[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 39258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15703]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC239


Marine Mammals; File No. 17355

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 a permit has been issued to 
National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC), 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543 [Responsible 
Party: William Karp; Principal Investigator: Peter Corkeron] to conduct 
research on marine mammals and sea turtles.

ADDRESSES: The permit 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;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978) 281-9328; fax (978) 281-9394; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristy Beard or Carrie Hubard, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 20, 2012, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (77 FR 58357) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on marine mammals and sea turtles 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.), 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 parts 222-226).
    A five-year permit was issued to conduct scientific research on 38 
species of cetaceans, four species of pinnipeds, and five species of 
sea turtles in the U.S. EEZ from Florida to Maine and Canadian waters 
in the Bay of Fundy and Scotian Shelf. Thirteen of the 47 species to be 
targeted for research are listed as threatened or endangered: blue 
whale (Balaenoptera musculus), fin whale (B. physalus), humpback whale 
(Megaptera novaeangliae), North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena 
glacialis), sei whale (B. borealis), sperm whale (Physeter 
macrocephalus), bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), Western North 
Pacific stock of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), green sea turtle 
(Chelonia mydas), hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), 
loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley sea turtle 
(Lepidochelys kempii), and leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys 
coriacea). Types of take include harassment by survey approach during 
aerial and vessel-based surveys, passive acoustic recording, behavioral 
observations, photo-identification, suction-cup tagging, and biopsy 
sampling. Research platforms include large ships, small vessels, and 
aircrafts. Import and export of marine mammal parts from the U.S. and 
other countries is requested for research purposes.
    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.
    As required by the ESA, issuance of this permit was based on a 
finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will 
not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is 
consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the 
ESA.

     Dated: June 26, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-15703 Filed 6-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P