[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4046-4047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1494]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XT82


Marine Mammals; File No. 14676

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

ACTION:  Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Paul Ponganis, Ph.D., University 
of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093 has been issued a 
permit to conduct research on California sea lions (Zalophus 
californianus).

ADDRESSES:  The permit and related documents are available for review 
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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 15, 2009, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (74 FR 52949) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research had been submitted by the above-named applicant. 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.) and 
the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals 
(50 CFR part 216).
    The purpose of this research is to determine the role of blood 
oxygen store depletion in the dive behavior and

[[Page 4047]]

foraging ecology of California sea lions. This research will help 
determine the ability of these animals to adapt to environmental 
change. Over the course of five years, up to twenty animals will be 
captured, flipper tagged, anesthetized, and equipped with a backpack 
blood oxygen recorder during foraging trips to sea. Animals will be 
recaptured after the foraging trip to remove the recorders. Research 
will occur on San Nicolas Island off the coast of California. Annually, 
up to 6,000 California sea lions, 500 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), 
1,000 northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), and 150 
northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) may be incidentally harassed 
during research. The permit is valid until February 1, 2015.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final determination has been made that the 
activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Dated: January 20, 2010.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-1494 Filed 1-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S