[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43283-43285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-16283]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 062002A]


Marine Mammals; Permit No. 358-1564-02, Permit No. 782-1532, File 
No. 1016-1651, File No. 800-1664, File No. 434-1669, and File No. 881-
1668

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

ACTION: Receipt of applications to amend permits, receipt of 
applications for scientific research permits, and availability of 
Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following actions regarding 
permits for takes of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) for the 
purposes of scientific research: NMFS has received permit applications 
from Dr. Glenn VanBlaricom, Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 
Research Unit, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of 
Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; Dr. Randall Davis, Department of

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Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX 77551; the Oregon 
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Corvallis, Oregon 97330 (PI: 
Robin Brown); and the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC), Seward, Alaska 
99664 (PI: Don Calkins). NMFS has received applications to amend Permit 
No. 782-1532, issued to The National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA 98115-0070 (PI: 
Dr. Thomas Loughlin) and Permit No. 358-1564-02, issued to the Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526 (PI: Dr. 
Thomas Gelatt).

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments on the new applications, amendment 
requests or Environmental Assessment must be received on or before July 
29, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The applications, amendment requests and related documents, 
and the Environmental Assessment are available for review upon written 
request, by downloading from the internet, or by appointment in the 
following office(s):
    All documents: Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office 
of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301)713-2289, or the Division's web page at 
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR1/Permits/pr1permits_review.html 
.
    For permit 782-1532 (NMML) and Files No. 1016-1651 (Univ. of 
Washington) and 434-1669 (ODFW): Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand 
Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700,(206)526-
6150; and
    For permits 782-1532 (NMML), 358-1564-02 (ADFG) and Files No. 1016-
1651 (Univ. of Washington), 800-1664 (Davis), and 881-1668 (ASLC): 
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668,(907)586-
7221.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permits and amendments are 
requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 
1972, as amended (MMPA; 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 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.), the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting 
of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), and the 
Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).

Applications to Amend Permits

    A notice of receipt for a major amendment to Permit No. 358-1564-
00, issued to Alaska Department of Fish and Game on June 28, 2000 (65 
FR 39878) was published on July 5, 2001 (66 FR 35412). Permit No. 358-
1564-00 authorizes the permit holder to take Steller sea lions of all 
ages and both sexes over a 5-year period in Alaska and British Columbia 
by aerial/boat surveys, capturing, handling, tagging, blood/biopsy 
sampling, and branding. The permit holder requested authorization to: 
administer Evans blue dye, collect additional blood and tissue samples 
from, and attach scientific instruments to Steller sea lions already 
authorized to be captured and handled, and increase the frequency of 
aerial surveys and recaptures for purposes of scientific research. 
Subsequent to publication of the Notice of Receipt to amend this 
permit, the Permit Holder submitted supplementary information and 
requests for additional modifications to the permit, including an 
increase in the number of accidental mortalities.
    A notice of receipt for a major amendment to Permit No. 782-1532, 
issued to NMFS, National Marine Mammal Laboratory on January 14, 2000 
(65 FR 2383) was published on June 8, 2001 (66 FR 30885). Permit No. 
782-1532-01 authorizes the permit holder to take Steller sea lions of 
all ages and both sexes over a 5-year period in Alaska, California, 
Washington, and Oregon by aerial/boat surveys, capturing, handling, 
tagging, blood/biopsy sampling, and branding. The permit holder 
requested authorization to: increase the frequency of takes by aerial 
surveys; include Southeast Alaska in monthly surveys; increase the 
number of animals to be incidentally harassed during scat collection; 
and allow additional procedures for animals already authorized for 
capture, including using gas anesthesia, branding of any animal 
captured, injecting Evan's blue dye and deuterated water, collecting 
additional blood and tissue samples, and using bioelectric impedance 
analysis. Subsequent to publication of the Notice of Receipt to amend 
this permit, the Permit Holder submitted supplementary information and 
requests for additional modifications to the permit, including an 
increase in the number of accidental mortalities.
    Subsequent to publication of the Notice of Receipt to amend these 
permits, the NMFS determined that preparation of an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) was warranted and deferred a decision on these 
amendment requests pending its completion.

Applications for Permits

    Dr. Randall Davis (File No. 800-1664) proposes to take threatened 
and endangered Steller sea lions in Alaska by capture, anesthesia, hot-
branding, tissue sampling (including blood, skin, and blubber), 
attachment of scientific instruments (video system/data logger and 
satellite transmitters), and accidental mortality to compare hunting 
behavior and three-dimensional movements of free-ranging adult females 
(including pregnant animals) and juveniles of both sexes at various 
rookeries, as it relates to prey preferences and predator-prey 
relationships.
    Dr. Glenn VanBlaricom (File No. 1016-1641) proposes to take 
threatened and endangered Steller sea lions in the Aleutian Islands, 
Gulf of Alaska, and southeast Alaska by remote biopsy darting, 
incidental harassment, and accidental mortality, to collect blubber 
samples for analysis to assess prey selection. Some samples will be 
exported to Canada for analysis. Northern fur seals (Callorhinus 
ursinus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) may be 
incidentally harassed during biopsy sampling.
    The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (File No. 434-1669) 
proposes to take threatened Steller sea lions in California, 
Washington, and Oregon by capture, hot-branding, flipper tagging, 
collection of blood and tissue samples from, attachment external 
scientific instruments to, harassment incidental to these activities 
and remote monitoring, and accidental mortality. The purpose of the 
research is to continue monitoring the status of the Alaskan Steller 
sea lion population and to identify causes of the population decline so 
as to provide for the population's recovery.
    The Alaska SeaLife Center (File No. 881-1668) proposes to take 
threatened and endangered Steller sea lions in Alaska by capture, hot-
branding, flipper tagging, collection of blood and tissue samples from, 
attachment of external scientific instruments to, implanting scientific 
instruments in, holding in captivity for up to 3 months, conducting 
controlled feeding and endocrinology experiments on, accidental 
mortality, and harassment incidental to these activities and remote 
monitoring. The overall purpose of the research is to collect 
information on the health status, physiology, life history, foraging 
behavior and habitat use of Steller sea lions.
    NOAA environmental review procedure provide that scientific

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research permits are generally categorically excluded from the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) 
requirements to prepare an EA or environmental impact statement (EIS). 
However, because of the magnitude and intensity of proposed research, 
which is largely related to the recent funding opportunities, and the 
intense public interest in this species, NMFS determined that an EA was 
warranted. For additional information on recent funding, see the notice 
of availability of funds for the Steller Sea Lion Research Initiative 
(66 FR 15842). An EA was prepared on the issuance of the proposed 
permits, resulting in a finding of no significant impact, and is 
available for review as a companion document to the scientific research 
permit applications. The EA also considered proposed takes of Steller 
sea lions by aerial/vessel survey, harassment during scat collection 
and behavioral observations, as requested in an application for a 
scientific research permit submitted by the Aleutians East Borough, 
File No. 1010-1641. A notice of receipt of this application was 
published on August 22, 2001 (66 FR 44120) and a decision was deferred 
pending preparation of the EA.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of these applications to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: June 21, 2002.
Trevor Spradlin,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-16283 Filed 6-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S