[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65237-65238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23508]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0054; FXIA16710900000-223-FF09A30000]


Marine Mammal Protection 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 applications to conduct certain activities with 
foreign species that the Service has jurisdiction under the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With some exceptions, the MMPA prohibits 
activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued 
that allows such activities. The MMPA also requires that we invite 
public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise 
prohibited by the MMPA with respect to any endangered species or marine 
mammals.

DATES: We must receive comments by November 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other

[[Page 65238]]

materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at 
https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0054.
    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-2022-0054.
     U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0054; 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, TDD, 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 applications. Before issuing any requested permits, we 
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.), we 
invite public comments on permit applications before final action is 
taken. With some exceptions, MMPA prohibits certain activities with 
listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with 
endangered species, captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits 
for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any 
endangered species are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations in part 17. 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. 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.

Applicant: USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK; Permit No. 067925

    The applicant requests a permit to capture/recapture, transport, 
immobilize, hold, administer drugs to, flipper tag, surgically implant 
transmitters inside, measure, collect biological samples from, and 
release northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) 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: BBC Studios Productions Ltd, Bristol, UK; Permit No. 
PER0036892

    The applicant requests a permit to photograph (video and photos) 
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) in the wild at Round Island, AK, for 
the purpose of commercial photography. This notification covers 
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue permits to 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 regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of 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. 2022-23508 Filed 10-27-22; 8:45 am]
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