[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 10686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04830]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG038


Endangered Species; File No. 19496-01

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 Mariana Fuentes, Ph.D., Florida 
State University, 581 Oakland Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301, has 
requested a modification to scientific research Permit No. 19496.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before April 11, 2018.

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. 19496 Mod 1 from the list of available applications. These 
documents are also available 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at 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: Erin Markin or Amy Hapeman, (301) 427-
8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject modification to Permit No. 
19496, issued on June 16, 2016 (81 FR 1621), 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 parts 222-226).
    Permit No. 19496 authorizes the permit holder to take loggerhead 
(Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), green (Chelonia 
mydas), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for 
scientific research in the Florida Big Ben Region to identify important 
foraging and developmental habitats. The permit holder requests 
authorization to: (1) Add a new location to include the area from St. 
Lucie Inlet to Jupiter Inlet on the east coast of Florida, and (2) 
increase the number of green, Kemp's ridley, and loggerhead sea turtles 
that may be taken under the permit for the new location. Annually an 
additional 120 green, 48 loggerhead, and 3 Kemp's ridley sea turtles 
would be approached by vessel and pursued for capture. Additionally, up 
to 120 green, 48 loggerhead, and 3 Kemp's ridley sea turtles would be 
captured by hand or using dip, strike, or tangle nets, annually. All 
captured sea turtles would be tagged (passive integrated transponder 
and flipper), marked (temporarily), biologically sampled (tissue and 
blood), measured, weighed, and photographed. Up to 10 green and five 
loggerhead captured sea turtles also would receive a satellite 
transmitter (epoxy attachment) and biologically sampled (scute biopsy) 
prior to release.

    Dated: March 6, 2018.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-04830 Filed 3-9-18; 8:45 am]
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