[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 104107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30378]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE505]
Marine Mammals; File No. 28233
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Clearwater Marine Aquarium,
249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 (Responsible Party: James
Powell, Ph.D.), has applied in due form for a permit to import up to
five adult male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Attica
Zoological Park in Athina, Greece, to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium
for public display.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 3, 2025.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available online
at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/permit-application-import-5-bottlenose-dolphins-file-no-28233-clearwater-marine-aquarium.
You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2024-0140, by any
of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit electronic public comments
via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To submit
comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, enter NOAA-NMFS-2024-0140 in the
keyword search. Locate the document you wish to comment on from the
resulting list and click on the ``Comment Now'' icon on the right of
that line.
Mail: Comments on the application should be addressed to:
Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; ATTN:
Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division.
Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above
methods. All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without
change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address,
etc.) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible.
Do not submit confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive
or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word,
Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a
written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division via one
of the methods listed above. The request should set forth the specific
reasons why a hearing on this amendment would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Skidmore or Courtney Smith,
Ph.D., (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations governing the taking
and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
The applicant is proposing to import up to five adult male
bottlenose dolphins from the Attica Zoological Park in Athina, Greece,
to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for public display purposes. The
subject dolphins are between the ages of 11 and 24 years and were all
captive-born to individuals with multiple origins, including the
southeastern United States, Cuba, the Russian Federation, and the Black
Sea. The applicant has identified three of the animals as common
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and two as Black Sea
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus ponticus). The requested
duration of the permit is 5 years.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: December 16, 2024.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-30378 Filed 12-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P