[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 175 (Friday, September 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46745-46746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21962]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XR52


Marine Mammals; File No. 14534

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 Ned Cyr, Director, NOAA Office of 
Science and Technology, Silver Spring, MD, has applied in due form for 
a permit to conduct research on marine mammals in the Pacific Ocean.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before October 13, 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. 14534 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)713-0376; 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 on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address 
listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301)713-
0376, or by email to [email protected]. Please include the File 
No. in the subject line of the email comment.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 
Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the 
specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be 
appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Tammy Adams or Carrie Hubard, 
(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).
    The applicant requests a five-year permit to conduct a research 
program involving studies of sound production, diving and other 
behavior, and responses to sound of marine mammals, including 
endangered species. The results would be integrated with related 
studies and directly contribute to conservation management for sound 
producers and regulatory agencies by identifying characteristics of 
target species that are critical for passive monitoring, detection, 
and/or density estimation and by demonstrating how specific sounds, 
including simulated military sonar, may evoke behavioral responses in 
marine mammals. The experimental design involves temporarily attaching 
individual recording tags to measure vocalization, behavior, and 
physiological parameters as well as sound exposure. Behavior will be 
measured before, during, and after carefully controlled exposures of 
sound in conventional playback experiments. Tagged subjects will be 
exposed to received sound levels up to 180 dB re: 1microPa. This study 
will involve various activities that could take animals by harassment, 
including close approaches, attachment of tags, and sound exposure. 
Small fragments of sloughed skin, which often remain attached to 
retrieved tags, would be used for genetic analyses. Target species 
include beaked whales and other odontocetes, key baleen whales, and 
pinniped species for whom such data have not been previously obtained; 
other marine species may be incidentally impacted. Please refer to the 
tables in the application for the numbers of marine mammals, by species 
and stock, that are proposed for this permit. The research will be 
focused in the waters within the U.S. Navy's Southern California Range 
Complex, and primarily near the vicinity of San Clemente Island.
    The applicant also submitted a draft environmental assessment (EA) 
prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.), to examine whether significant environmental impacts 
could result from issuance of the proposed scientific research permit 
and conduct of the research. The draft EA is available for review and 
comment simultaneous with the scientific research permit application.

[[Page 46746]]

    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: September 4, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-21962 Filed 9-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S