[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 79 (Monday, April 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24338-24339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08738]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]


Marine Mammal Protection Act and Wild Bird Conservation Act; 
Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the 
public to comment on foreign or native species for which the Service 
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and 
foreign bird species covered under the Wild Bird Conservation Act 
(WBCA). With some exceptions, the MMPA and WBCA prohibit activities 
with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows 
such activities. These Acts also require that we invite public comment 
before issuing permits for any activity they otherwise prohibit with 
respect to any species.

DATES: We must receive comments by May 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be 
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 
or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TTD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies 
to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested 
permits, we will take into consideration any information that we 
receive during the public comment period.
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an 
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our 
administrative record comments we receive after the close of the 
comment period (see DATES). When submitting comments, please specify 
the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of 
your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to 
authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include.
    The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and 
likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by 
quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include 
citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov, unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold 
this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and 
section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA; 16 
U.S.C. 4901-4916), we invite public comments on permit applications 
before final action is taken. With some exceptions, these Acts prohibit 
certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is 
issued that allows such activities. Service regulations regarding 
permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the MMPA with respect 
to any marine mammals are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations in part 18. Service regulations regarding permits for any 
activity otherwise prohibited by the WBCA with respect to any wild 
birds are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in 
part 15.
    Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we 
are forwarding copies of the marine mammal applications to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their 
review.

III. Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

[[Page 24339]]

A. Marine Mammal Protection Act

Applicant: Matson's Laboratory, Manhattan, MT; Permit No. 166346
    The applicant requests to renew a permit to obtain samples of polar 
bears (Ursus maritimus) that have been legally harvested or were taken 
from the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.
Applicant: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fairbanks, AK; Permit 
No. 57198B
    The applicant requests to renew a permit to deploy transmitters and 
collect skin biopsies to monitor the movement, timing, behavior, and 
habitat use of walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) in the wild for the purpose 
of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be 
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Tacoma, WA; Permit No. 
PER0028852
    The applicant requests a permit to import and maintain one male and 
one female captive born live walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) for the purpose 
of public display. This notification covers activities to be conducted 
once within a 1-year time frame.
Applicant: USGS Alaska Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. 
PER0030527
    The applicant requests to amend a permit to measure the oxygen 
consumption of two captive adult polar bears (Ursus maritimus) to 
inform data collected from wild polar bears on the energetic costs of 
swimming for the purpose of scientific research. This notification 
covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year 
period.

B. Wild Bird Conservation Act

Applicant: Vernon Padgett, Atlanta, GA; Permit No. PER0026547
    The applicant wishes to amend the Cooperative Breeding Program 
CB042 to add the following new species: Wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros 
undulatus), wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus), rhinoceros 
hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), and Indian hornbill (Buceros bicornis), 
and to increase the approved number of imports for the Papuan hornbill 
(Rhyticeros plicatus) and rufous hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax) to their 
already existing program.

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in 
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may 
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to https://www.regulations.gov and 
search for ``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2022-08738 Filed 4-22-22; 8:45 am]
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