Federal Register: May 28, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 102)NoticesPage 29181-29182From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr28my98-49

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

I.D. 052198BMarine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Moana Productions, Inc., 311 Portlock Road, Honolulu, HI 96825, has requested an amendment to Photography Permit No. 867-1388.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before June 29, 1998. ADDRESSES: The amendment request and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/ 713-2289);

Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 709 W. 9<SUP>th</SUP> Street,

[Page 29182]Federal Building, Room 461, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, Alaska 99802 (907/ 586-7012); and

Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562/980-4001).

Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request should be submitted to the Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13822, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this particular amendment request would be appropriate.

Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at 301/713-0376, provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or other electronic media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Trevor Spradlin, 301/713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 867- 1388, issued on July 25, 1997, (62 FR 50906) is requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).

Permit No. 867-1388 authorizes the permit holder to take by Level B harassment several species of small delphinid cetaceans in Hawaii and North Carolina waters for purposes of commercial photography. The permit holder now requests authorization to film the following marine mammals in Alaska waters: killer whales (Orcinus orca), Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli), Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus), harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).

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 this amendment request to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

Dated: May 21, 1998. Art Jeffers, Acting Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

FR Doc. 98-14126Filed5-27-98; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 3510-22-F