[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 22877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9945]



[[Page 22877]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA387


Endangered Species; File No. 15566

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 South Carolina Department of 
Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, Charleston, SC 29422-2559 
has been issued a permit to take loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Kemp's 
ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), green (Chelonia mydas), leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) 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) 713-0376; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Ave., South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; 
phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 3, 2010, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (75 FR 67682) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take sea turtles had been submitted by the 
applicant. 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 five-year permit authorizes the capture by trawl of up to 345 
loggerhead, 29 Kemp's ridley, 9 green, 1 leatherback, and 1 hawksbill 
sea turtle in order to assess temporal change in catch rates, size 
distributions, sex and genetic ratios, and health of sea turtles. 
Captures would occur annually in coastal waters between Winyah Bay, SC 
and St. Augustine, FL. Turtles would be handled, blood sampled, 
measured, flipper and passive integrated transponder tagged, 
photographed, and released. A subsample of animals would be subject to 
barnacle, keratin, fecal, and tissue sampling, cloacal swabs, and 
attachment of satellite and/or VHF transmitters. Up to five loggerhead, 
one Kemp's ridley, one green, one leatherback, and one hawksbill sea 
turtle could be accidentally killed over the life of the permit.
    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: April 19, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-9945 Filed 4-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P