[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 56478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15825]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 092006F]


Endangered Species; File No. 1448

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

ACTION:  Notice; receipt of application for modification

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Northeast Fisheries Science 
Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 166 Water Street, Woods 
Hole, MA 02543-1097, has requested a modification to scientific 
research Permit No. 1448.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 27, 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
    Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-
2298; phone (978)281-9300; fax (978)281-9394.
    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 e-mail comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 1448.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 1448, 
issued on January 9, 2004 (69 FR 3332) 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. 1448 authorizes the permit holder to handle, measure, 
flipper tag, scan for Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, biopsy 
sample and photograph a total of 1,500 loggerhead, 50 green, 250 
leatherback and 50 hawksbill sea turtles and handle, measure, flipper 
tag, scan for PIT tags and photograph a total of 50 Kemp's ridley sea 
turtles over the duration of the permit. Seventy-five of the 
loggerheads and 20 of the Kemp's ridleys will also be dip-netted. This 
research is conducted on animals that have been already incidentally 
captured in commercial fisheries operating in state waters and the 
Exclusive Economic Zone in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean to determine 
the size and composition of populations of sea turtles found in the 
commercial fishing areas of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and to 
establish individual identities of turtles. The permit holder requests 
additional authorization to biopsy sample any of the 50 Kemp's ridley 
sea turtles for which the permit holder is already authorized to 
handle, measure, flipper tag, scan for PIT tags and photograph that are 
greater than 25 cm in total carapace length notch to tip). Tissue 
biopsies would be collected using the same protocol currently 
authorized by the existing permit. This data would help confirm 
observer identifications of sea turtles made by collaborating NOAA 
researchers.

    Dated: September 21, 2006.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-15825 Filed 9-26-06; 8:45 am]
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