[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80470-80471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32162]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA096


Marine Mammals; File No. 14335

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, 
AK, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 
14335.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before January 21, 2011.

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 home 
page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 14335 
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
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907) 586-7221; fax (907) 586-7249.
    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 e-mail to [email protected]. Please include the 
File No. in the subject line of the e-mail 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 Amy Sloan, (301) 713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 14335 is 
requested 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 (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).
    Permit No. 14335, issued on August 17, 2009 (74 FR 44822), 
authorizes the permit holder to take Steller sea lions (Eumetopias 
jubatus) during investigations of the decline of the western stock and 
its failure to recover, and to assist recovery efforts. Data may be 
obtained on juvenile survival, epidemiology, endocrinology, immunology, 
virology, physiology, ontogenetic and annual body condition cycles, 
foraging behavior and habitat selection. Pups and juveniles of both 
sexes in the Gulf of Alaska may be captured each year, with a subset of 
juveniles selected for temporary quarantine captivity and associated 
projects at the ASLC. Activities involve capture, drug administration, 
anesthesia, fecal and urine collection, external and internal 
instruments, marking, morphometrics, behavioral observations, 
photogrammetry, tissue sampling, ultrasound, and x-ray. The permit also 
authorizes research-related mortality of Steller sea lions from the 
western stock.
    The permit holder is requesting the permit be amended to revise 
terms and conditions related to mitigation for temporary captivity, and 
associated post-surgical and hot-branding monitoring. Specifically, the 
permit holder requests permission to: (1) Reduce the post-surgical 
monitoring from 14 days to 10 days prior to release; (2) surgically 
implant animals that are below capture mass; and (3) retain for 
surgical implantation and other captive

[[Page 80471]]

studies animals that fail to feed within 10 days of capture.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that 
the activities proposed are consistent with the Preferred Alternative 
in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Steller 
Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research (NMFS 2007), and that issuance 
of the permit would not have a significant adverse impact on the human 
environment.
    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: December 15, 2010.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-32162 Filed 12-21-10; 8:45 am]
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