[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33199-33200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13566]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA817


Marine Mammals; File No. 16124

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Sea World LLC, 9205 South Park 
Center Loop, Suite 400, Orlando, FL 32819 (Brad Andrews, Responsible 
Party), has been issued a permit to conduct research on and enhancement 
of captive Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi).

ADDRESSES: The permit 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;
Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Room 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808) 944-2200; fax (808) 973-2941; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg,

[[Page 33200]]

Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Sloan or Jennifer Skidmore, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 14, 2011, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (76 FR 70418) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on and enhancement of the species identified above 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.), 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).
    Permit No. 16124 authorizes Sea World LLC to maintain in captivity 
six non-releasable Hawaiian monk seals for research and enhancement 
purposes. Research includes a post-vaccination antibody response study 
using West Nile virus and canine distemper virus vaccinations. The 
seals will be displayed to the public incidental to the research 
program. The permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance.
    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.
    As required by the ESA, issuance of this permit was based on a 
finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: May 24, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-13566 Filed 6-4-12; 8:45 am]
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