[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 152 (Friday, August 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 47471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19446]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE065
Marine Mammals; File No. 18903
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Peter Tyack, Ph.D., Senior
Scientist Emeritus, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 86 Water
Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, has applied in due form for a
permit to conduct research on several species of cetaceans worldwide.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or
before September 8, 2015.
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. 18903 from the list of available applications.
These documents are also available 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.
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 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: Courtney Smith or Amy Sloan, (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 applicant requests a permit to take multiple cetacean species
during research activities focused on cetacean behavior, sound
production and responses to sound in U.S. waters of the North Atlantic
and North Pacific Ocean and international waters near the Mediterranean
Sea and the Bahamas. See tables in the permit application for annual
numbers of takes by species, stock and activity. Researchers would take
animals by harassment during close approaches with vessels for
behavioral observations and photo-identification; attachment of
suction-cup or implantable tags and marking with zinc oxide; biopsy
sampling; and playbacks of natural and simulated sound. Playback takes
involve conducting sound playback experiments where subjects whose
responses are being measured will be exposed to specific sounds in a
carefully controlled manner using a source level <197.4 dB re 1 microPa
at 1 m. Incidental harassment of other species in the area may occur
during playbacks and vessel surveys. Skin samples would be imported
from foreign field sites to the United States for genetic analyses. The
requested permit would be valid for five years from issuance.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: August 4, 2015.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-19446 Filed 8-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P