[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54902-54903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21980]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC095


Marine Mammals; File No. 17278

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 a permit has been issued to James 
Shine, Ph.D., Harvard University School of Public Health, 401 Park 
Drive, 404H West, Boston, MA 02215, to import and receive marine mammal 
parts for scientific research.

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; and
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 30, 2012 notice was published in the

[[Page 54903]]

Federal Register (77 FR 31835) that a request for a permit to import 
and receive specimens for scientific research 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.), and the regulations governing the taking and 
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The permit authorizes the import and receipt of parts from 
subsistence-collected long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) 
archived at the Faroese Museum of Natural History, Foroe Islands. Parts 
will be analyzed to assess the levels and geographic source of mercury. 
No animals would be killed for the purpose of providing samples under 
this permit. 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.

    Dated: August 29, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-21980 Filed 9-5-12; 8:45 am]
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