[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 120 (Thursday, June 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 32507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-15321]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 061295C]


Marine Mammals

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for a scientific research permit 
(P771#74).

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Howard Braham, National Marine 
Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand point Way 
NE., Bldg. 4, BIN C15700, Seattle, WA 98115, has applied in due form 
for a permit to take California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus), 
northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and northern elephant seals 
(Mirounga angustirostris) for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written comments or requests for a public hearing must be 
received on or before July 24, 1995..

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Permits Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-
West Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713-2289); and
    Director, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, 
Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310/980-4001).
    Written data or views, or requests for a public hearing on this 
request, should be submitted to the Chief, Permits Division, F/PR1, 
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1335 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910, within 30 days of the publication of this notice. 
Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific 
reasons why a hearing on this particular request would be appropriate.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, the Secretary of Commerce is forwarding copies of this 
application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of 
Scientific Advisors.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kellie Foster (301/713-1401).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Regulations Governing the Taking and 
Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Regulations 
Governing the Taking, Importing, and Exporting of Endangered Fish and 
Wildlife (50 CFR part 222), the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1151 et seq.), and the fur seal regulations at 50 CFR part 215.
    The applicant proposes to conduct four research projects which will 
focus on several aspects of California sea lion biology: 1) annual at-
sea distribution, foraging behavior, and food habits of adult females, 
mother-pup activity patterns and weaning behavior. Twenty California 
sea lion female/pup pairs are proposed to be taken yearly by attachment 
of instrumentation. Up to 6,000 California sea lions, 350 northern fur 
seals and 1,650 northern elephant seals are proposed to be taken yearly 
incidental to activities related to instrumentation and/or scat 
collection; 2) identification of diseases in the population and the 
effects of diseases on survival of individuals and weaning parameters 
of pups. Twenty adult females, four hundred-twenty pups and thirty 
juvenile california sea lions are proposed to be taken yearly for blood 
collection, viral and bacterial swabs, measurements and marking by 
lavage coloring. Ten thousand one hundred California sea lions, three 
hundred northern fur seals, and one thousand northern elephant seals 
are proposed to be taken yearly incidental to activities related to the 
gathering of pups; 3) assessment of vital parameters. Five hundred 
ninety California sea lion pups are proposed to be taken yearly by hot 
branding, tagging and measurements. Ninety California sea lion pups are 
proposed to be taken yearly by measurements and eight thousand eight 
hundred California sea lions, three hundred northern fur seals and 
three hundred northern elephant seals are proposed to be harassed 
yearly incidental to activities related to the gathering of pups for 
sampling; and 4) assessment of population trends and pup mortality. 
Twenty-eight thousand California sea lions, one thousand twenty-five 
northern fur seals and fifteen hundred northern elephant seals are 
proposed to be harassed yearly incidental to ground surveys to count 
live and collect and mark dead California sea lion pups. Research will 
take place on San Miguel Island, the Channel Islands and haul-out sites 
along the coast of central and northern California. Project duration is 
5 years beginning September 1995.

    Dated: June 13, 1995.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits & Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-15321 Filed 6-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F