[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 30309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12977]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA341


Marine Mammals; File No. 15324

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to the 
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, 
Juneau, AK, to conduct research on marine mammals.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:

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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 4, 2011, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (76 FR 18533) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on marine mammals 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 permit authorizes taking spotted (Phoca largha), ringed (Phoca 
hispida), bearded (Erignathus barbatus), and ribbon seals (Histriophoca 
fasciata) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas of Alaska to 
monitor the status and health of all four species by analyzing samples 
from the subsistence harvest and by documenting movements and habitat 
use by tracking animals with satellite transmitters. The permit is 
valid for field studies from January 2012 through December 2016.
    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: May 20, 2011.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-12977 Filed 5-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P