[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77-78]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28739]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 120904C]


Marine Mammals and Endangered Species; Permits No. 782-1702-03 
and 1409-01

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

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment and modification.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the following applicants have been 
issued an amendment/modification to their scientific research permit.
    Permit No. 782-1702-03 - National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, BIN 
C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0070, [Dr. John Bengtson, Principal 
Investigator]; and
    Permit No. 1409-01 - Karen G. Holloway-Adkins [Principal 
Investigator], Executive Director, East Coast Biologists, Inc. P.O. Box 
33715, Indialantic, FL 32903.

ADDRESSES: The amendment, modification 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. 782-1702-03 - Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point 
Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700; phone (206)526-
6150; fax (206)526-6426;
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249; and
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.
    Permit No. 1409-01 - Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center 
Drive North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727)570-5301; fax 
(727)570-5320.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2004, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (69 FR 60841) that an amendment of permit no. 782-
1702-02 and modification of permit no. 1409 had been requested by the 
above-named organization and individual. The requested amendment and 
modification have been granted 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 (ESA; 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), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et 
seq.).

Permit Amendment

    Permit No. 782-1702-03 authorizes an increase in the number of 
California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) that may be accidentally 
killed from five per year to seven for the year spanning July 1, 2004 
to June 30, 2005 (starting July 1, 2005, the authorized accidental 
mortality would revert to five annually).

Permit Modification

    Permit No. 1409-01 authorizes attachment of sonic tags to 15 green 
sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) to document the movements, foraging 
locations, behavior, resting sites, and daily movement patterns in 
nearshore reefs in central Brevard County.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final determination has been made that the 
activity proposed in permit 782-1702-03 is categorically excluded from 
the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental 
impact statement. For permit 1409-01 an environmental assessment was 
prepared analyzing the effects of the permitted activities. After

[[Page 78]]

a Finding of No Significant Impact, the determination was made that it 
was not necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement.
    Issuance of these permits, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permits: (1) were applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) are 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: December 27, 2004.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-28739 Filed 12-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S