[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55797-55798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20887]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 083104B]


Marine Mammals; Permit No. 782-1708-00

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 the NMFS, National Marine Mammal 
Laboratory (NMML), has requested an amendment to scientific research 
Permit No. 782-1708-00.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 18, 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
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249;
    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.
    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing email comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
Permit No. 782-1708-00.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 782-
1708-00, issued on August 28, 2003 (68 FR 52906) 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), and the Fur Seal Act of 
1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).
    Permit No. 782-1708 authorizes the permit holder to conduct 
scientific research on northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). Seals 
may be captured, tagged, sampled and incidentally harassed during 
annual censuses on the Pribilof Islands. The objectives of this work 
are to: (1) monitor the status and trends of the northern fur seal 
population, (2) evaluate the condition of animals from each cohort 
(health and strength of year-class), (3) monitor the diet, and (4) 
document the movement patterns, foraging behavior, and essential 
foraging

[[Page 55798]]

habitat of various age and sex classes of fur seals. The information 
collected under this permit is important for assessing the recovery of 
this depleted species and for evaluating management actions.
    The current knowledge base regarding reasons for the continued 
decline of the northern fur seal population would benefit from direct 
longitudinal studies on mother pup pairs and comparative studies on 
habitat use and success of individuals from the decreasing Pribilof 
Islands population and the increasing Bogolof Island population. In 
this regard, the Holder is requesting an amendment to the Permit to: 
collect a blubber sample, use tritiated water on 70 of the adult 
females already authorized to be taken, and to hold them up to 2.5 
hours; include gastric intubation, use of deuterated water on 60 pups 
already authorized to be taken, recapture them twice, and hold pups for 
up to 2.5 hours. Both isotope procedures would be conducted 
simultaneously on mother-pup pairs. After the final blood sample, pairs 
would be released together. The proposed amendment would allow research 
that will contribute information needed for long term studies of adult 
female fur seals through their pupping, lactation, and annual migration 
periods. When combined with studies of their pups throughout the 
lactation period, this would provide important insight into female/pup 
body condition, female reproductive success, and habitat use during the 
breeding season and the winter migration. The differences in population 
trends, foraging locations, and diets between the Pribilof Island and 
Bogoslof Island populations will be addressed in the proposed study.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination (dated August 28, 
2004) has been made that the Permitted activities are 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: September 10, 2004.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-20887 Filed 9-15-04; 8:45 am]
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