[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18890-18891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07537]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA341


Marine Mammals; File No. 15324

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 Alaska Department of Fish and 
Game (ADF&G), Division of Wildlife Conservation, Juneau, AK, (Principal 
Investigator: Michael Rehberg), has applied for an amendment to 
Scientific Research Permit No. 15324 for taking multiple pinnipeds 
species in Alaska.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before May 5, 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 
(APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File 
No. 15324 from the list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above. 
Comments may

[[Page 18891]]

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: Tammy Adams or Courtney Smith, 
(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.), and the regulations governing the 
taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    Permit No. 15324, issued on May 18, 2011 (76 FR 30309), authorizes 
the permit holder to take spotted (Phoca largha), ringed (Phoca 
hispida), bearded (Erignathus barbatus), and ribbon seals (Histriophoca 
fasciata) for scientific research purposes in the Bering, Chukchi, and 
Beaufort seas of Alaska. The purpose of this research is to monitor the 
status and health of each species by analyzing biological samples 
(e.g., blood, blubber, skin, muscle, and whiskers) from the subsistence 
harvest and live captured seals, and by documenting movements and 
habitat use by tracking animals with satellite transmitters. The permit 
holder is also authorized to harass non-target seals of each species 
and for a limited number of research-related mortalities. Additional 
biological samples can be imported from Russia, Canada, Svalbard 
(Norway) and exported to Canada for analyses. The permit is valid 
through December 31, 2016.
    The permit holder is requesting the permit be amended to include 
authorization for several methodological changes: (1) Adding takes by 
harassment during aerial and vessel surveys as a method to monitor seal 
distribution relative to changes in sea ice; (2) increasing number of 
takes by incidental harassment during seal captures; (3) the use of 
additional sedative drugs as injectable immobilizing agents during 
currently permitted capture activities; and (4) the use of remote dart-
delivery as a method for capturing bearded seals. The expiration date 
of the permit would not change.
    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: April 1, 2014.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-07537 Filed 4-3-14; 8:45 am]
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