[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 17 (Friday, January 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4540-4541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1318]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

RIN 0648-XE56


Marine Mammals and Endangered Species; National Marine Fisheries 
Service File No. 10074; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service File No. PRT-
165304

AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Michael Etnier, Ph.D., Box 
353100, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

[[Page 4541]]

98227, has applied in due form for a permit to import, export, and 
possess marine mammal specimens for the purposes of scientific 
research.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before February 25, 2008.

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;
    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
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority, 
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203 (1-800-358-
2104).
    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. 10074/PRT-165304

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Kate Swails or Amy Sloan, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, (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.), the regulations governing the taking and 
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR parts 18 and 216), the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the 
regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of 
endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 17 and 222-226).
    Dr. Etnier requests a 5-year permit to possess and import/export 
marine mammal and endangered and threatened species parts (hard and 
soft) from the orders of Cetacea, Pinnipedia, and Carnivora (sea otter, 
Enhydra lutris). Specimens (teeth, bone, and whiskers) would be 
obtained from museums and private collections or collected from 
carcasses of beach stranded animals or federally sponsored subsistence 
harvests. No animals would be taken or killed for the purposes of this 
research. The objectives are to combine osteometric, chemical, and 
genetic analyses to test hypotheses regarding the stability of 
ecological adaptations among marine mammals in the eastern north 
Pacific Ocean throughout the Late Holocene.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that 
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
    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: January 16, 2008.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

    Dated: January 16, 2008.
Timothy J. VanNorman,
Chief, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E8-1318 Filed 1-24-08; 8:45 am]
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