[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11420-11421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04466]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC576


Endangered Species; File No. 17787

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 NMFS Southeast Fisheries Center 
(SEFSC) (hereinafter ``Permit Holder''); 75 Virginia Beach Drive, 
Miami, FL 33149 [Responsible Party: Bonnie Ponwith, Ph.D.], has been 
issued a permit to take smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) in 
Florida waters 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 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 Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Malcolm Mohead, (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 21, 2013, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (78 FR 17355) that a scientific research permit to 
take

[[Page 11421]]

smalltooth sawfish 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 primary objective of the permit will be to gather life history 
information on smalltooth sawfish. The purpose of the research is to 
investigate the movements and habitat use of smalltooth sawfish in 
Florida waters, primarily in the region of the Florida coast from 
Naples to Key West, encompassing the Ten Thousand Islands. Up to 100 
neonate and 20 large juvenile and adult sawfish are authorized to be 
captured annually by longline, gillnet, seine net, and recreational 
angling gear. All captured sawfish are to be measured, tagged, sampled, 
and released. Tagging methods will include dart tags, passive 
integrated transponder tags, and external satellite tags (e.g., Smart 
Position Only Transmitting tags, Pop-Up Archival Transmitting tags) and 
internal acoustic tags. Tissue and blood samples will also be taken. Up 
to 20 dead sawfish acquired through strandings, or from law enforcement 
confiscations, would also be sampled for scientific purposes. The 
permit is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.
    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 24, 2014.
Perry F. Gayaldo,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-04466 Filed 2-27-14; 8:45 am]
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