2011-654. Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Applications for Permit

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of Receipt of Applications for permit.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibit activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. Both laws require that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

DATES:

We must receive comments or requests for documents on or before February 14, 2011. We must receive requests for marine mammal permit public hearings, in writing, at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section by February 14, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

Brenda Tapia, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203; fax [phone]; or e-mail [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brenda Tapia, [phone] (telephone); [phone] (fax); [e-mail] (e-mail).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I request copies of applications or comment on submitted applications?

Send your request for copies of applications or comments and materials concerning any of the applications to the contact listed under ADDRESSES. Please include the Federal Register notice publication date, the PRT-number, and the name of the applicant in your request or submission. We will not consider requests or comments sent to an e-mail or address not listed under ADDRESSES. If you provide an e-mail address in your request for copies of applications, we will attempt to respond to your request electronically.

Please make your requests or comments as specific as possible. Please confine your comments to issues for which we seek comments in this notice, and explain the basis for your comments. Include sufficient information with your comments to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include.

The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations. We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments delivered to an address other than those listed above (see ADDRESSES).

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the address listed under ADDRESSES. The public may review documents and other information applicants have sent in support of the application unless our allowing viewing would violate the Privacy Act or Freedom of Information Act. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, section 10(a)(1)(A), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and our regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and our regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 18 require that we invite public comment before final action on these permit applications. Under the MMPA, you may request a hearing on any MMPA application received. If you request a hearing, give specific reasons why a hearing would be appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the discretion of the Service Director.

III. Permit Applications

A. Endangered Species

Applicant: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, College Park, MD; PRT-30984A

The applicant requests a permit to import biological specimens from hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), that were obtained from the wild in Thailand for the purpose of scientific research.

Applicant: Zoological Society of Escondido, CA; PRT-31183A

The applicant requests a permit to import one captive born female dhole (Cuon alpinus), from the Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species.

Applicant: Zoo New England, Boston, MA; PRT-31106A

The applicant requests a permit to import one captive-bred female snow leopard (Uncia uncia), from the Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species.

Applicant: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, Virginia Beach, VA; PRT-27787A

The applicant requests a permit to export one captive-hatched female Komodo monitor (Varanus komodoensis), to the Toronto Zoo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for the purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species.

Multiple Applicants

The following applicants each request a permit to import the sport-hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus), culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species.

Applicant: Gary Bartels, St. Elmo, IL; PRT-31829A

Applicant: William Minore, Loves Park, IL; PRT-25354A

B. Endangered Marine Mammals and Marine Mammals

Applicant: Floragenex, Inc., Eugene, OR; PRT-28829A

The applicant requests a permit to import an unlimited number of biological specimens obtained from wild polar bears (Ursus maritimus), in Canada for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Texas A&M University, Dr. Randall Davis, Galveston, TX; PRT-078744

The applicant requests renewal of a permit to authorize take by harassment, behavior monitoring, and photo-identification activities of up to 200 wild northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni), and opportunistic salvage and necropsy of sea otter carcasses, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we are forwarding copies of the above applications to the Marine Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.

Dated: January 7, 2011.

Brenda Tapia,

Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority.