[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 22, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 35965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12868]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 051602D]


Marine Mammals; File No.981-1578-01

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment to a permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Peter L. Tyack, Ph.D., Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, has requested an 
amendment to scientific research Permit No. 981-1578-01.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before June 
21, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The amendment request and related documents are available 
for review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)713-0376;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-
2298; phone (978)281-9200; fax (978)281-9371;
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727)570-5301; fax (727)570-5320; and
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request 
should be submitted to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 
Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals 
requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a 
hearing on this particular amendment request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)713-0376, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please 
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or other electronic 
media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Adams or Ruth Johnson, (301)713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 981-
1578, issued on August 31, 2000 (65 FR 57319) 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 and 
threatened species (50 CFR 222-226).
    Permit No. 981-1578-01 authorizes the permit holder to: tag 
cetaceans in the Mediterranean and Ligurian Seas, as well as in the 
Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of the Azores in the North Atlantic, 
with an advanced digital sound recording tag that can record the 
acoustic stimuli an animal hears, and measure vocal, behavioral, and 
physiological responses to sound played back at maximum received levels 
of 120-160 dB re 1 micronPa. The permit holder requests authorization 
to: increase the maximum received level for non-airgun sounds to 180 dB 
re 1 micronPa; test a whale-finding sonar's ability to detect gray 
whales migrating past the central California coast, and add playbacks 
of the coda sounds of sperm whales as a control stimulus for controlled 
exposure experiments involving human-made sounds.
    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.
    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.

    Dated: May 17, 2002.
Eugene T. Nitta,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-12868 Filed 5-21-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S