[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 72 (Thursday, April 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17635-17636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8763]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO72


Marine Mammals; File No. 1000-1617

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 Whitlow Au, University of Hawaii, 
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Marine Mammal Research Program, PO 
Box 1106, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, has applied for an amendment to 
Scientific Research Permit No. 1000-1617-04.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before May 18, 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. 1000-1617 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;
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562)980-4001; fax (562)980-4018; and
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808)944-2200; fax (808)973-2941.
    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. 1000-1617.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 1000-
1617-04 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. 1000-1617 was issued on June 22, 2001 (66 FR 34155), and 
has since been amended four times. The permit currently authorizes 
behavioral observations, photo-identification, genetic sampling, and 
suction-cup tagging of cetaceans in Hawaii and California. The purpose 
of the small cetacean research is to investigate population structure, 
genetic variability, dispersal patterns, social structure, and foraging 
and diving behavior. Large whale research on humpback whales (Megaptera 
novaeangliae), killer whales (Orcinus orca), and Cuvier's and 
Blainville's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris and Mesoplodon 
densirostris) focuses on behavior and use of the acoustic environment. 
The permit holder is now requesting an increase in the number of 
suction cup tags to be deployed on nine non-ESA-listed species of small 
cetaceans, and to allow acoustic playbacks to 18 non-ESA-listed 
cetacean species around Hawaii. The purpose of increased suction cup 
tagging is to collect adequate data to address the research objectives; 
because the duration of tag attachment is highly variable, more tagging 
attempts are required to account for very short

[[Page 17636]]

attachment times where behavior may be biased by reactions to the 
tagging. Requested increases are up to 200 tags on pantropical spotted 
dolphins (Stenella attenuata), 80 on spinner dolphins (S. 
longirostris), 60 on short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala 
macrorhynchus), 50 on melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra), and 
40 each on pygmy and false killer whales (Feresa attenuata and 
Pseudorca crassidens) and on striped (S. coeruleoalba), rough-toothed 
(Steno bredanensis), and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The 
purpose of acoustic playbacks is to determine the effects of noise on 
the behavior of cetaceans around Hawaii, and to research low-level 
sounds that might elicit mild alert responses. A maximum of 3000 
spinner dolphins, 300 each of pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima 
and K. breviceps), 600 each of other authorized species of small 
cetaceans, and 270 each of killer whales, Cuvier's and Blainville's 
beaked whales would be exposed to playbacks. The amendment would be 
valid until the permit expires on November 15, 2010.
    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 13, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-8763 Filed 4-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S