[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4635-4636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1632]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA173


Endangered Species; File No. 15552

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the National Marine Fisheries 
Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center

[[Page 4636]]

(SEFSC) [Bonnie Ponwith: Responsible Party], 75 Virginia Beach Drive, 
Miami, FL 33149, has applied in due form for a permit to take green 
(Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead 
(Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), olive ridley 
(Lepidochelys olivacea), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and 
unidentified hardshell sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before February 25, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The application 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. 15552 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the following offices:
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301) 713-2289; fax (301) 713-0376; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address 
listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-
0376, or by e-mail 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, Conservation and Education 
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: Colette Cairns or Amy Hapeman, (301) 
713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested 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 
222-226).
    The proposed research would allow the applicant to monitor the take 
of green, loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback, Kemp's ridley, olive 
ridley, and unidentified hardshell sea turtles by observed commercial 
fisheries and collect data to estimate bycatch and its effects on sea 
turtle sub-populations. Annually, up to 94 green, 731 loggerhead, 163 
Kemp's ridley, 76 hawksbill, 255 leatherback, and 120 olive ridley/
unknown hardshell sea turtles would be handled, identified, 
photographed, measured, weighed, flipper and passive integrated 
transponder tagged, temporarily marked, skin biopsied, and released. 
The permit would authorize SEFSC certified observers to collect data on 
juvenile, sub-adult, and adult sea turtles incidentally captured in 
commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and the East coast of the 
United States. These efforts would aid in the development and 
refinement of management efforts to recover these species. The sampling 
would be conducted year-round for five years from the date of issuance 
of the permit.

    Dated: January 21, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-1632 Filed 1-25-11; 8:45 am]
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