[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 214 (Monday, November 4, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 56668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28199]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 102896A]


Marine Mammals; Permit No. 873 (P773#63)

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

ACTION: Scientific research permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a request for amendment of 
scientific research permit no. 873 submitted by the Southwest Fisheries 
Science Center, NMFS, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, CA 92038-0271, has been 
granted.

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
    Permits Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-
West Highway, Suite 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713-2289); and
    Director, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802, (310/980-4016).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 20, 1996, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (61 FR 40439) that an amendment of permit no. 
873, issued July 28, 1993 (58 FR 34038), had been requested by the 
above-named organization. The requested amendment has been granted 
under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as 
amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the provisions of Sec. 216.39 of the 
Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 
CFR part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the provisions of Sec. 222.25 of the 
Regulations Governing the Taking, Importing, and Exporting of 
Endangered Fish and Wildlife (50 CFR part 222).
    Permit no. 873 authorized the permit holder to biopsy several 
species of cetaceans off the Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans, and 
to import biopsy tissues collected outside of U.S. waters. The permit 
has been amended to: (1) Expand the location of the research activities 
on particular species to include the U.S. and international waters of 
the Gulf of Mexico; (2) increase the number of biopsy tissue sample 
takes from 20 to 50 for northern right whale dolphins (Lissodelphis 
borealis), pilot whales (Globicephala spp.), killer whales (Orcinus 
orca), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Dall's porpoise 
(Phocoenoides dalli), and blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in the 
Pacific Ocean; and (3) increase the number of biopsy tissue sample 
takes for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) from 20 to 200.
    Issuance of this amendment, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such amendment: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) 
will not operate to the disadvantage of the endangered species which 
are the subject of this permit; and (3) is consistent with the purposes 
and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: October 25, 1996.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-28199 Filed 11-1-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F