[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64481-64482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25458]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC371
Marine Mammals; Issuance of Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that six individuals and institutions
have been issued Letters of Confirmation for activities conducted under
the General Authorization for Scientific Research on marine mammals.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a list of names and address of
recipients.
ADDRESSES: The Letters of Confirmation and related documents are
available for review upon written request or by appointment in the
following office:
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.
[[Page 64482]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Office of Protected Resources, Permits
and Conservation Division, (301)427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The requested Letters of Confirmation have
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 General Authorization allows for bona fide scientific research that
may result only in taking by level B harassment of marine mammals. The
following Letters of Confirmation (LOC) were issued in Fiscal Year
2013.
File No. 17235: Issued to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science
Center, Virginia Beach, VA on November 21, 2012, authorizes close
approach, photo-identification, video, behavioral observations, and
passive acoustic recordings of 17 cetacean species and 4 pinniped
species in inland and offshore waters of Maryland, Virginia, and North
Carolina. The focus species is bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
and the primary study area is off Virginia Beach. Objectives for the
bottlenose dolphin project are to: (1) Collect and maintain a long-term
record of bottlenose dolphins in coastal waters of Virginia and (2)
provide data to the Mid-Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Catalog to test the
hypothesized stock structure for this species. Other objectives include
to: (1) Collect distribution, group size, and photo-id data on
cetaceans and pinnipeds in the larger study area and (2) identify and
monitor pinniped haul out sites in Virginia and North Carolina and to
track the abundance and residency of individual seals. The LOC expires
on November 30, 2017.
File No. 17418: Issued to James Ha, Ph.D., University of
Washington, Seattle, WA on February 19, 2013, authorizes close
approach, photo-identification, behavioral observations, and focal
follows of bottlenose dolphins in the Middle Keys, Florida.
Specifically, the study area ranges from Lignumvitae Key to the
northeast shore of Big Pine Key and includes bay and ocean waters out
to two miles. Objectives are to: (1) Begin an in-depth population
demographic study of bottlenose dolphins in the area and (2) identify
foraging strategies and determine what percentage of resident dolphins
is influenced by anthropogenic sources of food. The LOC was originally
supposed to expire on February 28, 2018. However, on July 25, 2013, Dr.
Ha requested that his LOC be terminated with an immediate effective
date, so LOC No. 17418 is no longer valid.
File No. 17988: Issued to Jessica Weiss Taylor of the Outer Banks
Center for Dolphin Research, Kill Devil Hills, NC, on April 5, 2013,
for research activities including vessel surveys, close approach,
photo-identification, and behavioral observations, including focal
follows of bottlenose dolphins in waters of North Carolina.
Specifically the study area comprises the Roanoke, Croatan, Currituck,
Albemarle, and Pamlico Sounds and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean to a
maximum distance of 5 miles offshore. Objectives are to: (1)
Investigate patterns of seasonal and year-round residency in the
northern Outer Banks; (2) estimate local abundances of dolphins in the
northern Outer Banks seasonally and year-round; (3) identify and
characterize any biological and/or ecological stressors on bottlenose
dolphins in the northern Outer Banks; (4) describe the social structure
of bottlenose dolphin populations in the northern Outer Banks through
examination of social networks and male pair bonds; and (5) promote
awareness of bottlenose dolphin conservation throughout the local and
visiting community. The LOC expires on April 15, 2018.
File No. 13427: Originally issued to the Pacific Whale Foundation
[Responsible Party: Gregory D. Kaufman], Wailuku, HI, on June 4, 2008,
authorizes the close vessel approach, photo-identification, focal
follows, and acoustic recordings of 16 cetacean species within the
waters of Maui County, Hawaii to estimate the abundance and
distribution of odontocete species in the area. This study was modified
on June 11, 2013, to extend the duration of the LOC until June 15,
2014, add a Co-investigator, and remove authorization to take the
endangered Hawaiian insular stock of false killer whales (Pseudorca
crassidens). This LOC was cancelled on June 20, 2013, when a new LOC
(File No. 18101) was issued to the Pacific Whale Foundation.
File No. 18101: Issued to the Pacific Whale Foundation [Responsible
Party: Gregory D. Kaufman], Wailuku, HI, on June 20, 2013, authorizes
close vessel approaches, photo-identification, focal follows, and
acoustic recordings of 15 cetacean species within the waters of Maui
County, Hawaii to estimate the abundance and distribution of odontocete
species in the area. The LOC replaces No. 13427 and expires on June 21,
2018.
File No. 18152: Issued to Barbara Brunnick, Ph.D., Jupiter, FL, on
September 11, 2013, for research activities including vessel surveys,
close approach, photo-identification, and behavioral observations of
bottlenose dolphins. The research objective is to continue developing a
photo-identification catalog and database to address questions
regarding the local abundance, population ecology, life history,
habitat utilization, social structure, habitat health, and residency
patterns of Atlantic spotted (Stenella frontalis) and bottlenose
dolphins. If other dolphin and whale species are encountered, the
applicant may collect information on them. This LOC replaces File No.
13386 and expires on September 10, 2018.
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
activities are categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare
an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Dated: October 23, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-25458 Filed 10-28-13; 8:45 am]
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