[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 50748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20324]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XV92


Marine Mammals; File No. 14610

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 the Alaska Department of Fish and 
Game (ADFG), Division of Wildlife Conservation, Juneau, AK (Principal 
Investigator: Robert Small, Ph.D.) has been issued an amendment to 
Permit No. 14610 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; and
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 20, 2010, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (75 FR 20565) that a request for a permit to 
conduct research on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), endangered 
bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), gray whales (Eschrichtius 
robustus), and endangered humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) had 
been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit was 
issued on May 21, 2010 (75 FR 30383) for the beluga whale and gray 
whale projects under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations 
governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216). 
A decision on the bowhead whale and humpback whale projects was 
deferred pending completion of consultation under section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.).
    An amended permit has been issued under the authority of the MMPA, 
the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals, 
the ESA, and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and 
exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226). 
The permit has been amended to include remote biopsy and instrument 
attachment for bowhead and humpback whales. The amended permit is valid 
through the expiration date of the original permit, May 31, 2015.
    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental assessment (EA) was prepared 
analyzing the effects of the permitted activities on the human 
environment. Based on the analyses in the EA, NMFS determined that 
issuance of the permit amendment would not significantly impact the 
quality of the human environment and that preparation of an 
environmental impact statement was not required. That determination is 
documented in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), signed on 
August 2, 2010.

    Dated: August 11, 2010.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-20324 Filed 8-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S