[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 84 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 24902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10185]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD711


Marine Mammals; File No. 18881

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 Texas 
Sealife Center, 14220 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 
78418, [Responsible Party: Tim Tristan] to conduct research on 
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Hapeman or Howard Goldstein, (301) 
427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 13, 2015, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (80 FR 8060) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on the species identified above 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.), and the regulations governing the taking and 
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    The applicant has been issued a permit to conduct research on 
bottlenose dolphins in the bay, sound, estuary and near-shore coastal 
waters of Texas in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of the 
research is to: (1) Develop and maintain standardized photo-
identification catalogs; (2) characterize fine-scale population 
structure and dynamics; (3) estimate abundance for strategic stocks; 
(4) establish baseline patterns of distribution, habitat use, site-
fidelity, diet, and contaminant loads; (5) analyze dolphin behavior in 
relation to anthropogenic activities; and (6) identify potential risks 
to the population. Researchers may conduct vessel surveys for 
photographic identification, focal follows, behavioral observation, and 
biopsy sampling. The permit is valid through April 30, 2020.
    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.

    Dated: April 28, 2015.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-10185 Filed 4-30-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P