South A1A, Melbourne 
Beach, Florida 32951, has requested a modification to scientific 
research Permit No. 1506.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before April 10, 2006.

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. 1506.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Hapeman or Patrick Opay, 301-713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 1506, 
issued on March 23, 2005 (70 FR 20530) 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. 1506 authorizes the permit holder to study neonate and 
juvenile

[[Page 12185]]

loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley 
(Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and 
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles in the waters of the 
Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The 
permit holder requests authorization to increase takes to study up to 
100 green, 50 Kemp's ridley, 50 hawksbill and 10 leatherback sea 
turtles annually. A subset of green sea turtles would be examined with 
magnetic resonance interferometry (MRI), held for 3-4 days and released 
to determine their level of anthropogenic debris ingestion. Annually, 
four of each species of green, hawksbill, and Kemp's ridley sea turtles 
would have temporary transmitters attached to measure movements and 
dive patterns, would be recaptured after 24 hours to remove the 
transmitter, and released.

    Dated: March 3, 2006.
Patrick Opay,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3360 Filed 3-8-06; 8:45 am]
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