[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8159-8160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02935]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA602


Marine Mammals; File No. 16109

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Versar (formerly GeoMarine, Inc.) 
(Responsible Party: Susanne Bates), Gustavus, Texas 99826, has applied 
for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 16109-01.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before March 13, 2014.

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. 16109 
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: Kristy Beard, (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No.

[[Page 8160]]

16109-01 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. 16109, issued on May 3, 2012 (77 FR 27719) and amended 
on July 9, 2012 (77 FR 50086), authorizes takes of 35 species of 
cetaceans, four species of pinnipeds, and five species of sea turtles 
from New Jersey to North Carolina for scientific research. The research 
involves harassment by vessel approach during shipboard transect 
surveys. Eleven of the 44 species 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), 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). The permit expires May 
15, 2017.
    The permit holder is requesting the permit be amended to include 
changes to the terms and conditions of the permit related to numbers of 
animals taken and manner of taking to include: extending the action 
area north and south to include all U.S. waters from Maine to Florida; 
adding aerial surveys to their research methods; adding takes for 
Blainsville beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris), false killer whales 
(Pseudorca crassidens), hawksbill, loggerhead, Kemp's ridley, and green 
sea turtles; increasing the number of marine mammals and sea turtles 
that could be harassed; and changing the frequency of vessel based 
surveys from once per season to twice a month, year-round to generate 
abundance/density estimates for sea turtles and marine mammals.
    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 Proposed Action 
Alternative in the Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Effects of 
Issuing Two Scientific Research Permits, No. 16109 and No. 15575, for 
Protected Sea Turtles and Marine Mammals (NMFS 2012). Based on that 
analysis, NMFS determined that issuance of the permit would not 
significantly impact the quality of the human environment and that 
preparation of an environmental impact statement was not required. That 
determination is documented in a Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI), signed on May 1, 2012. The EA and FONSI are available upon 
request.
    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: February 6, 2014.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-02935 Filed 2-10-14; 8:45 am]
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