[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 37885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18464]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 062797E]
Marine Mammals; Permit No. 837
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment and issuance of amendment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the National Marine Mammal
Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way
NE, BIN C15700, Seattle, WA 98119-0070, has requested an amendment to
Permit No. 837, and an amendment has been issued authorizing the
conduct of a portion of the proposed research.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 14, 1997.
ADDRESSES: The amendment request and related documents are available
for review upon written request or by appointment in the following
office(s):
Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/
713-2289); and
Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668,
Juneau, AK 99802-1668 (907/586-7221).
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request
should be submitted to the Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,
F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway,
Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a
hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this
particular amendment request would be appropriate.
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301) 713-0376,
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or other electronic
media.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of this application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to permit no. 837,
issued on June 4, 1993 (58 FR 33085) is requested 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), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).
Permit no. 837 authorizes the permit holder to capture, restrain,
shear-mark, sample and handle up to 30,000 Northern fur seals
(Callorhinus ursinus) over a 5-year period, and to collect parts from
dead animals. The Permit Holder now requests the following: 1) biopsy
sampling of up to 120 female seals (60 seals on St. Paul, 60 on St.
George). A total of 1,200 fur seal pups and 1,200 non-pups may be
harassed incidentally during the course of this activity; 2) tissue
sampling (i.e., hair, skin, blubber, muscle and liver) of up to 120
already deceased juvenile male seals (60 on St. Paul, 60 on St.
George); and 3) capture and recapture of up to 20 adult female seals on
Bogoslof Island to study foraging behavior. Each seal will be
instrumented with a satellite tag and/or time-depth recorder and VHF
transmitter via 5-minute epoxy glue; flipper tagged, weighed, measured,
and released. At recapture, the instruments will be removed and the
animals will be weighed, measured, administered an enema and released.
Some of these seals may be sedated with Valium. At each capture, the
seal will be given an intramuscular injection of oxytocin and milk
sampled. Up to 2,000 pups and 2,000 non-pups may be incidentally
harassed during the course of this activity.
The biopsy portion of the research described in item 1, above, must
be conducted during the current summer season, and activities are
scheduled to begin on July 5, 1997. This work can only be done during
the next two months before the animals are preparing to leave on
migration, and a delay in this work will compromise the existing data
series on co-dependent parameters also being collected this year. In
light of the time constraints and the unique research opportunity that
would otherwise be lost, pursuant to Section 104(c)(3)(A) of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act and 50 CFR 216.33(e)(6) of the MMPA regulations,
we issued an amendment to Permit No. 837 authorizing the conduct of the
biopsy sampling.
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.
Dated: July 3, 1997.
Art Jeffers,
Acting Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-18464 Filed 7-14-97; 8:45 am]
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