[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 9222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4375]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XN63


Marine Mammals; File No. 774-1714

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for amendment.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) (Jeremy Rusin, 
Principal Investigator), 3333 N. Torrey Pines Ct., La Jolla, CA 92037 
has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 774-
1714-09.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before April 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES:  The application and related documents are available for 
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the 
Features box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/index.cfm, and then 
selecting File No. 774-1714 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available 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
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request 
should be submitted 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 amendment 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. 774-1714.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Amy Hapeman or Kristy Beard, 
(301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 774-1714 
issued on June 30, 2004 (68 FR 57673) 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).
    Permit No. 774-1714-09 authorizes the SWFSC to conduct research on 
seven pinniped species, 53 cetacean species, and five sea turtle 
species in the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Arctic and Southern Oceans. 
The permit authorizes Level B harassment during aerial and vessel 
surveys for photo-identification/photogrammetry, incidental harassment, 
collection of sloughed skin, and salvage of carcasses and parts; Level 
A harassment for capture, biopsy sampling, and tagging activities; and 
the import/export of specimens. The permit holder requests the permit 
be amended to increase the number of short-beaked and long-beaked 
common dolphins (Delphinus spp.) that may be harassed during vessel and 
aerial surveys. For each species, up to 60,000 dolphins would be 
harassed annually during aerial surveys, up to 10,000 approached by 
vessel for photo-identification and 1,500 for biopsy sampling annually. 
During research up to 40,000 animals of each species may be 
incidentally harassed annually. The purposes of this research are to 
investigate the life history traits and assess the relative 
reproductive rates of these species off the coast of California and 
Baja California. The amendment would be valid for the duration of the 
permit, which currently expires on June 30, 2009.
    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: February 24, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-4375 Filed 3-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S