2023-24458. Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

DATES:

We must receive comments by December 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents: The applications, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2023–0207.

Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

• Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2023–0207.

• U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2023–0207; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.

For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703–358–2185 or via email at [e-mail]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits/, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in ADDRESSES . We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address not in ADDRESSES . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES ).

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.

III. Permit Applications

We invite comments on the following applications.

Applicant: University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. PER4073903

The applicant requests authorization to export biological samples collected from individual animals of cetacean and pinniped species (except walrus) for the purpose of scientific research. Samples are collected from live wild and captive individuals or salvaged from dead wild and captive individuals. This notification covers activities conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. PER4871061

The applicant requests authorization to import biological samples collected from individual animals of cetacean and pinniped species (except walrus) for the purpose of scientific research. Samples are collected from live wild and captive individuals or salvaged from dead wild and captive individuals. This notification covers activities conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Mario Gutierrez, San Antonio, TX; Permit No. PER3979790

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for radiated tortoise ( Astrochelys radiata), to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NMFS), La Jolla, CA; Permit No. PER4479189

The applicant requests renewal of a permit to import biological samples collected from wild and captive-bred animals of Kemp's ridley turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea), green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas), loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta), and olive ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys olivacea) for the purpose of scientific research. Samples are collected from live or salvaged specimens. This notification covers activities conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: World Bird Sanctuary, Valley Park, MO; Permit No. PER5047417

The applicant requests a permit to import an Andean condor ( Vultur gryphus), to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Shawn Dooley, Belle Plaine, KS; Permit No. PER4621221

The applicant requests a permit to import a sport-hunted trophy of one male bontebok ( Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species.

IV. Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for “12345A”.

V. Authority

We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

Brenda Tapia,

Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority.