[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 215 (Monday, November 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68719-68720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28780]


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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; receipt of application for permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Paul Ponganis, Ph.D., University 
of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, has applied for an amendment 
to Scientific Research Permit No. 14676.

[[Page 68720]]


DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before December 7, 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. 14676 
from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the following offices:
    Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 
phone (301) 427-8401; 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.
    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 email to [email protected]. Please include the File 
No. in the subject line of the email 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) 427-
8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 14676 is 
requested 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).
    Permit No. 14676, issued on January 13, 2010 (75 FR 4046), 
authorizes the permit holder to capture up to 10 California sea lions 
(Zalophus californianus) annually on San Nicolas Island off the coast 
of California for attachment and retrieval of instruments to study the 
role of blood oxygen store depletion in the dive behavior and foraging 
ecology of California sea lions. The permit also authorizes harassment 
of 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) annually incidental to the 
capture operations. The permit is valid until February 1, 2015.
    The permit holder is requesting the permit be amended to include 
authorization for an additional procedure, deployment of a heart rate/
stroke rate recorder, on up to 30 animals over the two field seasons. 
For this procedure, the holder requests permission to capture an 
additional 5 animals per year, for a total of 15 per year. The 
amendment would be valid through the expiration date of the original 
permit. The objective of this additional procedure is to further 
investigate the relationship of heart rate and flipper stroke rate 
patterns to the arterial and venous blood oxygen profiles during deep 
versus shallow dives.
    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 this application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: November 2, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-28780 Filed 11-4-11; 8:45 am]
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