

To better evaluate impacts to endangered and threatened species, while enhancing conservation and creating efficiencies and improvements.
The Office of Protected Resources’ Permits and Conservation Division has developed a new programmatic approach to permitting scientific research and enhancement for certain endangered and threatened species. The purpose of programmatic permitting is to enhance conservation and recovery of our species, cumulatively evaluate our permitted research, and streamline the process for you.
We are now implementing programmatic permitting for
Species | Applications Due | Decision (Issuance/ Denial) | Applications Due for 2nd Cycle | Decision for 2nd Cycle (Issuance/ Denial) | Reporting Period | Reports Due |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon; smalltooth sawfish | Aug 1 | Jan 31 | N/A | N/A | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | Feb 1 |
Sea turtles | Apr 1 | Sept 30 | N/A | N/A | Oct 1 - Sept 30 | Oct 31 |
Cetaceans | May 1 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Apr 30 | Jan 1 - Dec 31 | Feb 28 |
If your activities fall within the scope of a programmatic ESA consultation: submit new applications and major modifications (i.e., increasing take numbers or adding species, locations, or methods with greater risk to the animals), following the dates in the table above. If you miss the submission date, you may have to wait until the next cycle begins.
If your request does not fit within the scope of a programmatic consultation: you may apply at any time, at least one year before your planned fieldwork.
You may request minor changes to your permit (e.g., editing personnel, changing research objectives) at any time.
Submit your request in APPS following the application instructions for your target species group (e.g., sturgeon, sea turtles and sawfish or marine mammals).
If you submit your permitting requests within the above timelines and the request is complete and falls within the scope of the consultation for your species, we can process your application in approximately 6 months. If your application is incomplete, it may be returned and processing will take longer.
We evaluated all commonly authorized capture techniques (e.g., trawl, gill and seine nets) and methodologies (e.g., fin clip, gastric lavage, passive integrated transponder [PIT] tagging, internal instruments) as part of the sturgeon programmatic consultation.
Although the programmatic ESA consultation is broad in scope, it does not include novel activities for which impacts to the individual or species are unknown. For example, this consultation does not include electroshocking as a capture method.
Regardless of whether your research fits within the scope of the sturgeon programmatic consultation, the following conditions apply:
We established limits on the number of research-related mortalities that may occur each year for each life stage of both Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. We manage each species by three mortality banks: 1) early life stage (ELS), 2) juvenile, and 3) sub-adult and adult. Within each bank, the limits are river-specific. As you are working on your application, remember:
Due to delayed mortality concerns, we are monitoring impacts of internal acoustic tagging and gastric lavage. In your take table
A total of 200 sturgeon are proposed for capture and sampling, within only 10 receiving internal tags. The 10 internal tags are entered as their own row and are not "nested."
Species | Life Stage | Expected Annual Take | Procedures | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic sturgeon | Adult | 190 | Mark, PIT tag, Measure, Photograph/Video, Sample, blood, Sample, fin clip (genetic) | Mark/recapture; sex determination; genetics. |
Atlantic sturgeon | Adult | 10 | Instrument, internal (e.g, VHF, sonic), Mark, PIT tag, Measure, Photograph/Video, Sample, blood, Sample, fin clip (genetic) | Acoustic tags for telemetry tracking; mark/recapture; sex determination; genetics. |
We evaluated all commonly authorized capture techniques (e.g., longline, gill and seine nets) and methodologies (e.g. fin clip, passive integrated transponder [PIT] tagging, internal instruments) as part of the sawfish programmatic consultation.
Regardless of whether your research fits within the scope of the smalltooth sawfish programmatic consultation, the following conditions apply:
We established limits on the number of research-related mortalities that may occur each year for each life stage. We manage the species by two mortality banks: 1) neonate/juvenile, and 2) sub-adult and adult. As you are working on your application, remember:
Due to delayed mortality concerns, we are monitoring impacts of internal acoustic tagging. In your take table:
A total of 60 adult/subadult smalltooth sawfish are proposed for capture, sampling and telemetry tracking, with 10 receiving both internal and external tags. The 10 internal tags are entered on a separate row and are not "nested."
Species | Life Stage | Expected Annual Take | Procedures | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Smalltooth sawfish | Adult/ Subadult | 50 | Instrument, external tag Mark, PIT tag, Measure, Photograph/Video, Sample, blood, Sample, fin clip (genetic), Sample, muscle | External acoustic tags for telemetry tracking. |
Smalltooth sawfish | Adult/ Subadult | 10 | Instrument, internal tag (e.g., VHF, sonic); Instrument, external tag; Mark, PIT tag, Measure, Photograph/Video, Sample, blood, Sample, fin clip (genetic); Sample muscle | Internal and external acoustic tags for telemetry tracking. |
We evaluated most standard methods for conducting research on sea turtles in U.S. and international waters as part of the sea turtle programmatic consultation. For example, we included common sea turtle capture methods such as dip, tangle, and seine nets and procedures such as flipper tagging, tissue biopsy, and instrument attachment using adhesives.
However, the scope of the consultation does not include research activities having high risks of mortality, outdated methods, or novel activities for which the impacts are uncertain. Some excluded methods are:
Regardless of whether your research fits within the scope of the sea turtle programmatic consultation, the following conditions apply:
Brief (< 5 min) vessel and aerial (manned and unmanned) surveys to approach and observe sea turtles in close proximity may not require an ESA permit. Please discuss your survey protocols with your permit analyst or contact the Permits and Conservation Division at 301-427-8401 before submitting an application.
We established a “bank” that sets 10-year limits on the number of sea turtle mortalities that may occur as a result of research activities, fitting within the scope of the programmatic ESA consultation. We authorize unintentional sea turtle mortality by individual species and over the life of the permit, not annually. Mortality requests must mirror this approach and you must provide adequate justification why your research may result in an unintentional mortality. See example table below.
Researchers propose to capture 100 sea turtles by trawl net. The subset of larger turtles that may receive transmitters are separated on their own row and are not "nested." One lethal take is also requested over the life of the permit due to the risk of mortality when trawling.
Species | Life Stage | Expected Annual Take | Procedures | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turtle, loggerhead sea | Juvenile/ Subadult/ Adult | 80 | Mark, carapace (temporary); Mark, flipper tag; Mark, PIT tag; Measure; Photograph/Video; Sample, tissue; Weigh | Capture and sampling. |
Turtle, loggerhead sea | Subadult/ Adult | 20 | Instrument, epoxy attachment (e.g., satellite tag, VHF tag); Mark, carapace (temporary); Mark, flipper tag; Mark, PIT tag; Measure; Photograph/Video; Sample, tissue; Weigh | Animals to receive transmitters |
Turtle, loggerhead sea | Juvenile/ Subadult/ Adult | 1 |
Unintentional mortality |
Mortality due to trawl over the life of the permit, not annual. |
We evaluated most standard methods for conducting research on ESA-listed cetaceans in U.S. and international waters as part of the cetacean programmatic consultation.
Some activities evaluated in the cetacean consultation include:
However, the scope of the cetacean consultation does not include research activities that have a high risk of adverse impacts or risk of mortality, outdated methods, or novel activities for which the impacts are uncertain. Some excluded methods are:
We set conservative limits on deep-implant tags due to the potential for fitness-level impacts to ESA-listed cetaceans.
We define deep-implant tags as invasive tags that are designed to anchor in either the fascia between muscle and blubber layers or in the muscle.
Applicants requesting deep-implant tags for ESA-listed cetacean species must apply on the May 1 cycle if you wish to be covered by the programmatic consultation.
No deep-implant tags will be allowed on certain cetaceans:
For all other ESA-listed cetaceans, the number of deep-implant tags authorized per year is limited to no more than 10% of the best available population estimate. These include:
These limits are based on a suite of criteria which consider the status, health, blubber thickness relative to tag size, and threats. The goal of the limits is to ensure the permitting program does not result in fitness-level impacts or jeopardize the continued existence of the species. Adaptive management is included in the programmatic framework to allow for flexibility on an annual basis using the best available scientific information.
To accurately monitor and evaluate reported tagging takes, separate tag types into different rows in your take tables; do not “nest” them within your other Level A activities. See the example below.
Researchers propose to biopsy sample 80 whales, 40 of which would also receive a tag. The tag types are separated into their own rows and are not "nested."
Species | Life Stage | Expected Annual Take | Procedures | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blue whale | All | 100 | Count/survey; Observations, behavioral; Photo-id; Photograph/Video | Level B harassment. |
Blue whale | Adult | 40 | Count/survey; Observations, behavioral; Photo-id; Photograph/Video; Sample, skin and blubber biopsy | Biopsy sampling. |
Blue whale | Adult | 20 | Count/survey; Observations, behavioral; Instrument, suction-cup; Photo-id; Photograph/Video; Sample, skin and blubber biopsy; Tracking | Suction-cup tagging and biopsy sampling. |
Blue whale | Adult | 10 | Count/survey; Observations, behavioral; Instrument, dart/barb; Photo-id; Photograph/Video; Sample, skin and blubber biopsy | Dart tagging and biopsy sampling. |
Blue whale | Adult | 10 | Count/survey; Observations, behavioral; Instrument, deep-implant; Photo-id; Photograph/Video; Sample, skin and blubber biopsy |
Deep-implant tagging and biopsy sampling. |
Contact your permit analyst or call the Permits and Conservation Division at 301-427-8401.