[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 137 (Thursday, July 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 38269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18805]



[[Page 38269]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 071197C]


Marine Mammals; Scientific Research Permit (PHF# 875-1401)

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 Dr. Christopher W. Clark, Cornell 
University, Ithaca, New York 14850, has applied in due form for a 
permit to take blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whales 
(Balaenoptera physalus) for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 18, 1997.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents, including a draft 
environmental assessment (EA) that examines the environmental 
consequences of issuing the requested permit, 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).
    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 purpose of the proposed research is to study the effects of 
low-frequency sound produced by the Navy's Surface Towed Array 
Surveillance System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) system on the 
behavior of blue and fin whales feeding in the Southern California 
Bight during September/October of 1997 and/or 1998. Individuals of 
several other species of cetaceans and pinnipeds may be taken (i.e., by 
harassment or auditory temporary threshold shift) incidentally during 
the proposed experiments.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a draft EA examining the environmental 
consequences of issuing the requested permit has been prepared. Based 
upon this draft EA, NMFS has preliminarily concluded that issuance of 
the requested permit will not have a significant effect on the human 
environment.

    Dated: July 11, 1997.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-18805 Filed 7-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F