[Federal Register: March 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 43)]
[Notices]               
[Page 10216]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05mr10-24]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XR83

 
Marine Mammals; File No. 358-1787

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

ACTION:  Notice; issuance of permit amendment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  Notice is hereby given that the Alaska Department of Fish and 
Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, 
AK 99802 (Principal Investigator: Robert Small, Ph.D.), has been issued 
a major amendment to Permit No. 358-1787-02.

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 Amy Sloan, (301) 713-
2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 25, 2009, notice was published 
in the Federal Register (74 FR 48909) that a request for an amendment 
to Permit No. 358-1787-02 to conduct research on harbor seals (Phoca 
vitulina), spotted seals (P. largha), ringed seals (P. hispida), ribbon 
seals (P. fasciata), and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in Alaska 
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 amended permit allows an increase in the number of ringed, 
bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals that may be captured, from 50 per 
year to 100 per year, to allow for selection of animals of specific 
age, sex, and molt condition. The amendment also includes permission to 
(1) administer diazepam as needed to sedate seals acting aggressively 
during handling, (2) pull a whisker for stable isotope analyses of 
diet; and (3) use a dip net from a boat as an additional capture 
method. The amendment is valid for the duration of the permit, which 
expires on December 31, 2011.
    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: March 1, 2010.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of 
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-4683 Filed 3-4-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S