[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 133 (Thursday, July 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45958-45959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17462]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 070302A]


Marine Mammals; File No. 42-1642

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Mystic Aquarium, 55 Coogan Blvd., 
Mystic, CT 06355 (Dr. Lisa Mazarro, Principal Investigator) has 
requested an amendment to scientific research Permit No. 42-1642.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before 
August 12, 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; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA01930-
2298; phone (978)281-9200; fax (978)281-9371.
    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 Amy Sloan, (301)713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 42-1642, 
issued on October 15, 2001 (66 FR 53403) 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. 42-1642 authorizes the permit holder to: study metabolic 
clearance rates of vitamins A and E using isotope tracers and vitamin 
analogs in captive Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in relation 
to various life history stages; establish the vitamin A and E status of 
free-ranging Steller sea lions; determine the metabolic requirements 
for these vitamins by relating intake to blood levels in captive 
specimens; and receive or import serum and milk samples from captive 
marine mammals held in facilities within the United States and abroad 
to study the disease hemochromatosis (an excessive accumulation of iron 
in tissues often associated with hepatic lesions) as well as others 
associated with general marine mammal health. The permit holder 
requests authorization to import one male Steller sea lion from the 
Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, Canada for breeding with female Steller 
sea lions currently held by Mystic Aquarium in support of their study 
of

[[Page 45959]]

changes in vitamin A and E status in relation to various life history 
stages in captive Steller sea lions.
    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: July 3, 2002.
Trevor R. Spradlin,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-17462 Filed 7-10-02; 8:45 am]
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