[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68661-68663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21998]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0184; FXIA16710900000-234-FF09A30000]

Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign 
species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed 
species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before 
issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with 
respect to any endangered species.

DATES: We must receive comments by November 3, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The applications, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be 
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0184.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0184.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0184; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 
or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies 
to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested 
permits, we will take into consideration any information that we 
receive during the public comment period.
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address 
not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our administrative 
record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see 
DATES).
    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant 
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide 
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will 
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those 
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that 
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and 
regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who Will See My Comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold 
this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we 
invite public comments on permit applications before final action is 
taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with 
listed

[[Page 68662]]

species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow 
otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance 
the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service 
regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, 
captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity 
otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species 
are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 
17.

III. Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

Applicant: University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, 
Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Athens, GA; PER4208692

    The applicant requests authorization to import tissue or blood 
samples of any captive-bred or wild avian species (class Aves), reptile 
species (class Reptilia), and fish (within the taxonomic phylum 
Chordata) from locations worldwide for the purpose of diagnostic 
testing for infectious diseases/scientific research. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.

Applicant: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL; Permit No. 
PER3940627

    The applicant requests renewal of a permit to import scientific 
samples collected from wild live and salvaged hawksbill (Eretmochelys 
imbricata) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles from 
Nicaragua for the purpose of scientific research. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.

Applicant: Duke University, Durham, NC; Permit No. PER4463030

    The applicant requests a permit to export scientific samples 
collected from 17 captive-bred chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from the 
United States to Germany for the purpose of scientific research. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
3-year period.

Applicant: NOAA, Miami, FL; Permit No. PER4327126

    The applicant requests renewal of a permit for import, export, and 
introduction from the sea of biological samples derived from live or 
salvaged from dead specimens of species, to include Caretta caretta 
(loggerhead sea turtle), Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle), 
Lepidochelys kempii (Kemp's Ridley sea turtle), Lepidochelys olivacea 
(Olive Ridley sea turtle), Eretmochelys imbricata (hawksbill sea 
turtle), and Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback sea turtle) for the 
purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to 
be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Hemker Park and Zoo, Freeport, MN; Permit No. PER4234292

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to enhance the propagation 
or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be 
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Common name                        Scientific name
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Ring- tail lemur..........................  Lemur catta.
Cotton-top tamarin........................  Saguinus oedipus.
Black-and-white ruffed lemur..............  Varecia rubra.
Grevy's zebra.............................  Equus grevyi.
Black-footed penguin......................  Spheniscus demersus.
Arabian oryx..............................  Oryx leucoryx.
Japanese crane............................  Grus japonensis.
White-naped crane.........................  Grus vipio.
Bontebok..................................  Damaliscus pygargus
                                             (=Dorcas) dorcas.
Slender-horn gazelle......................  Gazella leptoceros.
Cuvier's gazelle..........................  Gazella cuvieri.
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Applicant: Disney's Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake, FL; Permit No. PER4361497

    The applicant requests to renew a captive-bred wildlife 
registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to 
enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.

 
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                Common name                        Scientific name
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Komodo monitor............................  Varanus komodoensis.
Galapagos giant tortoise..................  Chelonoidis niger.
Radiated tortoise.........................  Astrochelys radiata.
White-naped crane.........................  Grus vipio.
Lechwe....................................  Kobus leche.
Eld's deer................................  Rucervus eldii.
North Sulawesi babirusa...................  Babyrousa celebensis.
Southern white rhinoceros.................  Ceratotherium simum simum.
Black rhinoceros..........................  Diceros bicornis.
Somali wild ass...........................  Equus africanus somalicus.
Hartmann's mountain zebra.................  Equus zebra hartmannae.
Grevy's zebra.............................  Equus grevyi.
African wild dog..........................  Lycaon pictus.
Sumatran tiger............................  Panthera tigris sumatrae.
Cheetah...................................  Acinonyx jubatus.
Western gorilla...........................  Gorilla gorilla.
Siamang...................................  Symphalangus syndactylus.
Northern white-cheeked gibbon.............  Nomascus leucogenys.
Mandrill..................................  Mandrillus sphinx.
Lion-tailed macaque.......................  Macaca silenus.
Cottontop tamarin.........................  Saguinus oedipus.
Golden lion tamarin.......................  Leontopithecus rosalia.
Ring-tailed lemur.........................  Lemur catta.
Red-collared brown lemur..................  Eulemur collaris.
Bontebok..................................  Damaliscus pygargus
                                             pygargus.
African lion..............................  Panthera leo.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applicant: Toledo Zoological Society, Toledo, OH; Permit No. PER4417242

    The applicant requests to amend a captive-bred wildlife 
registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) to add the following species to 
enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.

 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Common name                        Scientific name
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jackass penguin...........................  Spheniscus demersus.
Kagu......................................  Rhynochetos jubatus.
Siberian tiger............................  Panthera tigris altaica.
Bornean orangutan.........................  Pongo pygmaeus.
Cheetah...................................  Acinonyx jubatus.
Francois' langur..........................  Trachypithecus francoisi.
Pied tamarin..............................  Saguinus bicolor.
Indian rhinoceros.........................  Rhinoceros unicornis.
Ring-tailed lemur.........................  Lemur catta.
Snow leopard..............................  Uncia uncia.
Western gorilla...........................  Gorilla gorilla.
Northern white-cheeked gibbon.............  Nomascus leucogenys.
Tartaruga.................................  Podocnemis expansa.
Komodo monitor............................  Varanus komodoensis.
Panamanian golden frog....................  Atelopus zeteki.
Tuatara...................................  Sphenodon punctatus.
Saltwater crocodile.......................  Crocodylus porosus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Multiple Trophy Applicants

    The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted 
trophies of male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a 
captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of 
South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival 
of the species.
     Teddy Dickerson, Hillsville, VA; Permit No. PER4459612
     Sammy Shaw, Galax, VA; Permit No. PER4459661
     Patrick Fitzgerald, Parker, CO; Permit No. PER4549178
     Loren Griess, Hastings, NE; Permit No. PER4581626

[[Page 68663]]

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in 
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may 
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2023-21998 Filed 10-3-23; 8:45 am]
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