[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13801-13802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05131]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF267


Marine Mammals; File No. 21155

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 Karina Amaral, Federal University 
of Rio Grande do Sul, Zoology Department, Avenida Bento Goncalves, 9500 
Build 43435, Room 206, Porto Alegre, MI, 91.501-970, Brazil, has 
applied in due form for a permit to import specimens of Atlantic 
spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) for scientific research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before April 14, 2017.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public

[[Page 13802]]

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. 21155 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 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: Jennifer Skidmore or Carrie Hubard, 
(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.), the regulations governing the taking 
and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant is requesting a permit to import 118 DNA samples from 
the Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul in Brazil to the University 
of Michigan, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department in Ann Arbor, 
MI, for genetics research. The samples were collected between 1996 and 
2016 via biopsy sampling or from stranded animals, in accordance with 
the laws of Brazil. Results will provide insights regarding the 
population structure of this species in the Southwestern Atlantic 
Ocean. The requested duration of the permit is five months.
    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: March 10, 2017.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-05131 Filed 3-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P