[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 186 (Friday, September 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57882-57883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24308]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Modification Received Under the Antarctic
Conservation Act of 1978
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of Permit Modification Request Received under the
Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law 95-541.
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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish a
notice of requests to modify permits issued to conduct activities
regulated under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has
published regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act at title 45,
part 670 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required
notice of a requested permit modification.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments,
or views with respect to this permit application by October 26, 2015.
Permit applications may be inspected by interested parties at the
Permit Office, address below.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755,
Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Li Ling Hamady, ACA Permit Officer, at
the above address or [email protected] or (703) 292-7149.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541), as amended
by the Antarctic Science, Tourism and Conservation Act of 1996, has
developed regulations for the establishment of a permit system for
various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain animals and
certain geographic areas a requiring special protection. The
regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic
Specially Protected Areas.
Description of Permit Modification Requested: The Foundation issued
a permit (ACA 2015-001) to Dr. Robert Pitman on November 7, 2014. The
issued permit allows the applicant to take and import tissue samples
from various marine mammal species; tag them with satellite or suction
cup tags; take photographs; and salvage dead birds or mammals for
research purposes.
Now the applicant proposes a modification to the permit to extend
the permit's duration, which had expired on June 30, 2015, and to
include the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) for photography, in
order to make it consistent with and correspond to their Marine Mammal
Protection Act permit (14097-06), which was recently extended and
updated to include the aforementioned activity. The applicant would use
utilize a remotely operated UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) equipped with
a small high resolution camera to fly and take pictures at altitudes of
90-180 ft above the following species: killer whales (<=600
individuals), humpback whales (<=100 individuals), and Antarctic minke
whales (<=100 individuals). The applicant wants to collect
morphological data on the 4 types of killer whales to assist with
taxonomic studies; identify prey species for small type B killer
whales; and assess fitness in minke and humpback whales to provide
baseline data for assessing the impact of krill fisheries on whale
stocks in the Antarctic Peninsula area. The applicant has successfully
deployed the equipment array over 200 times in various environments
without wildlife disturbance.
Location: Southern Ross Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, and various other
location around the continent as opportunities become available via
private tour operator.
[[Page 57883]]
Dates: November 30, 2015-June 30, 2016.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Polar Coordination Specialist, Division of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2015-24308 Filed 9-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P