[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 48 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 11863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5452]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XV11


Endangered Species; File No. 15135

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

ACTION:  Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Mr. Blake Price, 3411 Arendall 
Street, Morehead City, NC, 28557, has applied in due form for a permit 
to take threatened and endangered sea turtles for purposes of 
scientific research.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before April 12, 2010.

ADDRESSES:  The application and related documents are available for 
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the 
Features box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File 
No. 15135 from the list of available applications. These documents are 
also 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) 713-0376; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address 
listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301)713-
0376, or by email to [email protected]. Please include the File 
No. in the subject line of the email comment.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 
Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the 
specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be 
appropriate.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested 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).
    The applicant has requested a permit to test commercial gillnet 
gear that may have the potential to eliminate or reduce sea turtle 
bycatch. The research would involve testing modified large mesh (> 5 
inches) commercial gillnets targeting southern flounder (Paralichthys 
lethostigma) in shallow waters of Core Sound, North Carolina. Test nets 
would be configured with illuminated, green Lindgen-Pitman Electralume 
lights that have shown promise for reducing sea turtle bycatch in 
another location. Two contracted commercial gillnet vessels would 
conduct a total of sixty fishing trips, setting five matched (control 
vs. experimental) sets of gillnets each day. Each matched set would 
consist of 100 yards of control net (gillnet without illuminated 
lights) and 100 yards of experimental net (gillnet with illuminated 
lights), for a total of 1,000 yards of net a day. With the exception of 
the lights, the gillnets would be identical in all other respects 
(e.g., twine material/size; hanging ration; stretch mesh). To follow 
fishing protocols, nets would be set at dusk and retrieved in the early 
morning. Turtles would be identified to species, measured, 
photographed, and flipper and PIT tagged. Captured sea turtles would be 
examined for any possible injuries before being released away from 
fishing area. Any comatose or debilitated turtles would be transported 
to a rehabilitation center. During the life of the permit, the 
applicant requests authorization to capture 18 Kemp's ridley 
(Lepidochelys kempii), 15 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 31 green 
(Chelonia mydas), 2 hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and 2 
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles. Of the captured 
turtles, 5 Kemp's ridleys, 5 loggerheads, 15 greens, 2 hawksbills, and 
2 leatherbacks may be mortalities. The permit would expire in December 
2011.

    Dated: March 9, 2010.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-5452 Filed 3-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S