[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 289-290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-85]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 121799B]


Marine Mammals

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Southwest Fisheries Science 
Center, Honolulu Laboratory, NMFS, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 
96822-2396, has been issued an amendment to scientific research Permit 
No. 848-1335.

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, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/
713-2289);
    Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean 
Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310/980-4001); and
    Protected Species Program Manager, Pacific Islands Area Office, 
Southwest Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, 
HI (808/973-2937).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 30, 1999, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (64 FR 47172) that an amendment of Permit No. 848-
1335, issued June 10, 1997 (62 FR 32586), had been requested by the 
above-named organization. The requested amendment has been issued 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 (ESA) 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). The amendment 
authorizes: an increase the number of animals authorized to be taken 
(i.e., harassed) during pelagic

[[Page 290]]

ecology studies from 30 to 100 seals annually for the duration of the 
permit, and to: (1) allow retrieval of time-depth recorders (TDRs) from 
Hawaiian monk seals; (2) provide additional take by instrumentation 
(including sonic tags) to support continued research into the foraging 
ecology of Hawaiian monk seals; and (3) allow an additional procedure, 
isotopic water dilution, to estimate the body composition as an 
indication of foraging success and condition of study subjects. For 
this amendment, some of these seals may be taken up to three times: 
Once to apply a VHF transmitter, a second time to apply a TDR or 
satellite-linked time-depth recorder (SLTDR), and a third time to 
retrieve the TDR/SLTDR.
    Issuance of this amendment, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of the endangered species which is the 
subject of this permit; and (3) is consistent with the purposes and 
policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA.

    Dated: dECEMBER 27, 1999.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-85 Filed 1-3-00; 8:45 am]
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