[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 141 (Tuesday, July 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 40285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14330]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB16


Marine Mammals; File No. 814-1899

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that North Slope Borough Department of 
Wildlife Management, P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723 [Taqulik Hepa, 
Responsible Party; Dr. Cheryl Rosa, Principal Investigator] has been 
issued a scientific research permit to collect and acquire marine 
mammal specimens from 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).

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
    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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 27, 2007, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (72 FR 20994) that a request for a scientific 
research permit to the marine mammal species identified above had been 
submitted by the above-named organization. The requested permit has 
been issued 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 parts 222-226).
    The tissues collected/acquired by the North Slope Borough 
Department of Wildlife Management under this permit would be utilized 
in 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 would be collected to augment the Alaskan Marine 
Mammal Tissue Archival Project (AMMTAP). No animals would be killed for 
the purpose of providing samples under this permit. Locations of 
collections would be from the Northwest Arctic Borough (St. Lawrence 
Island, Diomede, Wales and Kivalina) and the North Slope Borough, 
Alaska. This effort would provide critical baseline data and would 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 has been issued for a period of 5 years.

    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 is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Issuance of this permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permit: (1) was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: July 18, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-14330 Filed 7-23-07; 8:45 am]
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