[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 223 (Monday, November 18, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58676-58677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29470]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 110796A]


Marine Mammals; Scientific Research Permit (PHF# PHF000815, AAP# 
001312-00)

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

ACTION: Receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Birgit Winning, Oceanic Society 
Expeditions, Fort Mason Center, Bldg. E, San Francisco, CA 94123, has 
applied in due form for a permit to take Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus 
schauinslandi) on Midway Atoll, Hawaii for purposes of scientific 
research.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 16, 
1996.

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);
    Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, 
Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310/980-4001); and
    Protected Species Coordinator, Pacific Area Office, 2570 Dole 
Street, Room 106, Honolulu, HI 96822-2396 (808/973-2987).
    Written data or views, or requests for a public hearing on this 
request, should be submitted to the Director, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 
20910. Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the 
specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be 
appropriate.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of this application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

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.), and the regulations 
governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered fish and 
wildlife (50 CFR part 222.23).
    The applicant proposes to conduct the following scientific research 
activities on Hawaiian monk seals on Midway

[[Page 58677]]

Atoll: behavioral observations, tagging/bleach marking, and necropsies 
on seals found dead in the wild. The applicant requests this permit for 
a five year period.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that 
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Dated: November 8, 1996.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-29470 Filed 11-15-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F