[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 244 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 103853-103854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30297]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148; FXES111607MRG01-245-FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Permit Applications and Issuances
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; notice of issuance of
permits.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), invite public
comment on applications for permits to conduct certain activities
involving marine mammals for which the FWS has jurisdiction under the
Marine Mammal Protection Act. In addition, we announce permits that we
have issued recently in response to prior applications.
DATES: We must receive any comments on the new permit applications by
January 21, 2025.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents:
Application Materials: The applications, application
supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we
receive are available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148.
Issued Permits: To access materials pertaining to the
permits we have issued, see Permits Issued by the Service under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Submitting Comments on the Applications: You may submit comments
containing written data or views concerning the taking or importation
proposed in each application by one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148; 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: Charles Hamilton, via email at
[email protected] or by telephone at 9072012;7862012;3800.
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. Background
With some exceptions, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), prohibits the take and
importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products absent Federal
authorization. In carrying out our responsibilities under the MMPA, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), may authorize such activities
via permits after receipt of an application and verification that MMPA
statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
Section 104(c) of the MMPA specifies the conditions for authorizing
the taking or importation of a marine mammal for purposes of scientific
research, public display, photography, or enhancing the survival or
recovery of a species or stock under the MMPA.
This notice provides information about two aspects of the MMPA
permitting process: application and issuance. At section II, we provide
the public with notice of and the opportunity to comment on
applications that we have received from entities or individuals to
conduct certain activities with marine mammals for which the FWS has
jurisdiction under the MMPA. At section III, we announce recently
issued MMPA permits to entities or individuals in response to prior
applications.
II. Applications Available for Public Review
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the MMPA, we invite
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on
the applications listed below before final action is taken. Concurrent
with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we are forwarding
copies of these marine mammal applications to the Marine Mammal
Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.
A. Permit Applications Received
We invite comments on the following applications:
Applicant: Seattle Aquarium Society, Seattle, WA; Permit No.
PER12241375
The applicant requests a scientific research permit to conduct
surveys of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) off the coast
of Washington State using a camera- mounted unmanned aircraft system.
This information will increase the accuracy of population estimates and
allow better understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of
otters in the area. This notification covers activities to be conducted
by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Ben Hamilton, Windfall Films, San Antonio, TX; Permit No.
PER12101045
The applicant requests a permit to conduct commercial photography
and filming of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in the
wild. This notification covers activities to be conducted in the Sitka
Sound area of southeast Alaska by the applicant between 2024 and 2026.
B. Public Comment Procedures
1. How Do I Comment on Permit Applications?
Before issuing any requested permit, 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 that 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: (a) Those
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (b) those that
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and
regulations.
[[Page 103854]]
2. May I review comments submitted by others?
You may view public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless
our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or other
Federal law.
3. 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.
C. Next Steps for Submitted Applications
After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed
above in this notice, we will publish a subsequent 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''.
III. Permits Issued by the Service
We have issued permits to conduct certain activities involving
marine mammals and marine mammal products in response to prior permit
applications that we received. This notice informs the public that the
FWS has issued the permits listed in table 1.
The permittees' original permit application materials, along with
public comments we received during public comment periods for the
applications, are available for review. To locate the application
materials and received comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov and
search for the appropriate permit number (e.g., PER12345) or docket
number (e.g., FWS-R7-ES-2020-0004) provided in table 1.
Table 1--Permits Issued Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act
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Permit
Permit No. Applicant issuance date Docket No.
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PER6413229........................ Matson's Laboratory. 6/20/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
14762C............................ National Park 6/20/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
Service, Juneau.
9061181........................... Windfall Films 6/20/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
Limited.
041309............................ U.S. Fish and 6/20/24 FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0022.
Wildlife Service,
Alaska Marine
Mammals Management
Office.
0046206........................... North Slope Borough 6/21/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
Department of
Wildlife Management.
5955318........................... Jason Roehrig, 7/11/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
MeatEater Films.
MA82088B.......................... U.S. Fish and 7/11/24 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
Wildlife Service,
Marine Mammals
Management Polar
Bear Program.
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IV. 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.
Peter Fasbender,
Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries and Ecological Services,
Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2024-30297 Filed 12-18-24; 8:45 am]
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