Marine Mammals; File No. 21585
| Published date | 10 June 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 35415 |
| Record Number | 2020-12497 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 112 (Wednesday, June 10, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 112 (Wednesday, June 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35415-35416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12497]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RTID 0648-XA223
Marine Mammals; File No. 21585
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for permit amendment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Oregon State University, Marine
Mammal Institute, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR
97365 (Responsible Party: Bruce Mate, Ph.D.)., has applied for an
amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 21585.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
before July 10, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public
[[Page 35416]]
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. 21585 from the list of available applications.
These documents are also available upon written request via email to
[email protected].
Written comments on this application should be submitted via email
to [email protected]. Please include File No. 21585 in the
subject line of the email comment. Alternatively, comments may be
submitted by mail to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427-8401 or by facsimile to
(301) 713-0376.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a
written request via email to [email protected] or 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 amendment to Permit No. 21585 is
requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of
1972, as amended (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 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), and the Fur
Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).
Permit No. 21585, issued on December 20, 2018 (84 FR 4441, February
15, 2019), authorizes the permit holder to conduct research on 67
species of marine mammals including the following endangered or
threatened species and stocks of cetaceans: Blue (Balaenoptera
musculus), bowhead (Balaena mysticetes), Cook Inlet beluga
(Delphinapterus leucas), fin (B. physalus), gray (Eschrichtius
robustus), humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), Main Hawaiian Islands
insular false killer (Pseudorca crassidens), North Pacific right
(Eubalaena japonica), sei (B. borealis), Southern Resident killer
(Orcinus orca), Southern right (E. australis), and sperm (Physeter
macrocephalus) whales. Authorized research may occur during vessel and
manned aerial surveys for Level B harassment activities including
observation, photography, passive acoustic recording, echosounders for
prey mapping, and collection of sloughed skin. The permit also
authorizes Level A harassment activities including biopsy sampling and
deep-implant tagging. The permit holder is requesting the permit be
amended to increase the permitted takes from 500 to 900 annually for
the Level B harassment activities for humpback whales. No changes to
the permitted objectives, methods, or Level A harassment activities are
proposed. The permit expires on December 31, 2023.
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 application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: June 4, 2020.
Julia Marie Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-12497 Filed 6-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
