[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72674-72675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24862]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE45


Marine Mammals; File No. 10095

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

ACTION:  Notice; receipt of application.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the North Carolina Zoological 
Park, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205, has applied in due form for 
a permit to import two juvenile harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) for the 
purposes of public display.

DATES:  Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before 
January 22, 2008.

ADDRESSES:  The application 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
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    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. 10095.

[[Page 72675]]


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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations governing the taking and 
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant requests authorization to import two male captive-
born juvenile harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the New Brunswick 
Aquarium and Marine Center, Shippagan, New Brunswick, Canada to the 
North Carolina Zoo. The applicant requests this import for the purpose 
of public display. The receiving facility, North Carolina Zoological 
Park, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 is: (1) open to the public 
on regularly scheduled basis with access that is not limited or 
restricted other than by charging for an admission fee; (2) offers an 
educational program based on professionally accepted standards of the 
American Association of Zoos and Aquariums; and (3) holds an 
Exhibitor's License, number 55-C-0007, issued by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture under the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. 2131-59).
    In addition to determining whether the applicant meets the three 
public display criteria, NMFS must determine whether the applicant has 
demonstrated that the proposed activity is humane and does not 
represent any unnecessary risks to the health and welfare of marine 
mammals; that the proposed activity by itself, or in combination with 
other activities, will not likely have a significant adverse impact on 
the species or stock; and that the applicant's expertise, facilities 
and resources are adequate to accomplish successfully the objectives 
and activities stated in the application.
    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: December 17, 2007.
Patrick Opay,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-24862 Filed 12-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S