[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51001-51002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21003]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA602


Marine Mammals; File Nos. 16109 and 15575

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of applications.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that GeoMarine, Inc. [File No. 16109] 
(Responsible Party: Jason Holt See; Principal Investigator: Amy Whitt), 
2201 K Avenue, Suite A2, Plano, TX 75074 and Robert DiGiovanni Jr. 
[File No. 15575], Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and 
Preservation, 467 East Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901 have applied in 
due form for permits to conduct research on marine mammals and sea 
turtles.

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

ADDRESSES: The applications 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. 16109 or 15575 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available 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) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376;
Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930; 
phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

    Written comments on these applications 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: Joselyd Garcia-Reyes or Laura Morse 
(301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permits are 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).
    Each application is summarized below. For specific take numbers of 
each species, please refer to the associated application.
    GeoMarine, Inc. [File No. 16109], requests a permit to conduct 
scientific research on 35 species of cetaceans, four species of 
pinnipeds, five species of sea turtles from New Jersey to North 
Carolina. The purpose of the research is to assess the distribution, 
abundance, behavior, and migration of these species in nearshore waters 
of southern New Jersey to North Carolina, which is a region of 
significant potential offshore wind farm development. Eleven of the 44 
species to be targeted for research are listed as threatened or 
endangered: blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), fin whale (B. 
physalus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), North Atlantic 
right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), sei whale (B. borealis), sperm whale 
(Physeter macrocephalus), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill 
sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta 
caretta), Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), and 
leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Types of take would 
include harassment by survey approach during shipboard transect 
surveys. The permit would be valid for a period of five years.
    Robert Di Giovanni, Jr. [File No. 15575], requests a permit to 
conduct photo-identification surveys from both aerial and vessel 
platforms to assess seasonal abundance and distribution of

[[Page 51002]]

the North Atlantic right whale and 43 other protected marine mammal and 
sea turtle species in U.S. coastal waters from North Carolina to 
Massachusetts. This research would enhance the survey work performed by 
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Sighting Advisory System 
and the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species 
surveys. Eleven of the 44 species to be targeted for research are 
listed as threatened or endangered. Additional pinniped research would 
include the placement of remote camera systems at pinniped haul out 
sites for long term monitoring of behavior and abundance, and pinniped 
scat would be collected for health assessment studies. Opportunistic 
sighting data would be collected during vessel transits to and from 
pinniped haul out sites. The permit would be valid for a period of five 
years.
    A draft environmental assessment (EA) has been prepared in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), to examine whether significant environmental 
impacts could result from issuance of the proposed scientific research 
permit. The draft EA is available for review and comment simultaneous 
with the scientific research permit applications.
    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.

    Dated: August 11, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-21003 Filed 8-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P