[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 235 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 70963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20764]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112906B]


Endangered Species; File No. 1570

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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

ADDRESSES:  The permit 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;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 Carrie Hubard, 
(301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 18, 2006, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (71 FR 40700) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take green, loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, 
hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles had been submitted by the above-
named organization. The requested permit has been issued 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 
parts 222-226).
    The research will evaluate modifications to commercial fishing gear 
to mitigate sea turtle interactions and capture. These evaluations and 
subsequent gear modifications will help to reduce incidental turtle 
bycatch in the gear types studied. By assessing those animals 
incidentally captured, the research will also provide new data to 
improve stock assessments, assess the impact of anthropogenic 
activities, better manage and, ultimately, recover these species. The 
research will take up to 253 loggerhead, 101 Kemp's ridley, 112 
leatherback, 51 green, 37 hawksbill, 36 olive ridley sea turtles, and 
88 unidentified hardshell species (e.g., a turtle that escaped from the 
gear before identification could be made) annually. A total of up to 3 
loggerhead, 2 Kemp's ridley, 2 green, 1 leatherback, 1 hawksbill, and 1 
olive ridley sea turtle may be taken lethally over the course of the 
permit. Animals would be handled, measured, weighed, photographed, 
flipper tagged, passive integrated transponder tagged, skin biopsied, 
and released. A subset of these animals would be captured by trawl 
research authorized by the permit. The research will take place in 
waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and their 
tributaries. The permit was issued for 5 years.
    Issuance of this permit, 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: December 1, 2006.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-20764 Filed 12-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S