[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 139 (Friday, July 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39082-39083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15676]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of permit applications received.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a 
notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated 
under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published 
regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act in the Code of Federal 
Regulations. This is the required notice of permit applications 
received.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments, 
or views with respect to this permit application by August 23, 2021. 
This application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Office of 
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Polly Penhale, ACA Permit Officer, at 
the above address, 703-292-7420, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541, 45 CFR 670) 
as amended by the Antarctic Science, Tourism and Conservation Act of 
1996, has developed regulations for the establishment of a permit 
system for various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain 
animals and certain geographic areas a requiring special protection. 
The regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas.

Application Details

Permit Application: 2022-002

1. Applicant: Dr. George Watters, Director, AMLR Program, Southwest 
Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La 
Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037

    Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Take, Harmful Interference, 
Enter Antarctic Specially Protected Areas, Import into USA. This permit 
application pertains to research activities conducted by the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Antarctic Marine Living 
Resources (AMLR) Program. The U.S. AMLR Program proposes to take 
pinniped species in the Antarctic Peninsula region as part of a long-
term ecosystem monitoring program established in 1986. Permission

[[Page 39083]]

is requested for take and harmful interference for Antarctic fur seals 
(Arctocephalus gazelle), leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), Weddell 
seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), crabeater seals (Lobodon 
carcinophaga), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonine) and Ross 
seals (Ommatophoca rossii) by harassment associated with life-history 
studies and surveys to census or estimate abundance and distribution of 
pinnipeds. Specific take activities include capture/handling/release of 
animals for studies of attendance behavior, diving, and at-sea foraging 
location, diet, and population dynamics. Animals will be sedated and 
anesthetized during tagging and sampling procedures. Procedures include 
standard measuring of morphometrics, ultra-sounding, attaching of 
instrumentation, blood and tissue sampling and flipper marking/tagging. 
All studies of foraging ecology, population dynamics, mark-recapture, 
census, reproductive success, and energetics are part of a long-term 
monitoring effort coordinated with other Antarctic treaty nations under 
the auspices of Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine 
Living Resources.
    The U.S. AMLR Program also proposes continue studies of the 
behavioral ecology and population biology of the Ad[eacute]lie, gentoo, 
chinstrap and king penguins, as well as interactions among these 
species and their principal avian predators. Specific take activities 
associated with avian research include capture/handling/release, 
attaching of instrumentation, tagging/banding, weighing/measuring of 
individuals, tissue and egg sampling, diet sampling, placing of nest 
markers and censusing. The number of takes per annum of each avian 
species will be as follows: Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus), 
Ad[eacute]lie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis 
papua), king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), brown skua(Catharacta 
lonnbergi), south polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki), giant petrel 
(macronectes giganteus), kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), blue-eyed shag 
(Phalacrocorax atriceps), snowy sheathbill (Chionis alba) and cape 
petrel (Daption capensis). Those protocols related to the CCAMLR 
Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) are described by CCAMLR
    The U.S. AMLR Program requests permission to continue long-term 
studies at the Cape Shirreff and Copacabana research sites. 
Additionally, the Program anticipates conducting intermittent 
peninsula-wide pinniped and seabird surveys. As such, access to all 
ASPAs in the South Shetland Islands and in the Antarctic Peninsula 
region is requested. Entry to sites will be made via U.S. AMLR charter 
or NSF vessels, with immediate access via zodiac operations. Peninsula-
wide pinniped and seabird surveys may include the use of unmanned 
aerial vehicles and photogrammetry. All species, pinniped and avian, 
are subject to harmful interference due to census (aerial or ground) 
and other work described in this application.
    Location: Antarctic Peninsula region, South Shetland Islands 
vicinity: Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island; San Telmo Islands; 
Copacabana, western shore of Admiralty Bay; and Lions Rump, King George 
Island.

ASPA 108, Green Island, Berthelot Islands, Antarctic Peninsula
ASPA 112, Coppermine Peninsula, Robert Island
ASPA 113, Litchfield Island, Arthur Harbor, Palmer Archipelago
ASPA 125, Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 126, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 128, Western Shore of Admiralty Bay, King George Island
ASPA 132, Potter Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 133, Harmony Point, Nelson Island, South Shetland Island
ASPA 134, Cierva Point offshore islands, Danco Coast, Antarctic 
Peninsula
ASPA 139, Biscoe Point, Anvers Island
ASPA 140, Shores of Port Foster, Deception Island, South Shetland 
Islands
ASPA 144, Chile Bay
ASPA 145, Port Foster, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 146, South Bay, Doumer Island, Palmer Archipelago
ASPA 148, Mount Flora, Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula
ASPA 149, Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 150, Ardley Island, Maxwell Bay, King George Island, South 
Shetland Islands
ASPA 151, Lions Rump, King George Island, South Shetland Islands
ASPA 152, Western Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Peninsula
ASPA 153, East Dallmann Bay, Antarctic Peninsula
ASPA 171, Narebski Point, Barton Peninsula, King George Island

    Dates of Permitted Activities: October 1, 2021-July 31, 2026.

Erika N. Davis,
Program Specialist, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2021-15676 Filed 7-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P