[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 200 (Monday, October 19, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53467-53468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-25062]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XS35


Marine Mammals; File No. 14450

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 the National Marine Fisheries 
Service's Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), 75 Virginia Beach 
Drive, Miami, FL 33149 [Principal Investigator: Dr. Keith Mullin], has 
applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals.

DATES:  Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before November 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. 14450 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;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9300; fax (978) 281-9333; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL

[[Page 53468]]

33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this 
application should be mailed 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 request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301) 713-0376, 
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. 14450.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Carrie Hubard or Kristy Beard, (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 SEFSC is requesting a five-year permit to conduct cetacean 
research in U.S. and international waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf 
of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The research is designed to meet the 
SEFSC's mandates under the MMPA and ESA and primarily focuses on stock 
assessment. Specific objectives include: (1) define stock structure for 
each species; (2) provide estimates of each stock's abundance and 
distribution; (3) describe the habitat of each stock in terms of 
biological and oceanographic parameters; (4) study association, 
movement, and ranging patterns of individual animals using photo-
identification; and (5) assess the level of anthropogenic chemical 
contaminants in selected species. Proposed activities include aerial 
and vessel-based line-transect sampling, acoustic sampling, behavioral 
observations, and vessel-based photo-identification and biopsy 
sampling. Tissue samples collected in other countries would be imported 
into the U.S. Research platforms would include large ships, small 
vessels, and a variety of aircraft. The SEFSC is requesting takes of 
all cetacean species that may occur in the study area, including the 
following species listed as endangered (maximum number of animals that 
would be taken per year by Level B harassment / maximum number of 
animals that would be biopsy sampled per year: blue whales 
(Balaenoptera musculus) (20/10), fin whales (B. physalus) (500/15), sei 
whales (B. borealis) (10/15), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) 
(1000/300), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) (4000/300), and North 
Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) (50/0). See table in 
application for numbers of takes requested for other species.
    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: October 9, 2009.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-25062 Filed 10-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S