[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33245-33246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14134]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA466


Endangered Species; File No. 15135

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 Blake Price, 132 Conch Court, 
Emerald Isle, NC 28594, has been issued a permit to take threatened and 
endangered sea turtles for purposes 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: Carrie Hubard or Amy Hapeman, (301) 
713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 12, 2010, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (75 FR 11863) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take sea turtles had been submitted by the above-
named individual. 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 permit authorizes tests of modified large mesh (> 5 inches) 
commercial gillnets targeting southern flounder (Paralichthys 
lethostigma) in shallow waters of Core Sound, North Carolina. The 
objective of the research is to determine if gear modifications can 
eliminate or reduce sea turtle bycatch. Two contracted commercial 
gillnet vessels will conduct a total of 60 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 illuminated, green Lindgen-Pitman Electralume lights, the 
gillnets will be identical in all other respects (e.g., twine material/
size; hanging ration; stretch mesh). Turtles will be identified to 
species, measured, photographed, and flipper and passive integrated 
transponder tagged before released beyond the fishing area. Any 
comatose or debilitated turtles will be transported to a rehabilitation 
center. The permit authorizes capture of 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 over the life of the permit. Of the captured 
turtles, 5 Kemp's ridleys, 5 loggerheads, 15 greens, 2 hawksbills, and 
2 leatherbacks may be mortalities. The permit is valid through December 
31, 2012.
    Issuance of this permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that

[[Page 33246]]

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: June 1, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-14134 Filed 6-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P