[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 14504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4156]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 022806F]


Endangered Species; File No. 1518-01

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit modification.

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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 been issued a modification to 
scientific research Permit No.1518.

ADDRESSES: The modification 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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 27, 2005, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (70 FR 61940) that a modification of Permit No. 
1518, issued August 8, 2005 (70 FR 47813), had been requested by the 
above-named individual. The requested modification has been granted 
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).
    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 is currently authorized to annually capture up to 320 
hawksbill and 250 green sea turtles by hand or entanglement net. All 
turtles are measured, weighed, tagged, and blood sampled. A subset of 
animals are 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 modification 
allows the permit holder to skin biopsy 190 green and hawksbill sea 
turtles. Under this modification a subset of 10 green turtles will 
undergo fibropapillomatosis tumor removal surgery and subsequent 
rehabilitation. Turtles that have severe tumors and are in extremely 
poor health would be euthanized. The applicant does not expect that 
more than two turtles would require euthanasia. The goal of the 
additional research will 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.
    Issuance of this modification, 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: March 16, 2006.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-4156 Filed 3-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S