[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 157 (Thursday, August 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43516-43517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21464]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 080797A]
Marine Mammals; Public Display Permit (PHF# 852-1356)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that The Dallas World Aquarium, Inc.,
1801 North Griffin, Dallas, TX 75202, has applied in due form for a
permit to import Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), for purposes
of public display.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 15,
1997.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
Permits Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
(301/713-2289); and
Regional Administrator, Southeast Region, NMFS, 9731 Executive
Center Drive North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702, (206/526-6150).
Written data or views, or requests for a public hearing on this
application, should be submitted to the Chief, Permits Division, F/PR1,
Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring,
MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a hearing should set forth the
specific reasons why a hearing on this particular application would be
appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the discretion of the
Director, Office of Protected Resources.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of this application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested 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).
The applicant requests authorization to import four Amazon River
dolphins (Inia geoffrensis). The Venezuelan Service Agency for the
Protection, Restoration, Promotion and Rational Utilization of the
Wildlife and Aquatic life of the Country has issued a capture license
to the applicant. The dolphins would be collected from the Apure River
near San Fernando, Venezuela, and maintained at the J.V. Seijas
Aquarium in Valencia, Venezuela, until the public display facility at
the Dallas World Aquarium receives final approval from the Department
of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). As
any issues relating to the care and maintenance of captive marine
mammals are within the purview of APHIS, under the Animal Welfare Act,
copies of the application are also being sent to APHIS for review.
The Dallas World Aquarium is open to the public on a regularly
scheduled basis with access that is not limited or restricted other
than by charging an admission fee; and offers an educational program
based upon the educational standards of the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN) has included this species in the 1996 IUCN Red List of
Threatened Animals under the category ``vulnerable'', i.e., taxa
believed likely to move into the Endangered category in the near future
if causal factors continue operating. Population data concerning Inia
geoffrensis in Venezuela is limited and the application states that no
census has been taken of the subject wild population/stock. Therefore,
NMFS has concerns about the status and conservation of the dolphins in
the Orinoco river system and the potential
[[Page 43517]]
impacts of the permanent removal of four sub-adults from this
population/stock.
Additionally, NMFS is concerned that holding this species in
captivity may involve a significant risk to the health and welfare of
the animals held. Historically, study results conclude that due to a
number of factors this species has fared poorly in captivity in the
United States, with an average longevity of 32.6 months for the 35
animals for which data was available. (See Inia geofffensis in
Captivity in the United States, Melba C. Caldwell, David K. Caldwell
and Randall L. Brill. 1989. Proc. Workshop on Biology and Conservation
of the Platanistoid Dolphins, Wuhan, People's Republic of China. The
World Conservation Union (IUCN), Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species
Survival Commission, Number 3. 35-41.) The applicant has addressed, in
part, some of the survivability factors raised in the Caldwell study,
citing successful behavioral experiences with this species at the J.V.
Seijas Aquarium in Valencia, Venezuela. The applicant submitted
additional information on August 4, 1997, to address the concerns cited
above; however, several aspects of these concerns persist. As a result,
before decision is made to issue or deny issuance of a permit, NMFS is
soliciting information that will assist the agency in determining
whether: (1) The applicant meets the three public display criteria; (2)
the proposed activity is humane and does not present any unnecessary
risks to the health and welfare of the marine mammals; (3) the proposed
activity by itself or in combination with other activities, will not
likely have a significant adverse impact on the species or stock; and
(4) the applicant's expertise, facilities, and resources are adequate
to accomplish successfully the objectives and activities stated in the
application.
Dated: August 8, 1997.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-21464 Filed 8-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
