[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 95 (Tuesday, May 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28422-28423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12066]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA384


Marine Mammals; File No. 16053

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 Paul E. Nachtigall, PhD, Marine 
Mammal Research Program Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, P.O. Box 
1106, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, has applied in due form for a permit to 
conduct scientific research on cetaceans stranded or in rehabilitation 
facilities in the U.S.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or 
before June 16, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available upon 
written request or by appointment in the offices listed at the end of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address 
listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below. Comments may also be 
submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or by e-mail to 
[email protected].

[[Page 28423]]

Please include File No. 16053 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 in the supplementary information. The 
request should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this 
application would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Sloan 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 parts 222-226).
    The applicant proposes to conduct auditory measurements and 
recordings of stranded and rehabilitating cetaceans to provide insight 
into the nature of strandings including those that may be caused by 
man-made sounds. The research techniques are also useful as a medical 
diagnostic tool to determine the hearing capabilities of stranded 
cetaceans that may aid in decisions regarding release to the wild. 
Researchers propose to use evoked auditory potential recordings with 
non-invasive suction cup sensors on up to 15 individuals each of 
certain species of cetaceans and make passive recordings of the sounds 
produced by the animals using hydrophones. Research will occur in 
waters or on beaches in the U.S. and in rehabilitation facilities in 
the U.S. over a five-year period. No non-target species would be 
affected.
    Proposed target species include: Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera 
edeni), minke whale (B. acutorostrata), humpback whale (Megaptera 
novaeangliae), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), pygmy sperm whale 
(Kogia breviceps), dwarf sperm whale (K. sima), beaked whales 
(Mesoplodon spp.), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostrus), 
bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon spp.), giant bottlenose whales (Berardius 
spp.), Sheperd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi), killer whale 
(Orcinus orca), pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata), pilot whales 
(Globicephala spp.), false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), rough-
toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis), beluga whale (Delphinapterus 
leucas), narwhal (Monodon monoceros), Pacific white-sided dolphin 
(Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), Atlantic white-sided dolphin (L. acutus), 
white-beaked dolphin (L. albirostris), hourglass dolphin (L. cruciger), 
dusky dolphin (L. obscurus), Fraser's dolphin (L. hosei), bottlenose 
dolphins (Tursiops spp.), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), common 
dolphins (Delphinus spp.), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), melon-
headed whale (Peponocephala electra), spotted dolphins (Stenella spp.), 
spinner dolphin (S. longirostrus), striped dolphin (S. coeruleoalba), 
right whale dolphins (Lissodelphis spp.), humpback dolphins (Sousa 
spp.), Commerson's and related dolphins (Cephalorhynchus spp.), finless 
porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), and Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides 
dalli).
    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 activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
    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.
    Documents may be reviewed in the following locations: 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;
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Room 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808) 944-2200; fax (808) 973-2941;
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562) 980-4001; fax (562) 980-4018;
    Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 
1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700; phone (206) 526-6150; fax (206) 526-6426;
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907) 586-7221; fax (907) 586-7249;
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.

    Dated: May 11, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-12066 Filed 5-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P