[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 81 (Friday, April 27, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20994-20995]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-8119]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 042307G]


Marine Mammals; File No. 814-1899

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that North Slope Borough Department of 
Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723 [Dr. Cheryl Rosa, 
Principal Investigator] has applied in due form for a permit to obtain 
and collect marine mammal parts/samples for the purpose of scientific 
research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 29, 2007.

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)427-2521; and
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249.

[[Page 20995]]

    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)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.
    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing e-mail comments is [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
File No. 814-1899.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Skidmore or Amy Sloan, 
(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.), 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).
    The North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management is 
requesting authorization to collect and transport tissues from 
subsistence-collected and/or stranded (dead) marine mammals of the 
following species: bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), ringed seal 
(Phoca hispida), spotted seal (Phoca larga), and ribbon seal (Phoca 
fasciata), bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), beluga whale 
(Delphinapterus leucas), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and 
grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus). These collected tissues would be 
used to perform a variety of health-related analyses, including (but 
not limited to): tissue histology, contaminants analyses (elemental 
analyses, PAH/organochlorine analyses etc.), infectious disease 
research (culture, PCR analyses), parasitology studies and stable 
isotope work. Additionally, tissues will be collected to augment the 
Alaskan Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP). No animals will 
be killed for the purpose of providing samples under this permit.. 
Locations of collections will be from the Northwest Arctic Borough (St. 
Lawrence Island, Diomede, Wales and Kivalina) and the North Slope 
Borough, Alaska. This effort will provide critical baseline data and 
will be part of a long-term monitoring project being undertaken by the 
North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management in response to 
public concerns about the safety and health of their subsistence 
species. This permit is requested for five years.
    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 24, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-8119 Filed 4-26-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S