42510 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 152 / Thursday, August 7, 1997 / Notices

hear the Calico Scallop Committee

report before taking action on which

measures to include in the Calico

Scallop FMP. From 2:30 p.m. to 5:00

p.m., the Council will hear the Habitat

Committee report, and the Bluefish

Committee report before approving

Council bluefish amendment

recommendations to the MAFMC and

the ASMFC. At 3:00 p.m., the Council

will hear the Executive and Finance

Committee report and approve the

proposed changes to 1997 activities and

budget, and approve the proposed 1998

activities schedule and budget, hear a

report on the Atlantic Coastal

Cooperative Statistics Program, agency

and liaison reports, and discuss other

business.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to the Council office

(see ADDRESSES) by August 11, 1997.

Dated: July 31, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–20849 Filed 8–6–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 073097A]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of Scientific Research

Permit 1053, Issuance of Modification 4

to Scientific Research Permit 962, and

Notice of Receipt of Application for a

Scientific Research Permit (P648).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that on

July 14, 1997, NMFS issued scientific

research permit 1053 to Molly

Lutcavage, of the New England

Aquarium (P645), to take listed

leatherback turtles, and on July 23,

1997, NMFS issued modification 4 to

scientific research permit 962 issued to

Carlos Diez and Robert van Dam, Puerto

Rico Department of Natural and

Environmental Resources (P509B), to

take listed hawksbill and green turtles

for the purpose of scientific research

subject to certain conditions set forth

therein. Notice is also given that Samuel

S. Sadove of Coastal Research &

Education Society of Long Island, Inc.

(P648) has applied in due form for a

scientific research permit to take listed

sea turtles.

ADDRESSES: The application, permit,

and related documents are available for

review by appointment in the following

offices:

Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3,

NMFS, 1315 East-West Hwy., Room

13307, Silver Spring, MD 20910–3226

(301–713–1401); and

Director, Northeast Region, NMFS,

NOAA, One Blackburn Drive,

Gloucester, MA 01930–2298 (508–281–

9250).

or

Director, Southeast Region, NMFS,

NOAA, 9721 Executive Center Drive, St.

Petersburg, FL 33702–2432 (813–893–

3141).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice

was published on May 8, 1997 (62 FR

25174) that an application had been

filed by Dr. Molly Lutcavage, New

England Aquarium (P645), to take listed

leatherback turtles as authorized by the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA)

(16 U.S.C. 1531–1543) and NMFS

regulations governing listed fish and

wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217–222).

Dr. Lutcavage requested a one year

permit to satellite tag eight (8) listed

leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)

turtles to determine vulnerability of

leatherbacks to incidental capture by

pelagic longline fisheries; to relate

specific travel routes of leatherback

turtles equipped with satellite

transmitters to fishing activities and

oceanographic features; to assist pelagic

fishermen in the development of fishing

techniques that reduce interactions with

leatherback turtles; and to develop safe

handling procedures and satellite

attachment techniques. On July 14,

1997, NMFS issued Permit 1053

authorizing the above activities.

Notice was published on June 17,

1997 (62 FR 32768) that a request had

been filed by Carlos Diez (P509B), to

modify permit 962, to take listed sea

turtles as authorized by the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.

1531–1543) and NMFS regulations

governing listed fish and wildlife

permits (50 CFR parts 217–222).

Carlos Diez and Robert van Dam are

authorized under permit 962 to

examine, photograph, measure, and tag

200 listed hawksbill (Eretmochelys

imbricata) and 20 listed green (Chelonia

mydas) sea turtles annually, in the

waters surrounding Mona and Monito

Islands, Puerto Rico. Additionally, some

of the turtles may be lavaged, have

blood or scute samples taken, or have

time-depth recorders or crittercams

attached. Modification 4, issued by

NMFS on July 23, 1997, authorizes the

following modifications to permit 962:

1) an increase in the level of take of

hawksbill turtles to a total of 300

annually; 2) an increase in the level of

take of green turtles to a total of 100

annually; 3) authorization to net capture

green turtles; 4) authorization to include

the Puerto Rican Islands of Culebra,

Vieques, Desecheo, and Caja de Muertos

in the study area; 5) authorization to

collect up to 10 cc’s of blood from all

turtles taken under the authority of this

permit for genetic analysis and sex

determination; and 6) authorization to

include Teresa Tellevast, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, as an agent under this

permit.

Samuel S. Sadove, Coastal Research &

Education Society of Long Island, Inc.

(P648), requests a Scientific Research

Permit under the authority of the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA)

(16 U.S.C. 1531–1543) and NMFS

regulations governing listed fish and

wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217–227).

The applicant is requesting a three

year permit to take listed Kemp’s ridley

(Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead

(Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia

mydas), and leatherback (Dermochelys

coriacea) sea turtles to determine the

distribution, habitat use, survivorship,

and recruitment of turtles in New York

State waters. The turtles would be

weighed, measured, photographed,

blood sampled, fecal sampled, and

tagged. The proposed study would

continue ten years of research initiated

by the applicant while acting as an

agent for the New York State

Department of Environmental

Conservation, pursuant to the State of

New York ESA Section 6 cooperative

agreement.

Issuance of these permits/

modifications, as required by the ESA,

was based on a finding that such

permits/modifications: (1) were applied

for in good faith, (2) will not operate to

the disadvantage of the listed species

that is/are the subject of the permits/

modifications, and (3) are consistent

with the purposes and policies set forth

in section 2 of the ESA.

Dated: July 31, 1997.

Nancy Chu,

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office

of Protected Resources, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–20848 Filed 8–6–97; 8:45 am]

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