Permits: Marine mammals,

[Federal Register: March 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 57)]

[Notices]

[Page 14435]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr25mr99-51]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[I.D. 030399C]

Marine Mammals; File No. 932-1489

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce and Office of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Interior.

ACTION: Receipt of application.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources (OPR), Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 has applied in due form for a permit to take various marine mammal species for scientific research and enhancement.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before April 26, 1999. ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment, see ``Address Information'' under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this application should be mailed to the Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this particular 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 by other electronic media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara Shapiro or Ruth Johnson, 301/713- 2289.

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.), the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered fish and wildlife (50 CFR 222.23), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).

NMFS/OPR/MMHSRP (File No. 932-1489) requests authorization to oversee the collecting, preserving, labeling, and transporting of all species of marine mammal cadavers or tissue and fluid samples for physical, chemical, or biological analyses, import, and export, and the taking of stranded or distressed endangered or threatened marine mammals, and the salvage of specimens from dead threatened or endangered marine mammals. The animals for which they are requesting authorization include all species of the Orders Cetacea, Pinnipedia, Sirenia, and polar bears (Ursus maritimus), sea otters (Enhydra lutris), and marine otters (Lontra felina).

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.

Address Information

The application 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 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/ 713-2289);

Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802- 4213 (562/980-4001);

Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668 (907/586-7221);

Regional Administrator, Northeast Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, One Blackburn Dr., Gloucester, MA 01930-2298 (978/281- 9250);

Regional Administrator, Southeast Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432 (727/570-5301);

Regional Administrator, Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0020(206/526-6150); and

Coordinator, Pacific Area Office, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 2570 Dole St., Room 106, Honolulu, HI 96822-2396 (808/ 943-1221).

Dated: March 3, 1999. Ann D. Terbush, Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

Dated: March 18, 1999. Margaret Tieger, Chief, Branch of Permits, Office of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 99-7347Filed3-24-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F