[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 224 (Monday, November 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71938-71939]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30013]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA833


Marine Mammals; File No. 10018

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 Rachel Cartwright, Ph.D., Keiki 
Kohola Project, Oxnard, California, has applied for an amendment to 
Scientific Research Permit No. 10018-01.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before December 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. 10018 
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; and
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808) 944-2200; fax (808) 973-2941.
    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: Joselyd Garcia-Reyes or Carrie Hubard, 
(301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 10018-01 
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. 10018, issued on June 18, 2008 (73 FR 36042) and amended 
on July 14, 2010 (75 FR 43150), authorizes Dr. Cartwright to conduct 
humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) research, consisting of photo-
identification, focal follows, underwater observations, and collection 
of sloughed skin, in Hawaiian and Alaskan waters from May through 
September each year. The permit holder is requesting the permit be 
amended to authorize deployment of: (1) Suction cup satellite tags to a 
maximum of 18 females in female-calf pairs and (2) implantable 
satellite tags to a maximum of 6 yearling humpback whales, annually. 
Tagging would only occur in Hawaii. The purposes of the tagging 
activities are to:

[[Page 71939]]

(1) Verify the impact of research vessels during boat based behavioral 
follows, (2) further understand how female-calf pairs use breeding 
ground habitat, potentially identifying key resting regions and 
establishing the degree to which female-calf pairs circulate within vs. 
move between specific favored female-calf regions, and (3) further 
document the behavioral dynamics of newly-independent yearlings within 
breeding regions. The amended permit would expire on June 30, 2013.
    A draft supplemental environmental assessment (SEA) 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 SEA is available for review and 
comment simultaneous with the scientific research permit application.
    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 15, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-30013 Filed 11-18-11; 8:45 am]
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