[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 92 (Friday, May 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 27719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11521]


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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; issuance of permits.

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

ADDRESSES: The permits and related documents are available for review 
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;
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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joselyd Garcia-Reyes [for File No. 
16109] or Laura Morse [for File No. 15575] at (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 17, 2011, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (76 FR 51001) that requests for permits to conduct 
research on marine mammals and sea turtles had been submitted by the 
above-named applicants. The requested permits have been issued 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 (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).
    File No. 16109: GeoMarine, Inc. was issued a permit that authorizes 
takes of 35 species of cetaceans, four species of pinnipeds, and five 
species of sea turtles from New Jersey to North Carolina. The research 
involves harassment by survey approach during shipboard transect 
surveys. Eleven of the 44 species 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). The permit expires May 
15, 2017.
    File No. 15575: Robert Di Giovanni, Jr. was issued a permit that 
authorizes takes of North Atlantic right whales and 43 other marine 
mammal and sea turtle species to conduct photo-identification surveys 
from both aerial and vessel platforms from North Carolina to 
Massachusetts. Eleven of the 44 species to be targeted for research are 
listed as threatened or endangered: Blue whale, fin whale, humpback 
whale, North Atlantic right whale, sei whale, sperm whale, green sea 
turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, Kemp's ridley sea 
turtle, and leatherback sea turtle. In addition, pinniped research 
includes the placement of remote camera systems at pinniped haul out 
sites for long-term monitoring of behavior and abundance, and 
collection of scat for health assessment studies. Opportunistic 
sighting data will be collected during vessel transits to and from 
pinniped haul out sites. The permit expires May 15, 2017.
    An environmental assessment (EA) was prepared analyzing the effects 
of the permitted activities on the human environment, in compliance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.). Based on the analyses in the EA, NMFS determined that issuance 
of the permits would not significantly impact the quality of the human 
environment and that preparation of an environmental impact statement 
was not required. That determination is documented in a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI), signed on May 1, 2012.
    As required by the ESA, issuance of these permits was based on a 
finding that such permits: (1) Were applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) are 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: May 7, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-11521 Filed 5-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P