[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78404-78405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30398]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD613


Marine Mammals; Issuance of Permits

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that individuals and institutions have 
been issued Letters of Confirmation for activities conducted under the 
General Authorization for Scientific Research on marine mammals. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a list of names and addresses of 
recipients.

ADDRESSES: The Letters of Confirmation and related documents are 
available for review 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Protected Resources, Permits 
and Conservation Division; phone: (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The requested Letters of Confirmation have 
been issued under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 
1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations 
governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216). 
The General Authorization allows for bona fide scientific research that 
may result only in taking by level B harassment of marine mammals. The 
following Letters of Confirmation (LOC) were issued in Fiscal Year 
2014.
    File No. 13549: Issued to Moby A. Solangi, Ph.D., Institute for 
Marine Mammal Studies, P.O. Box 207, Gulfport, Mississippi 39502 on 
August 20, 2008, for transect surveys, aerial surveys, photo-
identification, and behavioral observations of bottlenose dolphins 
(Tursiops truncatus) in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. The LOC was 
modified on October 31, 2013 to extend the duration of the LOC until 
December 20, 2013. This LOC was terminated on November 20, 2013, when a 
new LOC (File No. 18185) was issued to Dr. Solangi.
    File No. 18185: Issued to Moby A. Solangi, Ph.D., Institute for 
Marine Mammal Studies, P.O. Box 207, Gulfport, Mississippi 39502 on 
November 20, 2013, for close approach via vessels during abundance 
surveys, photo-identification, behavioral observations, passive 
acoustics, and videography of bottlenose dolphins. The objectives of 
the research are to: (1) Ascertain population dynamics of bottlenose 
dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico, and (2) examine the dolphins' 
usage of different habitats, including lakes, bays, and sounds. 
Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), pantropical spotted 
dolphins (S. attenuata), spinner dolphins (S. longirostris), and pygmy 
sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) may also be studied if sighted 
opportunistically. Occasional aerial surveys flown at 750 ft are also 
authorized. Research may occur in

[[Page 78405]]

Mississippi Sound, Chandeleur Sound, Breton Sound (including the 
Louisiana Marsh area), Lake Borgne, Lake Pontchartrain, Mobile Bay, and 
adjacent waters of the north central Gulf of Mexico. The LOC expires on 
November 30, 2018.
    File No. 18218: Issued to the Dolphin Research Center [Responsible 
Party: Armando Rodriguez], 58901 Overseas Hwy., Grassy Key, FL 33050 on 
November 25, 2013, for close vessel approach, photo-identification, 
behavioral observations, and focal follows of bottlenose dolphins in 
the Middle Keys, FL. Specifically, the study area ranges from the 
southeast side of Lignumvitae Key to the northeast side of Pigeon Key, 
out to 2.5 miles offshore on the Atlantic side, and 5 miles offshore on 
the Gulf side. The objectives of the research are to: (1) Study 
population demographics in the Middle Keys, (2) augment two on-going 
photo-identification studies in the Lower Keys and Upper Keys, (3) 
contribute to the Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Identification System 
(GoMDIS), and (4) provide baseline information on this population. The 
LOC expires on November 30, 2018. On July 7, 2014, the LOC was modified 
to slightly expand the study area on the Gulf side of the Keys to 
include Bamboo and Tripod Banks. The LOC expires on November 30, 2018.
    File No. 14219: Issued to Tara Cox, Ph.D., Savannah State 
University, PO Box 20467, Savannah, GA 31404 on February 23, 2009, to 
conduct close approach, photo-identification, behavioral observations, 
passive acoustics, and focal follows of coastal and offshore bottlenose 
dolphins, Atlantic and pantropical spotted dolphins, short-finned pilot 
whales (Globicephela macrorhynchus), beaked whales (Mesoplodon spp.; 
Ziphius spp.), and Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) in estuarine and 
coastal waters of Georgia and South Carolina. The research investigates 
foraging ecology, social structure, and population structure, including 
begging behaviors and interactions between bottlenose dolphins and 
shrimp trawls. On January 30, 2014, the expiration date of the LOC was 
extended until March 1, 2015. This LOC was subsequently terminated on 
February 28, 2014, when a new LOC (File No. 18605) was issued to Dr. 
Cox.
    File No. 13729: Issued to the Wild Dolphin Project, 612 N. Orange 
Ave. Ste. #A-12, Jupiter, Florida 33458, on February 13, 2009. The LOC 
authorizes close approach, photo-identification, and behavioral 
observations of 13 cetacean species within the Intracoastal Waterway 
(ICW) from southern Martin County, FL to the Florida Keys, and in the 
adjacent Atlantic Ocean from the coast to 20 miles into the Gulf 
Stream. The objectives of the research are to: (1) Study abundance, 
distribution, and residency of bottlenose dolphins in the ICW of Palm 
Beach County, FL, (2) determine species diversity, abundance, and 
distribution of cetaceans offshore of Palm Beach County, FL, (3) study 
Atlantic spotted dolphins inhabiting waters along the Florida Keys and 
compare data with the Bahamas population. On February 24, 2014, the LOC 
was modified to extend the expiration date until February 28, 2015.
    File No. 18605: Issued to Tara Cox, Ph.D., Savannah State 
University, PO Box 20467, Savannah, GA 31404 on February 28, 2014, to 
conduct close approach, photo-identification, behavioral observations, 
passive acoustics, and focal follows of coastal and offshore bottlenose 
dolphins, Atlantic and pantropical spotted dolphins, short-finned pilot 
whales, beaked whales, and Risso's dolphins in estuarine and coastal 
waters of Georgia and South Carolina. The study is designed to continue 
research on dolphin-human interactions related to coastal fisheries, 
foraging ecology, and social structure of the local bottlenose 
dolphins. The LOC expires on March 1, 2019.
    File No. 14590: Issued to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory 
[Principal Investigator: Peter Boveng, Ph.D.], 7600 Sand Point Way NE., 
Seattle, WA 98115, on July 24, 2009. The LOC authorizes aerial surveys 
of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii), harbor porpoise (Phocoena 
phocoena), gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), beluga whales 
(Delphinapterus leuca), and killer whales (Orcinus orca) along the 
entire coast of Alaska south of Cape Newenham, at the northern end of 
Bristol Bay. The results of the surveys form the basis of the NMFS 
Stock Assessment Reports and provide information on the haul-out 
behavior and habitat requirements of harbor seals in Alaska. On April 
14, 2014, the expiration date of the LOC was extended until August 1, 
2015.
    File No. 18715: Issued to William McGlaun, Texas Sealife Center, 
14220 South Padre Island Drive, TX 78418 on June 26, 2014, for close 
vessel approach, photo-identification, and behavioral observations of 
bottlenose dolphins to estimate population abundance in south and 
central Texas. Specifically, the study area includes the internal bays 
and estuaries along the Texas Coast form Keller Bay to South Bay. The 
LOC expires on July 1, 2019.
    File No. 18859: Issued to the National Ocean Service Center for 
Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research [Responsible 
Party: Patricia A. Fair, Ph.D.], 219 Fort Johnson Rd., Charleston, SC 
29412, on August 25, 2014, for close vessel approach, photo-
identification, behavioral observations, and focal follows of 
bottlenose dolphins. The studies may occur in the Charleston Harbor 
area, primarily in portions of the main channels and creeks of the 
Ashley, Cooper, and Wando Rivers. The research will continue monitoring 
dolphins in the area with the objective of analyzing their site 
fidelity and local contaminant exposure. In addition, the study will 
quantify the effects of a 2016 harbor deepening project on the 
dolphins' distribution, abundance and behavior. The LOC expires on 
August 31, 2019.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final determination has been made that the 
activities are categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare 
an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Dated: December 16, 2014.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-30398 Filed 12-29-14; 8:45 am]
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