Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications

DATES:

We must receive comments by March 26, 2026.

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 ESA of 1973, as amended (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 Texas Rio Grande Valley; Brownsville, TX; Permit No. PER21497763

The applicant requests authorization to import samples taken from four sea turtle species: green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), leatherback ( Dermochelys coriacea ), hawksbill ( Eretmochelys imbricata ), and loggerhead ( Caretta ) from multiple locations for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL; Permit No. PER21244411

The applicant requests a permit to export of one live, captive-bred male and one live, captive-bred female African slender-snouted crocodile ( Crocodylus cataphractus ) to the Selwo Adventura, Spain, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single export.

Applicant: St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL; Permit No. PER21394921

The applicant requests a permit to export of one live, captive-bred male African slender-snouted crocodile to the Biotropica Zoological Conservancy, France, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single export.

Multiple Trophy Applicants

The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted trophies of 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.

• Applicant: Michael Arthur Sumner, Okeechobee, FL; Permit No. PER22029243.
• Applicant: Shaun Michael Kogut, Okeechobee, FL; Permit No. PER22030519.
• Applicant: Benjamin Solum, Platte City, MO; Permit No. PER22041006.
• Applicant: Todd Hodson, Saint Elmo, IL; Permit No. PER22042437.
• Applicant: Lisa Arnold, Cypress, TX; Permit No. PER22043413.
• Applicant: Mark D. Farnam, Fargo, ND; Permit No. PER22057213.
• Applicant: Michael Logue, Brownstown, IL; Permit No. PER22057217.
• Applicant: James McKenzie Sims, Evanston, WY; Permit No. PER22057254.
• Applicant: Wyatt Pearson, Springfield, LA; Permit No. PER22057355.

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 ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ), and its implementing regulations.