Endangered Species; File No. 1494

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Receipt of application.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that St. George's School, P.O. Box 1910, Newport, RI, 02840, has applied in due form for a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

DATES:

Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or before September 20, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

The application and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):

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.

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.

Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for providing email comments is NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: File No. 1494.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick Opay or Jennifer Skidmore, (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 capture, weigh, measure, flipper tag, tissue sample and release 50 loggerhead, 5 green, 5 hawksbill, 5 Kemp's ridley sea turtles. Animals would be captured by dip net or by hand from the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. The applicant also proposes to import tissue samples from each of these species taken legally during separate research being conducted in the waters of the Bahamas. The purpose of the research conducted under Permit No. 1494 would be to obtain life history and growth rate data on these species. Information from this study would be used to help determine migratory behavior and habitat utilization of sea turtles. The results of this study would provide a better understanding of the migratory demographics for constructing models that can then be used to better formulate species management plans.