[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 12815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5175]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA626
Marine Mammals; File No. 16160
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 The Whale Museum (Responsible
Party: Jenny Atkinson), P.O. Box 945, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 has
requested a change in Principal Investigator to their pending permit
application.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
before April 2, 2012.
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. 16160 from the list of available applications.
These documents are also available 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) 713-2289; fax (301) 427-2521; and Northwest Region, NMFS,
7600 Sand Point Way NE., BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700;
phone (206) 526-6150; fax (206) 526-6426.
Written comments on these applications 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: Joselyd Garcia-Reyes and Kristy Beard,
(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 222-226).
On November 3, 2011, a notice was published in the Federal Register
(76 FR 68161) that a request for a permit to conduct research on marine
mammals had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The Whale
Museum proposes to monitor and record vessel activities around marine
mammal species routinely encountered by commercial and recreational
vessels in the inland waters of Washington State. This research would
contribute to a long-term data set (Orca Master) that has provided
critical information on characterizing annual vessel trends around
Southern Resident killer whales and an evaluation of the effectiveness
of federal, state and local marine wildlife guidelines and regulations
through the Soundwatch program. Research methods would include close
vessel approach for photo-identification, behavioral observation, and
monitoring. The main focus species are killer whales (Orcinus orca)
from the Southern Resident stock. Additionally, Pacific white-sided
dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides
dalli), harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), eastern gray whale
(Eschrichtius robustus), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), non-
ESA listed killer whale, and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
may be harassed.
Under the pending permit application, The Whale Museum is
requesting a change in Principal Investigator (PI) due to personnel
changes within their organization. They request to have Eric Eisenhardt
be designated as the new PI. No other changes to the permit application
are requested.
Dated: February 27, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-5175 Filed 3-1-12; 8:45 am]
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