[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 131 (Friday, July 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33210-33211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16391]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF97


Marine Mammals; File No. 10137

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

ACTION:  Notice; issuance of permit and proposed amendment.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the NMFS Pacific Islands 
Fisheries Science Center, Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), 2570 
Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822-2396 (Responsible Party: Frank Parrish, 
Ph.D.), has been issued a permit to conduct research and enhancement 
activities on Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi).

ADDRESSES:  The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:

[[Page 33211]]

    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)713-0376; and
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808)944-2200; fax (808)973-2941.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Amy Sloan or Kate Swails, (301)713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 6, 2008, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (73 FR 12137) that a request for a permit to take 
the species identified above had been submitted by the MMRP. The 
requested permit has been issued 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 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 
parts 222-226).
    Permit No. 10137 authorizes the MMRP to: (1) assess survivorship, 
reproductive rates, pup production, condition, abundance, movements 
among subpopulations, and incidence and causes of injury or mortality; 
(2) diagnose disease, monitor exposure to disease, and develop normal 
baseline hematology and biochemistry parameters; (3) conduct activities 
to increase survival of individuals; and (4) investigate foraging 
ecology to determine foraging locations, diving parameters, 
characteristics of foraging substrate, and prey identification and 
foraging behaviors. The permit has been issued for a 5-year period.
    One project proposed by the applicant, translocation of immature 
seals between islands/atolls within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 
was not authorized because the NMFS Endangered Species Division 
requested additional time to complete the consultation under section 7 
of the ESA for this portion of the permit. NMFS proposes to amend 
Permit No. 10137 to include this enhancement activity upon completion 
of the ESA section 7 consultation.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental assessment was prepared 
analyzing the effects of the permitted activities. After a Finding of 
No Significant Impact, the determination was made that it was not 
necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement.
    Issuance of this permit, as required by the ESA, was based on a 
finding that such permit: (1) was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: July 6, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-16391 Filed 7-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S