[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3881-3882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1934]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 012098A]
Marine Mammals; Scientific Research Permits (559-1442 and P524B)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of applications.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that applications have been received
from the following individuals to take marine mammals for purposes of
scientific research:
(559-1442) Mr. Salvatore Cerchio, Museum of Zoology, University of
Michigan, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, has applied in
due form for a permit to import humpback whale samples from Mexico; and
(P524B) Dr. Shannon Atkinson, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology,
Univ. of HI, 1000 Pope Road MSB #213, Honolulu, HI 96822, has applied
in due form for an amendment to Permit No. 969.
DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before
February 26, 1998.
ADDRESSES: The applications 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);
Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-
2298 (508/281-9250); and
Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802-
4213 (310/980-4001).
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these
applications should be mailed 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 a particular 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 email 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 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 Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered fish and wildlife (50 CFR 222.23).
Mr. Salvatore Cerchio requests a permit to import 1000 humpback
whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) biopsy tissue samples from Mexico.
Samples have already been collected or will be collected under permits
issued by the Mexican Government. The goals of the project are to
assess paternity and test whether there is a large variance in
repreductive success among males, typical of polygynous systems, or if
paternities are distributed randomly.
Dr. Shannon Atkinson requests an amendment to Permit No. 969 to
import the reproductive tract tissues, blood, plasma and serum of
Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) taken from the
subpopulation that inhabits the coast of Mauritania in North Africa and
was involved in the 1997 die-off. Samples will be imported from Spain,
where they are currently in storage. The applicant also requests
authority to collect and/or import the same samples from all species of
pinnipeds (except walrus) involved in beachings, strandings, die-offs,
and taken during normal veterinary procedures on rehabilitated animals.
The objective is to evaluate repreductive
[[Page 3882]]
hormone concentrations, obtained from blood samples, with respect to
reproductive status of male and female monk seals, and other pinnipeds.
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: January 21, 1998.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-1934 Filed 1-26-98; 8:45 am]
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