![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Endangered Species; File No. 1438
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: June 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 115)]
[Notices]
[Page 35630-35631]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jn03-31]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 060203A]
Endangered Species; File No. 1438
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Thane Wibbels, Department of
Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-
1170, has
[[Page 35631]]
applied in due form for a permit to take Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys
kempii), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and green (Chelonia mydas) sea
turtles for purposes of scientific research.
DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before July
16, 2003.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review 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, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St.
Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727) 570-5301; fax (727) 570-5320.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Opay, (301) 713-1401 or Carrie
Hubard, (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 applicant proposes to utilize tangle net methodology combined
with observational surveys from boats to study sea turtles in the
estuarine systems of Alabama state waters from Grand Bay to Perdido
Bay. The purpose of the research is to provide a basic understanding of
the abundance, location, and movement of sea turtles within these
estuarine ecosystems. This research will help resource managers develop
optimal management strategies for these estuaries in order to conserve
and protect sea turtles and their habitat. The applicant proposes to
take 30 Kemp's ridley, 30 loggerhead, and 30 green sea turtles
annually. Turtles would be captured with a 9.9 inch (25 cm) mesh tangle
net that is 731.7 feet (223 m) long by 19.7 feet (6 m) deep. Turtles
would be measured, weighed, flipper tagged, blood sampled and released.
A subset of five loggerhead and five Kemp's ridley sea turtles would be
tagged with a sonic or satellite transmitter. The requested duration of
this permit is 5 years.
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this
application should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and
Education Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315
East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those
individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons
why a hearing on this particular 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 and
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or by other
electronic media.
Dated: June 10, 2003.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-15154 Filed 6-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S