[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61326-61327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21335]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD58


Endangered Species; File No. 1591

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

ACTION:  Issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science 
Center (Lisa Ballance, Responsible Official), 8604 La Jolla Shores 
Drive, La Jolla, CA 92038 has been issued a permit to take green 
(Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and olive ridley 
(Lepidochelys olivacea) 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 offices:
    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
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 22, 2006, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (71 FR 55431) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take green, loggerhead, and olive ridley 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 through 226).
    Researchers will study the species present at this foraging area to 
determine their abundance, size ranges, growth, sex ratio, health 
status, diving behavior, local movements, habitat use, and migration 
routes. Turtles will be captured using entanglement nets and each 
animal will be flipper and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagged, 
measured, weighed, sexed, blood sampled, and tissue sampled. A subset 
of animals will be lavaged and have transmitters attached to their 
carapace.

[[Page 61327]]

A primary goal of the research will be to integrate data from genetic 
analysis, flipper tagging, and satellite telemetry to identify nesting 
beach origins of turtles occurring in San Diego Bay and contribute to 
the overall understanding of sea turtle stock structure in the Pacific 
Ocean. Researchers will compare current data with those collected in 
San Diego Bay since 1989 to determine growth rates of juveniles and 
adults, determine tag retention rates, and examine population abundance 
trends. Genetic studies based on blood and tissue samples are part of 
an international collaboration to define stock structure of sea turtles 
in the Pacific. Up to 85 green, 8 loggerhead, and 8 olive ridley sea 
turtles will be taken annually. The permit is 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 such endangered or threatened 
species, and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth 
in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: October 24, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-21335 Filed 10-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S