[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1620-1621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00455]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB157


Marine Mammals; File Nos. 14856 and 14809

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit amendments.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that major amendments to Permit No. 
14809-01 and Permit No. 14856-03 have been issued to Douglas Nowacek, 
Ph.D., Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd., 
Beaufort, NC 28516 and Bruce R. Mate, Ph.D., Hatfield Marine Science 
Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, respectively.

ADDRESSES: The permit amendments 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: Amy Hapeman or Carrie Hubard, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 29, 2015 and April 2, 2015, notices 
were published in the Federal Register (80 FR 36975 and 80 FR 17721, 
respectively) that a request for amendments to Permit Nos. 14809-01 and 
14856-03 to conduct research on marine mammals had been submitted by 
the above-named applicants. The requested permit amendments have been 
issued 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 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.), and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and 
exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    Permit No. 14809-01 authorizes Dr. Nowacek to conduct comparative 
research on 34 species/stocks of cetaceans in the North Atlantic, North 
Pacific and Southern Oceans. Authorized activities include suction cup 
tagging, acoustic playbacks, passive acoustics, biopsy sampling, photo-
identification, behavioral observations, and incidental harassment 
during vessel surveys. The research objectives are to: (1) Document 
baseline foraging and social behavior of cetacean species under 
different ecological conditions; (2) place these behaviors in a 
population-level context; and (3) determine how these species respond 
to various natural sound sources. The permit has been amended (No. 02) 
to authorize the use of dart/barb tags during tagging efforts on 
Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), short-finned pilot whales 
(Globicephala macrorhynchus), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus), 
Arnoux's beaked whales (Berardius arnuxii), Antarctic minke whales 
(Balaenoptera bonaerensis) and endangered humpback whales (Megaptera 
novaeangliae) during vessel surveys. The permit is valid through March 
31, 2019.
    Permit No. 14856-03 authorizes Dr. Mate to take 66 species of 
cetaceans and 12 species of pinnipeds in U.S. and international waters 
worldwide for scientific research. The purposes of the research are to: 
(1) Identify migration routes; (2) identify specific feeding and 
breeding grounds; (3) characterize local movements and dive habits in 
both feeding and breeding grounds, and during migration; (4) examine 
the relationships between movements/dive habits and prey distribution, 
time of day, geographic location, or physical and biological 
oceanographic conditions; (5) characterize whale vocalizations; (6) 
characterize sound pressure levels to which whales are exposed; and (7) 
gather photo-identification and behavioral information. Researchers are 
authorized to conduct aerial and vessel surveys and a suite of research 
activities including: Observations, biopsy sampling, tagging,

[[Page 1621]]

and import, receive or export parts. The permit has been amended (No. 
04) to increase the number of humpback whales that may be taken by 
Level B harassment during surveys from 1,000 to 2,000 animals annually. 
The permit expires December 31, 2018.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) (NEPA), a final determination has been made 
that the activity proposed for Permit No. 14809-02 is categorically 
excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment 
(EA) or environmental impact statement.
    A supplemental EA analyzing the effects of the permitted activities 
on the human environment was prepared for Permit No. 14856-04 in 
compliance with NEPA. Based on the analyses in the EA, 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 October 27, 2015.
    As required by the ESA, issuance of the permits was based on a 
finding that each permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

    Dated: January 6, 2016.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-00455 Filed 1-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P