[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3882-3883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00889]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XJ40


Endangered Species; File No. 13543

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for a permit modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that South Carolina Department of 
Natural Resources, 217 Ft. Johnson Rd., Charleston, SC 29412, has 
requested a modification to scientific research Permit No. 13543.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before February 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES: The modification request 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. 13543 from the list of available applications. These documents are 
also available 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at

[[Page 3883]]

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 and Conservation 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: Amy Hapeman or Kristy Beard, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 
13543, issued on May 6, 2009 (74 FR 20926) is requested under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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. 13543 authorizes the permit holder to handle, measure, 
weigh, passive integrated transponder tag, flipper tag, and photograph 
loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley 
(Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), olive ridley 
(L. olivacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles that 
have already been captured by authorized coastal trawl surveys in 
waters off of North Carolina to Florida. The purpose of the research is 
to further the understanding of the growth, distribution, and life 
history of sea turtles. The permit is valid through April 30, 2014. The 
permit holder requests authorization to increase the annual take limit 
for Kemp's ridley and loggerhead sea turtles from 15 to 32 animals and 
45 to 50 animals, respectively, on which they may conduct authorized 
research procedures. The increase would accommodate recent increases in 
capture rates of these species in the trawl surveys. Unless additional 
take is authorized, opportunities will be lost to collect valuable data 
on Kemp's ridley and loggerhead sea turtles.

P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-00889 Filed 1-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P