[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 92 (Friday, May 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27718-27719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11522]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA873


Endangered Species; File No. 15566

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit modification.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that South Carolina Department of 
Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, Charleston, SC 29422-2559 
[Responsible Party: Mike Arendt] has been issued a modification to 
scientific research Permit No. 15566.

ADDRESSES: The modification 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; 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) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 20, 2011, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (76 FR 78890) that a modification of Permit No. 
15566 had been requested by the above-named organization. The requested 
modification has been granted 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).
    Permit No. 15566, issued April 8, 2011 (76 FR 22877), authorizes 
capture by trawl of 345 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 29 Kemp's ridley 
(Lepidochelys kempii), 9 green (Chelonia mydas), 1 leatherback 
(Dermochelys coriacea), and 1 hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea 
turtle to assess temporal change in catch rates, size distributions, 
sex and genetic ratios, and health of sea turtles. Captures occur 
annually in coastal waters between Winyah Bay, SC and St. Augustine, 
FL. Turtles may be handled, blood sampled, measured, flipper and 
passive integrated transponder (PIT)

[[Page 27719]]

tagged, photographed, and released. A subsample of animals are 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. Permit 
No. 15566-01 increases the number of Kemp's ridleys that may be 
captured from 29 to 79 turtles annually. The 50 additional sea turtles 
will be captured, handled, blood sampled, measured, flipper and PIT 
tagged, photographed, and released.
    Issuance of this modification, 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: May 7, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-11522 Filed 5-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P