[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 41 (Friday, March 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13863-13864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04751]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC521


Marine Mammals; File No. 16632

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 NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries 
Science Center, Hawaiian monk seal Research Program (Responsible Party, 
Frank Parrish), has applied in due form for a permit to conduct 
research on and enhancement of Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus 
schauinslandi).

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before April 15, 2013.

ADDRESSES:  The application and related documents are available for 
review on the following Web site: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/hawaiianmonksealeis.htm. The application is also available 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. 16632 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; and
    Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700; phone (808) 944-2200; fax (808) 973-2941.
    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. 16632 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: Amy Sloan or Colette Cairns, (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 applicant requests a 5-year permit to carry out research and 
enhancement

[[Page 13864]]

activities designed to recover the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. 
Activities would occur along beaches and nearshore waters throughout 
the Hawaiian Archipelago (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands [NWHI] and main 
Hawaiian Islands [MHI]) and Johnston Atoll.
    Research is intended to identify impediments to recovery, inform 
the design of conservation interventions, and evaluate those measures. 
Research activities include visual and photographic monitoring, 
tagging, pelage bleach marking, health screening, foraging studies, 
deworming research, experimental translocation, necropsies, tissue 
sampling, import/export of parts, behavioral modification research, and 
vaccination research.
    Enhancement activities are designed to improve the survival and 
reproductive success of individual monk seals, with the intent to 
improve subpopulation and overall species' status. Enhancement 
activities include deworming, translocation, hazing and removal of 
aggressive adult male seals that harm or kill other seals, 
disentangling, dehooking, treating injured seals in-situ, behavioral 
modification, vaccination, and supplemental feeding of post-release 
rehabilitated seals.
    The number of seals to be taken by take type (annually, unless 
otherwise specified) would be 2,115 monitoring; 620 tagging and 35 
sonic tagging; 1,495 bleach marking; 130 health screening; 10 moribund 
seals by euthanasia; 60 instrumentations; 300 de-worming treatments; 
translocations of nursing pups to birth or foster mother as warranted 
(estimated 20 pups); translocations of weaned pups to alleviate risk as 
warranted (estimated 60 seals); 20 translocations of weaned pups and 30 
juvenile/subadults as part of two-stage translocation for enhancement 
(no seals would be moved from the NWHI to the MHI as part of two-stage 
translocation); 6 translocations of juveniles/subadults/adults for 
research; hazing aggressive adult males from conspecifics as warranted 
(estimated 10 seals); 20 adult male removals (including up to 10 lethal 
removals over five years); 10 captive adult males treated with 
testosterone reduction drug; unlimited (i.e., as warranted) 
disentanglements, dehookings, in-situ treatments, necropsies, 
opportunistic samplings and import/export (world-wide, including import 
and export of Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) samples); 12 
seals supplementary fed; 20 seals subject to behavioral modification; 
1,100 seals vaccinated; and 400 seals incidentally harassed. The 
following lethal takes are annually/not to exceed in five years: \2/4\ 
seals during research, \2/4\ weaned pups during enhancement, \4/8\ 
juveniles/subadults during enhancement, and \2/4\ adult males during 
enhancement. Research on captive monk seals to test and validate field 
studies is also proposed. Up to 500 spinner dolphins (Stenella 
longirostris), and 20 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) may be 
incidentally harassed annually during research and enhancement 
activities.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NMFS is preparing a Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Hawaiian monk seal Recovery 
Actions. A Draft PEIS for Hawaiian monk seal Recovery Actions was made 
available to the public in 2011 (76 FR 51945). The intent of the PEIS 
is to evaluate the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts 
on the human environment of the alternative approaches to implementing 
recovery actions, including research and enhancement activities 
requiring a permit. Information about the PEIS is available on the 
following Web site: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/hawaiianmonksealeis.htm.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding a copy of the application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

     Dated: February 26, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-04751 Filed 2-28-13; 8:45 am]
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