[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 13 (Wednesday, January 21, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2902-2903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1215]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 010804A]


Marine Mammals; Permit No. 821-1588-03 and File No. 909-1726-00

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment and application for 
permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Texas A&M University, Department 
of Marine Biology, P.O. Box 1675, Galveston, Texas 77551 (Principal 
Investigator: Dr. Randall W. Davis) has requested an amendment to 
scientific research Permit No. 821-1588-01, and Daniel T. Engelhaupt, 
P.O. Box 197, Picton, New Zealand has applied in due form for a permit 
to take marine mammals for scientific research.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before 
February 20, 2004.

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
    Permit No. 881-1588-03 (Davis) and File No. 909-1726-00 
(Engelhaupt): Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, 
Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (813)570-5301; fax (813)570-5517; and
    File No. 909-1726-00 (Engelhaupt): Assistant Regional Administrator 
for Protected Resources, Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930-2298; phone (508)281-9346; fax (508)281-9371.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these requests 
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 the 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

[[Page 2903]]

later than the closing date of the comment period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ruth Johnson ([email protected]) 
or Carrie Hubard ([email protected]) or Phone: (301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The amendment and application are 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. 821-1588-02 (R. Davis) authorizes the permit holder to 
conduct research under four projects: 1) capture, tag, sample, release 
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) on McMurdo Sound, Antarctica; 
(2) approach, tag, biopsy, photograph sperm whales (Physeter 
macrocephalus) in the Gulf of Mexico, and conduct research activities 
on Odontocetes that may result in Level B harassment; (3) import/export 
marine mammal specimens obtained from dead animals; and (4) Project IV 
- Hunting Behavior and Energetics of Free-Ranging Elephant Seals. The 
permit holder now requests authorization to amend Project II to 
increase the number of sperm whales to be taken by harassment during 
photo-identification and behavioral observations to 530 animals. 
Currently 100 sperm whales may be incidentally harassed during tagging 
and biopsy sampling of 60 animals.
    Danied Engelhauft (File No. 909-1726) requests a permit to biopsy 
sample and collect naturally sloughed skin from sperm whales (Physeter 
macrocephalus) and a variety of other non-listed cetacean species in 
the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and 
Mediterranean Sea. The goal is the continuation of a previous four-year 
study that analyzes population genetic structure between the Gulf of 
Mexico, Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea and 
provides a comparison of these putative geographic populations with 
those of other geographic areas. The project is part of a multi-year 
and multi-institution, cross-disciplinary research program to 
understand the impacts of oil/gas industries and seismic exploration on 
the endangered sperm whale population in the Gulf of Mexico. Samples 
would be collected by obtaining skin samples via biopsy dart, sloughed 
skin sampling, as well using extant samples of stored material obtained 
from NMFS Southeast and Northeast regional stranding networks. Samples 
will be exported to the research facilities at the University of 
Durham's Biological Sciences Laboratory, New Zealand, or to a similar 
research facility in the United States for genetic sample processing.
    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: January 13, 2004.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-1215 Filed 1-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S