[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 217 (Thursday, November 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67948-67949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24549]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0123; 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 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 December 12, 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-2022-0123.
    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-2022-0123.
     U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0123; 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 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 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.

A. Marine Mammal Protection Act

Applicant: Offspring Films Ltd., Bristol, UK; Permit No. PER0027521
    The applicant requests a permit to photograph (video and still 
photography) West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Florida, for 
the purpose of commercial photography. This notification covers 
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Jason Gulley, Tampa, FL; Permit No. PER0030530
    The applicant requests a permit to photograph (video and still 
photography) West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Florida, for 
the purpose of commercial photography. This notification covers 
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Sarasota, FL; Permit No. 
PER0027767
    The applicant requests to amend a permit for scientific research on 
Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus

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latirostris) both in the wild or being held in captivity. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.

B. Wild Bird Conservation Act

Applicant: Gerald Bobak, Ellijay, GA; Permit No. PER0051912
    The applicant wishes to establish a cooperative breeding program 
for eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus), importing into the United 
States 100 eclectus parrots from captive breeding facilities outside 
the United States. The applicant would be an active participant in this 
program. Once the program is established, additional applicants could 
apply to participate, which Laurella Desborough, of Claremore, 
Oklahoma, intends to do. If approved, the program will be overseen by 
the Organization of Professional Aviculturists, San Dimas, California.

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 Marine Mammal 
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its 
implementing regulations and under the authority of the Wild Bird 
Conservation Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 4901-4916). This notice is provided 
pursuant to section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992, 
50 CFR 15.26(c).

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2022-24549 Filed 11-9-22; 8:45 am]
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