[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 141 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36668-36669]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17721]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO45


Marine Mammals; File No. 14241

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Peter Tyack, Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA has been issued a permit to 
conduct research on marine mammals.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)713-0376;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978)281-9300; fax (978)281-9333; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, 
Florida 33701; phone (727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Adams or Carrie Hubard, 
(301)713-2289.

[[Page 36669]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 8, 2009, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (74 FR 15940) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on cetacean behavior, sound production, and responses 
to sound had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested 
permit has been issued 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).
    The research methods include tagging marine mammals with an 
advanced digital sound recording tag that records the acoustic stimuli 
an animal hears and measures vocalization, behavior, and physiological 
parameters. Research also involves conducting sound playbacks in a 
carefully controlled manner and measuring animals' responses. The 
principal study species are beaked whales, especially Cuvier's beaked 
whale (Ziphius cavirostris), and large delphinids such as long-finned 
pilot whales (Globicephala melas), although other small cetacean 
species may also be studied. The locations for the field work are the 
Mediterranean Sea, waters off of the mid-Atlantic United States, and 
Cape Cod Bay. The permit is 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.), a final determination has been made that the 
activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Dated: July 20, 2009.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-17721 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S