[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 49470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25012]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 091597A]


Marine Mammals; Permit No. 836

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 Dr. Daniel P. Costa, University of 
California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, California 95064, 
has requested an amendment to Permit No. 836, and an amendment has been 
issued authorizing the conduct of the proposed research.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 22, 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, Southwest Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, 
Suite 4200,Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310/980-4001).
    Written comments for the record 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.
    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 the application and amended 
permit to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific 
Advisors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to permit no. 836, 
issued on May 19, 1993 (58 FR 29199) is requested under the authority 
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 
et seq.).
    Permit no. 836 authorizes the permit holder to, among other things, 
capture and instrument elephant seals ((Mirounga angustirostris) at Ano 
Nuevo, CA and release them at sea up to 200 km from Ano Nuevo to study 
the effects of low frequency sounds under 1,000 Hz (ATOC). The permit 
holder has requested authorization to expand the research area to 
enable him to investigate the potential effect of the Navy's Surface 
Towed Array Surveillance System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) 
system on the behavior of elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). The 
amendment request involves no increase in the number of animals 
currently authorized to be taken under the Permit. Nor does it involve 
any changes to the currently authorized experimental protocol.
    The permit holder states that the operation of the LFA source will 
occur only between September 15, 1997 to October 11, 1997, and that a 
significant research opportunity will be lost if the requested 
authorization is not provided. Therefore, 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. 836 granting the authorization.
    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: September 11, 1997.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-25012 Filed 9-19-97; 8:45 am]
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