Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 31, 2005 / Notices 51757 

Conservation Plan 

The conservation plan prepared by 

the applicant describes measures 

designed to monitor, minimize, and 

mitigate the incidental takes of ESAlisted sea turtles. The conservation plan 

includes limiting sampling effort in 

areas and times where sea turtles are 

likely to be present; avoiding coral and 

rock habitats associated with hawksbills 

and areas of submerged aquatic 

vegetation associated with green turtles; 

using minimal tow durations; avoiding 

areas of high fishing vessel activity 

which may attract foraging sea turtles 

and may increase the chance of multiple 

captures. 

All activities will be conducted under 

the direct supervision of scientific 

parties from Virginia Tech. Sampling 

will not be conducted when sea turtles 

are observed in the area. If a sea turtle 

is captured, all efforts will be made to 

release the turtle as quickly as possible 

with minimal trauma. If necessary, 

resuscitation will be attempted as 

proscribed by 50 CFR 223.206. 

Scientific parties will be familiarized 

with resuscitation techniques prior to 

surveys, and a copy of the resuscitation 

guidelines will be carried aboard the 

vessel during survey activities. In the 

event resuscitation is unsuccessful, the 

sea turtle will be transferred to the sea 

turtle stranding network of the 

appropriate jurisdiction. Other 

monitoring or mitigation actions will be 

undertaken as required. 

The applicant considered and rejected 

three other alternatives: Not applying 

for a permit; conducting the research in 

an area where ESA-listed species do not 

occur; and using different sampling gear 

when developing their conservation 

plan. 

Upon a review of the application, 

relevant documents, public comments, 

and further discussions with NCDMF, 

NMFS found that the application met 

the criteria for issuance of 50 CFR 

222.307(c). Permit 1529 was issued on 

August 17, 2005, and expires on 

December 15, 2011. 

Dated: August 26, 2005. 

Thomas C. Eagle, 

Acting Chief, Marine Mammal and Turtle 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17343 Filed 8–30–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 080305C] 

Endangered Species; File No. 1537 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife 

Resources (DAWR), 142 Dairy Road, 

Mangilao, Guam 96913, has been issued 

a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas) 

and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) 

sea turtles for purposes of scientific 

research. 

ADDRESSES: The permit 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, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910; phone (301)713–

2289; fax (301)427–2521; and 

Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 

Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, Honolulu, HI 

96814–4700; phone (808)973–2935; fax 

(808)973–2941. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick Opay or Ruth Johnson, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 3, 

2005, notice was published in the 

Federal Register (70 FR 32582) that a 

request for a scientific research permit 

to take green and hawksbill sea turtles 

had been submitted by the above-named 

organization. The requested permit has 

been issued 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 parts 222–226). 

Researchers will annually capture 63 

green and 30 hawksbill sea turtles by 

hand or by tangle net. Turtles will be 

measured, flipper tagged, Passive 

Integrated Transponder tagged, tissue 

sampled, and released. A subset of 

individuals of each species will also 

have a satellite transmitter attached to 

their carapace. The research will gather 

information on turtle population size 

and stratification, species distribution, 

and health status. This information will 

be used to develop conservation 

management measures for these species. 

The research will occur in the waters off 

of Guam. The permit is issued for a 5–

year period. 

Issuance of this permit, as required by 

the ESA, was based on a finding that 

such permit (1) was applied for in good 

faith, (2) will not operate to the 

disadvantage of any endangered or 

threatened species, and (3) is consistent 

with the purposes and policies set forth 

in section 2 of the ESA. 

Dated: August 26, 2005. 

Stephen L. Leathery, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17344 Filed 8–30–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS 

Notice of Meeting 

The next meeting of the Commission 

of Fine Arts is scheduled for 15 

September 2005 at 9 a.m. in the 

Commission’s offices at the National 

Building Museum, Suite 312, Judiciary 

Square, 401 F Street, NW., Washington, 

DC 20001–2728. Items of discussion 

affecting the appearance of Washington, 

DC, may include buildings, parks and 

memorials. 

Draft agendas and additional 

information regarding the Commission 

are available on our Web site: http:// 

www.cfa.gov. Inquiries regarding the 

agenda and requests to submit written 

or oral statements should be addressed 

to Thomas Luebke, Secretary, 

Commission of Fine Arts, at the above 

address or call 202–504–2200. 

Individuals requiring sign language 

interpretation for the hearing impaired 

should contact the Secretary at least 10 

days before the meeting date. 

Dated in Washington, DC, 25 August 2005. 

Thomas Luebke, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 05–17322 Filed 8–30–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6330–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Negotiation of a Reciprocal Defense 

Procurement Memorandum of 

Understanding With Argentina 

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD). 

ACTION: Request for industry feedback 

regarding experience in public (defense) 

procurements conducted by Argentina. 

SUMMARY: DoD is commencing 

negotiation of a Reciprocal Defense 

Procurement Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) with Argentina. 

DoD is soliciting input from U.S. 

industry that has had experience