[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 35443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-15062]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XW91


Marine Mammals; File No. 15261

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that Paul Ponganis, Ph.D., University 
of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, has been issued a 
permit to conduct research on leopard seals (Hydruga leptonyx) in 
Antarctica.

ADDRESSES:  The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):
    Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 
20910; phone (301) 713-2289; fax (301) 713-0376; and
    Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long 
Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562) 980-4001; fax (562) 980-4018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Kate Swails or Amy Sloan, (301)713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 10, 2010, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (75 FR 11132) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The 
requested permit has been issued under the authority of the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and 
the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals 
(50 CFR part 216).
    The permit authorizes Dr. Ponganis to study the foraging behavior 
of leopard seals at Cape Washington, Antarctica. Backpack digital 
cameras and time depth recorders will be deployed on up to five leopard 
seals annually over five years (no more than ten seals successfully 
instrumented total) to document diving and foraging behavior near the 
emperor penguin colony, and, for the first time, construct time-
activity budgets and prey intake rates of these seals. The permit is 
issued for five years.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final determination has been made that the 
activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to 
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

    Dated: June 17, 2010.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-15062 Filed 6-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S