[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 22716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09443]



[[Page 22716]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD296


Endangered Species; File No. 18604

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Guam Department of Agriculture 
Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR), 163 Dairy Road, 
Mangilao, Guam 96913 has been issued a permit to take green (Chelonia 
mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes 
of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the 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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 20, 2014 and October 9, 2014, notice 
was published in the Federal Register (79 FR 28899 and 79 FR 61057, 
respectively) that a request for a scientific research permit to take 
green 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).
    DAWR has been issued a five-year research permit to gather 
information on green and hawksbill sea turtle movement, species 
distribution, and health status and to document threats to the species. 
Researchers may capture and release up to 66 green and 6 hawksbill sea 
turtles annually by hand or by net in Guam waters. Turtles may be 
measured, flipper tagged, photographed, passive integrated transponder 
tagged, tissue sampled, and released. A subset of each species may have 
a satellite transmitter attached to the turtle's carapace. This 
information would be used to develop conservation management measures 
for these species.
    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: April 13, 2015.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-09443 Filed 4-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P