[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 125 (Thursday, June 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 38587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15766]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC010


Marine Mammals; File No. 14325

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a major amendment to Permit No. 
14325-01 has been issued to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 
(ADF&G), Division of Wildlife Conservation, Juneau, AK, (Principal 
Investigator: Michael Rehberg).

ADDRESSES: The permit amendment 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; and Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. 
Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone (907) 586-7221; fax (907) 586-
7249.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 2, 2012, notice was published in the 
Federal Register (77 FR 25963) that a request for an amendment to 
Permit No. 14325-01 to conduct research on Steller sea lions 
(Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska had been submitted by the above-named 
applicant. The requested permit amendment 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.), the regulations 
governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and 
threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), and the Fur Seal Act of 
1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).
    The permit has been amended to incorporate changes to the terms and 
conditions related to numbers of animals taken and to the location and 
manner of taking to include: Manual restraint of pups in the eastern 
Distinct Population Segment (eDPS) and western DPS (wDPS); capture of 
adult Steller sea lions using remotely delivered immobilization agents; 
adding jugular blood draw/catheter location for sampling and Evans Blue 
injection; adding the intraperitoneal cavity to allowable deuterium 
injection sites; modifying time of year and number of takes for the 
Alsek/Akwe aerial surveys; and adding aerial surveys at Cape Newenham 
haulout and in the northern Bering Sea. The amendment is valid through 
the original permit expiration date, August 31, 2014.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NMFS has determined that the activities 
proposed are consistent with the Preferred Alternative in the Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Steller Sea Lion and 
Northern Fur Seal Research (NMFS 2007), and that issuance of the permit 
would not have a significant adverse impact on the human environment.
    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: June 21, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-15766 Filed 6-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P