[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 93 (Wednesday, May 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 26476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12531]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 050597C]


Marine Mammals; Public Display Permit (PHF# 116-1380)

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 Sea World, Inc., 7007 Sea World 
Drive, Orlando, FL 32821, has applied in due form for a permit to 
import one beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), for purposes of public 
display.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 13, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The application 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, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301/713-2289); and
    Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 5001 West Ocean 
Blvd., Ste. 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802, (562/980-4001).
    Written data or views, or requests for a public hearing on this 
application, should be submitted to the Chief, Permits Division, F/PR1, 
Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the 
specific reasons why a hearing on this particular application would be 
appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the discretion of the 
Director, Office of Protected Resources.
    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 
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the Regulations Governing the 
Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant requests authorization to import one adult male 
beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), identified as ``Nanuq'', from the 
Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, to its San 
Diego facility for purposes of public display. Both the applicant and 
Vancouver Aquarium are participants in a North American cooperative 
breeding program under the auspices of the Taxonomic Advisory Group for 
beluga whales of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The 
facility, Sea World of California, 1720 South Shores Road, San Diego, 
CA 92109, is open to the public on a regularly scheduled basis with 
access that is not limited or restricted other than by charging an 
admission fee; offers an educational program based upon the educational 
standards of the AZA and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and 
Aquariums; and holds an Exhibitor's License, number 93-C-069, issued by 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act.
    In addition to determining whether the applicant meets the three 
public display criteria, NMFS must determine whether the applicant has 
demonstrated that the proposed activity is humane and does not present 
any unnecessary risks to the health and welfare of marine mammals; that 
the proposed activity by itself or in combination with other 
activities, will not likely have a significant adverse impact on the 
species or stock; and that the applicant's expertise, facilities, and 
resources are adequate to accomplish successfully the objectives and 
activities stated in the application.

    Dated: May 6, 1997.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-12531 Filed 5-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F