[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 152 (Monday, August 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47779-47780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-19556]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO45


Marine Mammals; File No. 14241

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Peter Tyack, Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA has been issued a major 
amendment to Permit No. 14241 to conduct research on marine mammals.

ADDRESSES: The permit amendment 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;
    Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930; phone (978)281-9300; fax (978)281-9333; and
    Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 
33701; phone (727)824-5312; fax (727)824-5309.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Adams or Carrie Hubard, 
(301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 28, 2010, notice was published in the 
Federal Register (75 FR 29991) that a request for an amendment to the 
permit to conduct research on cetacean behavior, sound production, and 
responses to sound had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The 
requested permit amendment 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 has been amended to: (1) include authorization for 
collection of a skin and blubber biopsy sample from animals that are 
already authorized to be tagged; (2) add new species for existing 
projects involving tagging, playbacks, and behavioral observations; and 
(3) modify and clarify tagging and playback protocols and mitigation 
for when dependent calves are present. The new species for the 
Mediterranean Sea-based project are Blainville's beaked whale 
(Mesoplodon densirostris), Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), 
short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), long-finned 
pilot whale (Globicephala melas), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), 
and false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens). The new species for the 
project based off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina are True's beaked whale 
(M. mirus), Gervais' beaked whale (M. europaeus), Blainville's beaked 
whale, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Risso's dolphin, short-
beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and Cuvier's beaked whale. 
The amendment is valid through the expiration date of the original 
permit, July 31, 2014.

[[Page 47780]]

    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: August 4, 2010.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-19556 Filed 8-6-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S