00-33226. Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Receipt of application to modify permits (1231).

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding permits for takes of endangered and threatened species for the purposes of scientific research and/or enhancement:

NMFS has received applications for permit modifications from: Dr. Lew Ehrhart, University of Central Florida (1231).

DATES:

Comments or requests for a public hearing on any of the new applications or modification requests must be received at the appropriate address or fax number no later than 5 p.m. eastern standard time on January 29, 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments on any of the new applications or modification requests should be sent to the appropriate office as indicated below. Comments may also be sent via fax to the number indicated for the application or modification request. Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet. The applications and related documents are available for review.

For permit 1231: Office of Protected Resources, Endangered Species Division, F/PR3, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (ph: 301-713-1401, fax: [phone]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For permit 1213: Terri Jordan, Silver Spring, MD (phone: [phone] x148; fax: [phone]); e-mail: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

Issuance of permits and permit modifications, as required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1543) (ESA), is based on a finding that such permits/modifications: (1) are applied for in good faith; (2) would not operate to the disadvantage of the listed species which are the subject of the permits; and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA. Authority to take listed species is subject to conditions set forth in the permits. Permits and modifications are issued in accordance with and are subject to the ESA and NMFS regulations governing listed fish and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 222-226).

Those individuals requesting a hearing on an application listed in this notice should set out the specific reasons why a hearing on that application would be appropriate (see ADDRESSES). The holding of such hearing is at the discretion of the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA. All statements and opinions contained in the permit action summaries are those of the applicant and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMFS.

Species Covered in This Notice

The following species and evolutionarily significant units (ESU's) are covered in this notice:

Sea Turtles

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Modification Requests Received

Permit 1231: The Recovery Plan for the U.S. Population of Atlantic Green Turtle states that the foremost problem in management and conservation of sea turtles is the lack of basic biological information. This study proposes to capture turtles living in the Indian River Lagoon Estuary of central Florida in Brevard and Indian River counties. The data provided by the study will include information regarding habitat requirements, seasonal distribution and abundance, movement and growth, feeding preferences, sex distribution and the prevalence and severity of fibropapilloma.

Modification #1 would authorize satellite tags to be deployed on eight (8) green turtles over the life of the permit. Turtles will be captured during netting operations under permit #1231 and #1144 in the Indian River Lagoon, FL.

Dated: December 21, 2000.

Wanda L. Cain,

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.