[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 63 (Monday, April 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17072-17074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6610]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032905A]


Marine Mammals; File Nos. 434-1669, 1010-1641, 800-1664, 881-
1668, 782-1768, 358-1769, 715-1784, and 1034-1773

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

ACTION: Receipt of applications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the following individuals and 
institutions have applied for a permit or permit amendment to conduct 
research on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Oregon Department 
of Fish and Wildlife, Corvallis, OR (ODFW; File No. 434-1669); the 
Aleutians East Borough, Juneau, AK (AEB: File No. 1010-1641); Dr. 
Randall Davis, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX (File No. 800-1664); 
the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, AK (ASLC: File No. 881-1668); the 
National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 
Seattle, WA (NMML: File No. 782-1768); the Alaska Department of Fish 
and Game, Anchorage, AK (ADF&G: File No. 358-1769); The North Pacific 
Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium, University of British 
Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (NPUMMRC: File No. 715-1784); and Dr. Markus 
Horning, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX (File No. 1034-1773).

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 4, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):

[[Page 17073]]

    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)427-2521;
    Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 
1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700; phone (206)526-6150; fax (206)526-6426; 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 these 
applications 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 a particular request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)427-2521, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period.
    Additionally, comments may be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox 
address for providing email comments is [email protected]. 
Include the appropriate file number(s) in the subject line of the e-
mail comment as a document identifier.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permits and permit amendments 
are requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 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).
    File No. 434-1669: Permit No. 434-1669, issued to ODFW on November 
12, 2002 (67 FR 69724) authorizes takes of threatened Steller sea lions 
in California, Washington, and Oregon by capture, hot-branding, flipper 
tagging, collection of blood, tissue sampling, attachment external 
scientific instruments, harassment incidental to these activities and 
remote monitoring, and incidental mortality. The purpose of these 
activities is to continue monitoring the status of the Steller sea lion 
population in California, Oregon, and Washington. ODFW has requested an 
amendment to extend the duration of the permit for three years and also 
proposes to add a study on the effects of hot-brands. The proposed 
study of hot-brands does not include a request for an increase in 
numbers of animals captured and handled.
    File No. 1010-1641: Permit No. 1010-1641, issued to AEB on November 
12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of Steller sea lions of all 
ages by harassment during aerial surveys and vessel-based behavioral 
observations in the western Gulf of Alaska, and scat collection at 
rookeries and haulouts along the Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutian 
Islands. The permit also authorized mortality incidental to the 
research. AEB has requested an amendment to extend the duration of the 
permit, with an increase in the number of sea lions that may be 
harassed during aerial surveys annually. The purpose of the activities 
proposed by AEB is to provide additional information on seasonal prey 
consumption by Steller sea lions through analysis of scat collected at 
rookeries and haulouts along the Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutian 
Islands, and to improve the accuracy and precision of population 
indices through expanded aerial and vessel surveys in the western Gulf 
of Alaska.
    File No. 800-1664: Permit No. 800-1664, issued to Dr. Davis on 
November 12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of threatened and 
endangered juvenile and adult female Steller sea lions in Alaska by 
capture, anesthesia, hot-branding, tissue sampling (including blood, 
skin, and blubber), attachment of scientific instruments (video system/
data logger and satellite transmitters), and incidental mortality. Dr. 
Davis has requested an amendment to extend the duration of the permit 
and to modify some of the objectives and methods for taking Steller sea 
lions. The purpose of the activities proposed by Dr. Davis is to study 
the hunting behavior and three-dimensional movements of Steller sea 
lions. The results would be used, in conjunction with data on satellite 
remote sensing of hydrographic features, and on the abundance, 
distribution, and composition of prey at spatial and temporal scales, 
to address questions about Steller sea lion prey preference, predator/
prey relationships, and ecological attributes of foraging habitat.
    File No. 881-1668: Permit No. 881-1668, issued to the ASLC on 
November 12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of threatened and 
endangered Steller sea lions in Alaska by capture, hot-branding, 
flipper tagging, collection of blood and tissue samples, attachment of 
external scientific instruments, incidental mortality, and harassment 
incidental to these activities and remote monitoring activities. The 
permit was amended on July 31, 2203 (68 FR 47294) to include capture 
and transport of up to 16 juvenile Steller sea lions per year to the 
ASLC for short-term captivity, health assessments (including 
anesthesia, blood sampling, blubber biopsy, diagnostic x-ray, 
endoscopy, bioelectric impedance analysis, deuterated water, and 
urinalysis), controlled fasting, and adrenocorticotrophic hormone 
challenge experiments. ASLC has requested permit amendments to extend 
the duration of the permit and modify some of the objectives, methods, 
and numbers of Steller sea lions taken. The ASLC states that the 
overall purpose of their activities, including the proposed amendments, 
is to collect information on the health status (e.g., morphometrics, 
body composition, immunology, epidemiology, endocrinology, viral 
serology), physiology (e.g., vitamin requirements, stress responses to 
capture, handling, and captivity), life history (e.g., ontogenetic and 
annual cycles, population dynamics), foraging behavior, and habitat use 
of Steller sea lions.
    File No. 782-1768: The NMML has requested a five-year permit to 
collect information on the life history, foraging behavior, habitat 
use, physiology, population status and trends, survival and 
reproductive rates, and condition of Steller sea lions in the North 
Pacific. To accomplish this, NMML proposes to conduct aerial surveys 
and ground counts as well as capture, sample, and mark Steller sea 
lions. NMML has also requested a number of incidental mortalities.
    File No. 358-1768: The ADF&G has requested a five-year permit to 
investigate the various hypotheses for the decline of Steller sea lions 
in western Alaska, including conducting studies of life history traits, 
physiological investigations of animal condition and time of weaning, 
and studies of animal movement and dive activity. To accomplish this, 
ADF&G proposes to conduct aerial surveys and ground counts as well as 
capture, sample, and mark Steller sea lions. ADF&G has also requested a 
number of incidental mortalities.
    File No. 715-1784: The NPUMMRC has requested a five-year permit to 
collect data on sea lion distribution and diet compositions through 
aerial surveys of sea lion rookeries and haul outs in Southeast Alaska; 
collection of scat from rookeries and haul outs in Southeast Alaska; 
conducting

[[Page 17074]]

behavioral observations of sea lions on rookeries, haul outs and tagged 
sea lions at sea; and mortality incidental to research. The objectives 
of the study are to understand how diets vary temporally and spatially, 
and how this variation is related to population trends and abundance, 
nutritional stress, and commercial fishing activities.
    File No. 1034-1773: Dr. Horning has requested a five-year permit to 
surgically implant dual ``Life History Transmitters'' into up to 80 
free-ranging Steller sea lions ages nine months to four years, using 
ship-based surgical operations under gas anesthesia. The objectives of 
the proposed study are (1) to determine age specific survival rates for 
juvenile Steller sea ions, (2) to determine the time of year for the 
greatest mortality of juvenile Steller sea lions, (3) to determine 
approximate locations of mortalities, (4) to analyze ontogenetic and 
seasonal changes in the dive behavior and dive effort from deceased 
animals and relate these to environmental conditions and prey abundance 
as assessed by other groups, (5) to test the effects of body condition 
and health indicators on survival of juveniles, and (6) to assess the 
predictive power of parameters measurable in juvenile Steller sea lions 
for future survival. All animals captured would also be subject to 
comprehensive ``body condition and health assessments'' and would be 
hot-branded for future identification. Dr. Horning has also requested a 
number of incidental mortalities.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has 
been prepared to examine whether significant environmental impacts 
could result from issuance of the proposed permits and permit 
amendments. The draft EA is available for review and comment 
simultaneous with the applications. The scope of the draft EA includes 
the following six environmental impact issues: (1) Is NMFS able to 
coordinate research under the various permits and ensure that 
activities are not unnecessarily duplicative and do not result in 
significant adverse impacts on threatened and endangered Steller sea 
lions? (2) Is NMFS able to adequately monitor the effects of the 
overall research program on Steller sea lions? (3) Can NMFS coordinate 
and synthesize the data generated by this research program in a way 
that is useful or meaningful for conservation of Steller sea lions? (4) 
Are all of the research proposals consistent with permit issuance 
criteria under the MMPA and ESA, such as whether all of the projects 
are likely to contribute to conservation of Steller sea lions? (5) Does 
the amount of incidental mortality to be authorized represent a 
significant adverse impact on Steller sea lions? (6) What are the 
potential effects of various research activities, either individually 
or cumulatively, on Steller sea lions as a species? Chapter 4 of the 
draft EA outlines NMFS analytical approach to evaluating alternatives.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the applications to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: March 29, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-6610 Filed 4-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S