[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42756-42757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17151]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA122


Marine Mammals; File No. 14330

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for permit amendment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Aleut Community of St. Paul 
Island, Tribal Government, Ecosystem Conservation Office, St. Paul 
Island, AK, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit 
No. 14330-01.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before August 16, 2013.

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 home 
page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 14330 
from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the following office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, at the address 
listed above. Comments may also be submitted by

[[Page 42757]]

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, Conservation and Education 
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: Tammy Adams or Amy Sloan, (301) 427-
8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 14330-01 
is requested 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 (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).
    Permit No. 14330, issued on August 17, 2009 (74 FR 44822), 
authorized the permit holder to conduct activities to fulfill their 
Biosampling, Disentanglement, and Island Sentinel program 
responsibilities as established under the co-management agreement 
between NMFS and the Aleut Communities. The activities would result in 
incidental disturbance of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) on 
St. Paul Island, Alaska, during (1) disentanglement events, (2) the 
collection of biological samples from dead stranded and subsistence 
hunted marine mammals, and (3) haulout and rookery observations, 
monitoring, and remote camera maintenance. Samples may be exported to 
researchers studying the decline of northern fur seals. Steller sea 
lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) may be 
disturbed during the course of these activities. The permit also 
allowed research-related mortality of northern fur seals.
    The permit was amended upon request of the permit holder on March 
29, 2011 (76 FR 329), to include authorization for harassment of 
additional Steller sea lions and harbor seals on St. Paul, St. George, 
Otter, and Walrus Islands, and Sea Lion Rock, all of the Pribilof 
Island group in the Bering Sea. The amendment was to annually harass 
the following during collection of scat samples to be used for 
characterizing the diet of marine mammals in the region: 100 adult 
female Steller sea lions, 500 adult male Steller sea lions, 1400 
juvenile male Steller sea lions, 100 male and female Steller sea lion 
pups, 100 adult female harbor seals, 100 adult male harbor seals, 100 
male and female juvenile harbor seals, and 100 male and female harbor 
seal pups. The amendment is valid for the duration of the permit, which 
expires on August 31, 2014.
    The permit holder is requesting a second amendment to: (1) Add new 
habitat use studies; (2) increase numbers of animals taken by 
incidental disturbance; (3) consolidate existing takes of certain age 
and sex categories and for studies with similar types of incidental 
disturbance; and (4) extend the permit for one year. The amendment 
would add harassment takes of 6,450 non-pup northern fur seals and 
1,600 northern fur seal pups annually.
    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 activities proposed are consistent with the Preferred Alternative 
in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for 
Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research (NMFS 2007), and that 
issuance of the permit amendment would not have a significant adverse 
impact on the human environment.
    As established under the Preferred Alternative, NMFS proposes to 
authorize annual cumulative research-related mortality (under this 
permit in combination with any others for research on Steller sea 
lions) of up to 15 percent of the Potential Biological Removal levels 
for each stock. These annual allowances would include observed and 
unobserved mortalities, and be calculated based on the nature of the 
research. The numbers of research-related mortalities permitted for 
this amendment may be higher or lower than those requested by the 
applicant, based on NMFS calculations using the methods outlined in the 
PEIS.
    Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of this application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: July 12, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-17151 Filed 7-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P