[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17165-17166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8515]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF22


Marine Mammals; File No. 775-1875

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

ACTION:  Notice; receipt of application for permit amendment.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the NMFS Northeast Fisheries 
Science Center (NEFSC), Woods Hole, MA, has applied for an amendment to 
Scientific Research Permit No. 775-1875.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 14, 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, and then selecting File 
No. 775-1875 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available 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; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978)281-9300; fax (978)281-9333.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application 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 application 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.

[[Page 17166]]

    Comments may also be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for 
providing e-mail comments is [email protected]. Include ``File 
No. 775-1875'' in the subject line of the e-mail comment as a document 
identifier.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 775-1875 
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. 775-1875, issued on January 16, 2008 (73 FR 4846), 
authorizes the permit holder to conduct research related to stock 
assessments on seven species of baleen whales, twenty-five species or 
stocks of odontocetes, and four species of pinnipeds. Permitted 
research on pinnipeds includes aerial and vessel surveys, capture for 
collection of biological samples, and harassment incidental to research 
and collection of scat. The permit holder is requesting the permit be 
amended to include authorization for harassment of additional harbor 
seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) incidental 
to scat collection, and collection of additional harbor seal pup 
carcasses found on rookeries and haulouts. The increases are necessary 
due to the rapidly increasing seal populations at all major haulouts, 
which has resulted in researchers encountering more seals than 
anticipated when the original permit was requested in 2006. The 
amendment does not represent a change in the manner in which the 
research is conducted, including location, frequency or duration of 
research activities. The amendment would be valid for the duration of 
the permit, which expires on January 15, 2013.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental assessment (EA) was prepared 
to examine whether significant environmental impacts could result from 
issuance of Permit No. 775-1875. Based on the analyses in the EA, NMFS 
determined that issuance of the permit amendment would not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment and that 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required. The 
EA is available upon request.
    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: April 7, 2009.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-8515 Filed 4-13-09; 8:45 am]
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