[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 91 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27441-27442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11306]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA774
Marine Mammals; File No. 13927
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 Dr. James H.W. Hain, Associated
Scientists at Woods Hole, Box 721, Woods Hole, MA 02543, has applied
for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 13927.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
before June 11, 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 home
page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 13927
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) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
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, Conservation and Education
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 Amy Hapeman, (301)
427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 13927 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.),
and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226).
Permit No. 13927, issued on October 19, 2011 (76 FR 67151),
authorizes the permit holder to take North Atlantic right (Eubalaena
glacialis) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) during aerial
and vessel surveys off the U.S. southeast coast. Bottlenose (Tursiops
truncatus) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) may be
incidentally harassed during research activities. The field season is
December through April. The permit is valid through October 31, 2016.
The permit holder is requesting the permit be amended to increase take
numbers of North Atlantic right whales from 50 to 100 per year during
aerial surveys and from ten to 60 per year during vessel surveys. The
permit holder is not increasing his research effort or asking for
changes to methodologies, location, species, field season, or permit
duration. The permit holder is requesting the increase because the take
numbers he originally requested and is currently authorized do not
allow him to conduct his research as planned. Without the increases, a
few groups of whales could exhaust his take numbers. As a result, he
would have to end his field seasons prematurely and would lose the
opportunity to collect data on whales only observed at the end of the
season.
A draft supplemental environmental assessment (SEA) has been
prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), to examine whether significant
environmental impacts could result from issuance of the proposed
scientific research permit. The draft SEA is available for review and
comment simultaneous with the scientific research permit application.
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.
[[Page 27442]]
Dated: May 7, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-11306 Filed 5-9-12; 8:45 am]
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