[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 143 (Thursday, July 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41064-41065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14457]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 020907C]


Marine Mammals; File Nos. 715-1883 and 881-1745

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

ACTION:  Notice; issuance of permit and permit amendment.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Permit No. 715-1883 for conduct 
of research on northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) has been issued 
to the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium 
(NPUMMRC), University of British

[[Page 41065]]

Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.; and Permit Amendment No. 881-1745-02 has 
been issued to the The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC), Seward, AK, for 
conduct of research on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in 
captivity at the ASLC.

ADDRESSES:  The permit amendment 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; http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/review.htm; andAlaska Region, NMFS, P.O. 
Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone (907)586-7221; fax (907)586-
7249.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 15, 2007, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (72 FR 7420) that a request for a scientific 
research permit and permit amendment to take the species identified 
above had been submitted by the above-named institutions, respectively. 
The requested permit and permit amendment have 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.), 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.), as applicable.
    Permit No. 715-1883 issued to NPUMMRC authorizes the capture in 
Alaska and export to Canada of up to 6 female juvenile fur seals for 
captive research on nutritional physiology.
    Permit Amendment No. 881-1745-02 authorizes captive breeding and 
research on captive Steller sea lions held at the ASLC related to 
studies on the physiology of gestation and lactation. This is in 
addition to already permitted studies, which include condition 
assessments, endocrinology and immunology studies, metabolism studies, 
and studies of foraging behavior.
    The permit and permit amendment are valid through August 1, 2009, 
and contain requirements for coordination and monitoring of research as 
well as mitigation measures deemed appropriate by NMFS. The permit and 
permit amendment cannot be amended or extended.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(PEIS) for Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research was prepared 
to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of awarding grants and 
issuing permits to facilitate research on these species. Information 
about the PEIS is available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/steller.htm.
    Issuance of the permit to the ASLC, as required by the ESA, was 
based on a finding that the 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 19, 2007.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-14457 Filed 7-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S