[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 20, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49174-49175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-19313]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XJ79


Marine Mammals; File No. 13545

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 Ocean Alliance, Inc. (Responsible 
Party: Iain Kerr), 191 Weston Road, Lincoln, MA 01773, has applied in 
due form for a permit to conduct research on sperm (Physeter 
macrocephalus), blue (Balaenoptera musculus), Bryde's (B. edeni), dwarf 
sperm (Kogia sima), false killer (Pseudorca crassidens), fin (B. 
physalus), gray (Eschrichtius robustus), humpback (Megaptera 
novaeangliae), killer (Orcinus orca), minke (B. acutorostrata), pilot 
(Globicephala spp.), pygmy sperm (K. breviceps), sei (B. borealis), 
southern right (Eubalaena australis), northern right (E. glacialis), 
Cuvier's beaked (Ziphius cavirostris), and other beaked (Mesoplodon 
spp.) whales, common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), as well as elkhorn 
(Acropora palmata) and staghorn (A. cervicornis) coral, and import 
specimens from these species for scientific research.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before September 19, 2008.

ADDRESSES:  The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request or by appointment (See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION).
    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. 13545.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Amy Hapeman 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).
    Ocean Alliance proposes to conduct research over a five-year period 
to determine contaminant levels and culture cells from cetaceans and 
coral while concurrently collecting data on abundance, movement and 
distribution patterns, habitat use, energetics, behaviors, and stock 
and social structures. The applicant requests authorization to conduct 
research during vessel surveys on live cetaceans and coral and collect 
tissues from dead, stranded cetaceans in U.S. waters and on the high 
seas. Field research activities would include biopsy sampling, 
collection of sloughed skin

[[Page 49175]]

and feces, photo-identification, videography, passive acoustic 
recording, focal follows, and behavioral observation during vessel 
surveys for up to 250 sperm whales annually and 20 animals annually for 
each of the above remaining species, except southern right whales. The 
applicant would also import from foreign waters 150 sperm whale samples 
per year and 20 samples per year each for all other identified species. 
This research would help determine: (1) which classes of pollutants are 
elevated around the world; (2) which pollutants pose the largest risk 
to whales; (3) which responses made by whales to pollutants are similar 
to responses made by humans; (4) the locations of pollution hot spots 
around the world; and (5) the population and behavioral dynamics of 
these species. Research would occur in U.S. waters and the high seas of 
the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, including the Gulf of Maine, Mexico 
and the Caribbean Sea, the territorial waters of Mexico, Indian Ocean, 
and Mediterranean Sea.
    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. Documents 
may be reviewed in the following locations:
    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;
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249;
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018;
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808)944-2200; fax (808)973-2941;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-
2298; phone (978)281-9300; fax (978)281-9394; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5309.

    Dated: August 14, 2008.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-19313 Filed 8-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S