2021-26704. Marine Mammal Protection Act and Wild Bird Conservation Act; Receipt of Permit Applications

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on foreign or native species for which the Service has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and foreign bird species covered under the Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA). With some exceptions, the MMPA and WBCA prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. These Acts also require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity they otherwise prohibit with respect to any species.

DATES:

We must receive comments by January 10, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2021-0102.

Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

• Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2021-0102.

• U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2021-0102; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185, via email at [e-mail], or via the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in ADDRESSES . We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an address not in ADDRESSES . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES ).

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information 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.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov,, unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov,, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq. ), and section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA; 16 U.S.C. 4901-4916), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, these Acts prohibit certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the MMPA with respect to any marine mammals are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 18. Service regulations regarding permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the WBCA with respect to any wild birds are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 15.

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

III. Permit Applications

We invite comments on the following applications.

A. Marine Mammal Protection Act

Applicant: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA; Permit No. 63201D

The applicant requests a permit to obtain samples of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) that have been salvaged from dead animals taken from the wild for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

B. Wild Bird Conservation Act

Applicant: Mary Ellen LePage, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. 13344C

The applicant wishes to amend the Cooperative Breeding Program CB035 covering ( Cacatua ophthalmica ), by including Derian Silva of Miami, Florida, as a member to CB035. If the amendment is approved, the program will include Derian Silva, Miami, Florida, as a member of CB035.

Applicant: Vernon Brett Padgett, Atlanta, GA; Permit No. CS0080491

The applicant wishes to amend the Cooperative Breeding Program for underrepresented Bucerotidae and Psittaciformes in aviculture, no. CB042, by including Gulf Breeze Zoo, Gulf Breeze, Florida, as a member of CB042. If the amendment is approved, the program will include Gulf Breeze Zoo, Gulf Breeze, Florida, as a member of CB042.

IV. Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for “12345A”.

V. Authority

We issue this notice under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq. ), and its implementing regulations, and section 112(4) of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 and the regulations at 50 CFR 15.26(c).

Brenda Tapia,

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