[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 2037]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-608]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA929
Marine Mammals; Photography Permit File No. 17032
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 Shane Moore, Moore & Moore Films,
Box 2980, 1203 Melody Creek Lane, Jackson, WY 83001, has applied in due
form for a permit to conduct commercial or educational photography on
killer (Orcinus orca) and gray (Eschrichtius robustus) whales in
Alaska.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
before February 13, 2012.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
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; and
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone
(907) 586-7221; fax (907) 586-7249.
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: Carrie Hubard or Joselyd Garcia-Reyes,
(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.) and the regulations governing the taking
and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
The applicant is requesting a five-year permit to film gray and
killer whales in the eastern Aleutian Islands, primarily near Ikatan
Bay and along the Ikatan Peninsula on the south side of Unimak Island,
Alaska. The purpose of the project is to document killer whales hunting
gray whales migrating through False Pass and Unimak Pass. In addition,
the filmmaker hopes to document the behavior of marine animals in the
presence of a gray whale carcass. Filming would occur between April and
June of each year. A maximum of 35 killer whales and 10 gray whales
could be closely approached annually. Footage would be obtained from
vessel-mounted cameras, a polecam that would be submerged next to the
boat, and, as the opportunity arises, from a remotely operated video
camera in an underwater housing placed on the sea floor near a gray
whale carcass. The applicant would share footage with the scientific
community as it may reveal to what extent killer whales continue to
feed on submerged kills, how they feed on these carcasses, and document
what other animals may benefit from these carcasses as well. Footage
would be used for a television program about predators and the
challenges they face.
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: January 10, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-608 Filed 1-12-12; 8:45 am]
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