Marine Mammals; File No. 22884

• Published date: 22 August 2019
• Citation: 84 FR 43793
• Record Number: 2019-18118
• Section: Notices
• Court: Commerce Department,National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2019)

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 43793-43794]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-18118]
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                DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                RIN 0648-XR022
                Marine Mammals; File No. 22884
                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 Mark Baumgartner, Ph.D., Woods
                Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS No. 33, Biology Department, Woods
                Hole, MA
                [[Page 43794]]
                02543 has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on two
                species of marine mammals.
                DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
                before September 23, 2019.
                ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
                review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the
                ``Features'' box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species
                (APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File
                No. 22884 from the list of available applications.
                 These documents are also available upon written request or by
                appointment in the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of
                Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver
                Spring, MD 20910; phone: (301) 427-8401; fax: (301) 713-0376.
                 Written comments on this application should be submitted to the
                Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above.
                Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or by
                email to [email protected]. Please include the File No. in the
                subject line of the email comment.
                 Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a
                written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the
                address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons
                why a hearing on this application would be appropriate.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shasta McClenahan or Amy Hapeman,
                (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 Endangered
                Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
                regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of
                endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226).
                 The applicant proposes to take up to 80 endangered North Atlantic
                right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis) annually by Level B harassment
                during vessel surveys in the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Maine
                through the mid-Atlantic Bight. Feeding NARW may be approached by
                vessel for counts, observations, and collection of prey samples to
                determine the NARW prey species in various habitats, and to
                characterize the abundance and vertical distribution of those prey. Up
                to 20 endangered sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) may be incidentally
                harassed if feeding in the same areas as the target NARW. The permit
                would be valid for five years from the date of issuance.
                 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: August 19, 2019.
                Julia Marie Harrison,
                Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
                Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
                [FR Doc. 2019-18118 Filed 8-21-19; 8:45 am]
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