[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 84 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 23286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10801]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041503C]


Marine Mammals; File No. 881-1709

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 Jo-Ann Mellish, Ph.D., University 
of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska SeaLife Center, 301 Railway Avenue, P.O. 
Box 1329, Seward, Alaska 99664, has applied in due form for a permit to 
take tissue samples from harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and northern fur 
seals (Callorhinus ursinus) for purposes of scientific research.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before June 
2, 2003.

ADDRESSES: The application 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
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the Regulations Governing the 
Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant requests authorization to collect and receive an 
unlimited number of tissue samples (including, teeth/bone, blubber, 
muscle, blood, skin, vibrissae, placenta, fetus, reproductive tracts, 
stomach and intestinal tracts, heart, liver, lungs, kidney and other 
vital organs) taken from carcasses of harbor seals and northern fur 
seals that have died of natural causes or were killed during legal 
subsistence hunts in Alaska. The purposes of the research are to 
determine contaminant loads in tissues to study whether exposure to 
contaminants may be a contributing factor to poor survival and 
reproduction of these species, and to determine steroid hormone levels 
in the tissues of these species to develop methods to study the 
reproductive rate and population structure of marine mammals. Export of 
tissues to Canada for tissue analyses and to other countries world-wide 
for future opportunistic research is also proposed. The applicant has 
requested a five-year permit.
    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.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be mailed 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 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 by other 
electronic media.
    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: April 25, 2003.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-10801 Filed 4-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S