[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 183 (Thursday, September 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58357-58358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23255]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC239


Marine Mammals; File No. 17355

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the National Marine Fisheries 
Service's Northeast Science Center (NEFSC), 166 Water Street, Woods 
Hole, Massachusetts 02543 [Responsible Party: William Karp; Principal 
Investigator: Peter Corkeron], has applied in due form for a permit to 
conduct research on marine mammals and sea turtles.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before October 22, 2012.

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 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File 
No. 17355 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation 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 and Conservation 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 Kristy Beard, 
(301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 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 222-226).
    The NEFSC is requesting a five-year permit to conduct scientific 
research on 38 species of cetaceans, four species of pinnipeds, and 
five species of sea turtles in the US EEZ from Florida to Maine and 
Canadian waters in the Bay of Fundy and Scotian Shelf. The research is 
designed to meet the NEFSC's mandates under the MMPA and ESA and 
primarily focuses on stock assessment. Specific objectives are to 
determine the abundance, distribution, movement patterns, dive 
behavior, demographic parameters, trends in recruitment, and stock 
structure of marine mammals in U.S. waters of the western North 
Atlantic. Twelve of the 47 species to be 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), bowhead whale (Balaena 
mysticetus), 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). See the application for specific take 
numbers by location and species/stock. Types of take would include 
harassment by survey approach during aerial and vessel-based surveys, 
passive acoustic recording, behavioral observations, photo-
identification, suction-cup tagging, and biopsy sampling. Research 
platforms would include large ships, small vessels, and aircrafts. 
Import and export of marine

[[Page 58358]]

mammal parts from the U.S. and other countries is requested for 
research purposes. The permit would be valid for a period of five 
years.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that 
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: September 14, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-23255 Filed 9-19-12; 8:45 am]
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