[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51712-51713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20367]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC253


Endangered Species; File No. 16733

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center (SEFSC; Responsible Party: Bonnie Ponwith), 75 Virginia Beach 
Dr., Miami, FL 33149 has been issued a permit to take loggerhead 
(Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas),

[[Page 51713]]

Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill (Eretmochelys 
imbricata), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and olive ridley (L. 
olivacea) 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 following offices:
    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;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 24, 2012, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (77 FR 58812) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to take loggerhead, green, Kemp's ridley, hawksbill, 
leatherback, and olive ridley 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).
    The permit authorizes aerial, vessel, and acoustic surveys on sea 
turtles in the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and 
their embayments. Sea turtles may be directly captured by hand or using 
nets or alternatively, sea turtle may be obtained from other legal 
sources. Authorized procedures for captured sea turtles include: 
measurements, laboratory experiments, biological sampling, temporary 
marking, tracking, ultrasound, and/or attachment of transmitters before 
release back to the wild. Up to six sea turtles may accidentally die 
over the five-year life of the permit.
    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: August 16, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-20367 Filed 8-20-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P