[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10724-10725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4250]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB027


Endangered Species; File No. 16253

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 the NMFS Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center (SEFSC; Responsible Party:

[[Page 10725]]

Bonnie Ponwith, Ph.D.), has been issued a permit to take green 
(Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill 
(Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), olive 
ridley (L. olivacea), and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles for 
scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
    Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 
phone (301) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394; and Southeast Region, 
NMFS, 263 13th Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; phone (727) 824-
5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Hapeman or Kristy Beard, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 27, 2011, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (76 FR 37327) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take loggerhead, green, Kemp's ridley, olive ridley, 
leatherback, and hawksbill 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 SEFSC is authorized to conduct research on leatherback, 
loggerhead, green, hawksbill, olive ridley, and Kemp's ridley sea 
turtles in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and their 
estuarine and coastal environments. The purpose of the research is to 
evaluate modifications to commercial fishing gear to mitigate sea 
turtle interactions and capture. The permit authorizes animals to be 
captured during trawl surveys and to handle and sample turtles captured 
within fisheries managed by another Federal authority. All animals 
would be handled, measured, weighed, photographed, flipper tagged, 
passive integrated transponder tagged, and skin biopsied prior to 
release. A limited number of mortalities may occur due to trawling. The 
permit is valid for five 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: February 17, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-4250 Filed 2-22-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P