69 FR 195 pgs. 60363-60364 - Endangered Species; File No. 1501 and File No. 1506
Type: NOTICEVolume: 69Number: 195Pages: 60363 - 60364
Docket number: [I.D. 092004E]
FR document: [FR Doc. 04-22730 Filed 10-7-04; 8:45 am]
Agency: Commerce Department
Sub Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 092004E]
Endangered Species; File No. 1501 and File No. 1506
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Receipt of applications for permits.
SUMMARY:
Notice is hereby given that the followingindividuals have applied in due form for permits to conduct scientificresearch on endangered and threatened sea turtles: Dr. Allen M. Foley,Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and WildlifeResearch Institute, Jacksonville Field Laboratory, 6134 Authority Avenue,Building 200, Jacksonville, Florida 32221 (File No. 1501); and Dr. Blair E.Witherington, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish andWildlife Research Institute, Melbourne Beach Field Laboratory, 9700 SouthA1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida 32951 (File No. 1506).
DATES:
Written or telefaxed comments must be receivedon or before November 8, 2004.
ADDRESSES:
The applications and related documents areavailable for review upon written request or by appointment in thefollowing office(s):
Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of ProtectedResources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)713-0376; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St.Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727)570-5301; fax(727)570-5320.
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these applicationsshould be mailed to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and EducationDivision, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-WestHighway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requestinga hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on theparticular request would be appropriate.
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)713-0376,provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail andpostmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period.
Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address forproviding email comments is NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov .Include in the subject line of the e-mail comment the following documentidentifier: either File No. 1501 or File No. 1506.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Jefferiesor Patrick Opay, (301)713-2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The subject permits arerequested under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, asamended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ) and the regulationsgoverning the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatenedspecies (50 CFR 222-226).
File No. 1501: Dr. Foley seeks authorization to capture and trackloggerhead ( Caretta caretta ), green ( Cheloniamydas ), Kemp's ridley ( Lepidochelys kempii ), andhawksbill ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) sea turtles for twoseparate projects in Florida Bay. The first project would continue anon-going long-term study of all four species in which, annually, up to 175adult and juvenile loggerheads, 20 adult and juvenile greens, 20 adult andjuvenile Kemp's ridley, and 10 adult and juvenile hawksbill sea turtleswould be captured by hand, measured, weighed, examined for tumors,photographed, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) and flipper tagged,blood sampled, marked on the carapace with a white laminating gel andsubsequently released. The loggerhead sea turtles would also have a skinsample taken. This work would be conducted for five years from permitissuance during the months of June and July. A second study would beconducted on loggerhead sea turtles in Florida Bay and in a nearbylaboratory: annually, up to 50 adult loggerhead sea turtles would becaptured by hand, measured, weighed, examined for tumors, photographed, PITand flipper tagged, skin and blood sampled, and marked on the carapace witha white laminating gel in the field. The turtles would then be transportedby boat to the Keys Marine Lab and held for a maximum of 24 hours. Duringthis time, the researchers would perform ultrasounds, testicular biopsies,and laparoscopy. The turtles would then be transported back to the capturesite and released. A subset of 15 sea turtles would also be tagged with acombination of a satellite, sonic and temperature-depth recorder. Thisresearch would be conducted for five years from issuance of the permitduring the months of February and March.
File No. 1506: Dr. Witherington seeks authorization to study neonateand juvenile sea turtles in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and theAtlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Annually, up to 250 neonate andjuvenile loggerheads, 10 neonate and juvenile greens, five neonate andjuvenile hawksbill, two neonate and juvenile Kemp's ridley, and two neonateand juvenile leatherback ( Dermochelys coriacea ) sea turtleswould be captured via long-handled dip nets, handled, measured, andreleased. A subset of up to 50 neonate and juvenile loggerhead sea turtleswould be transported less than five hours to a nearby port, held for 12hours, and then transported less than four hours to an imaging center wherethey would be held for no more than four days and examined for plastic andtar loads with either a veterinary high-resolution magnetic resonanceinterferometry instrument or a computerized tomography. The turtles wouldthen be returned to the point of capture and released. Feces samples wouldalso be collected during the holding period. These activities would beauthorized for five years from permit issuance.
Dated: October 1, 2004.
Carrie W. Hubard,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and EducationDivision, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine FisheriesService.
[FR Doc. 04-22730 Filed 10-7-04; 8:45 am]
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