[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 49470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-25012]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 091597A]
Marine Mammals; Permit No. 836
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment and issuance of amendment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. Daniel P. Costa, University of
California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, California 95064,
has requested an amendment to Permit No. 836, and an amendment has been
issued authorizing the conduct of the proposed research.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 22, 1997.
ADDRESSES: The amendment request and related documents are available
for review upon written request or by appointment in the following
office(s):
Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/
713-2289); and
Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard,
Suite 4200,Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 (310/980-4001).
Written comments for the record on this request should be submitted
to the Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, F/PR1, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301) 713-0376,
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or other electronic
media.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application and amended
permit to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific
Advisors.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to permit no. 836,
issued on May 19, 1993 (58 FR 29199) is requested under the authority
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361
et seq.).
Permit no. 836 authorizes the permit holder to, among other things,
capture and instrument elephant seals ((Mirounga angustirostris) at Ano
Nuevo, CA and release them at sea up to 200 km from Ano Nuevo to study
the effects of low frequency sounds under 1,000 Hz (ATOC). The permit
holder has requested authorization to expand the research area to
enable him to investigate the potential effect of the Navy's Surface
Towed Array Surveillance System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA)
system on the behavior of elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris). The
amendment request involves no increase in the number of animals
currently authorized to be taken under the Permit. Nor does it involve
any changes to the currently authorized experimental protocol.
The permit holder states that the operation of the LFA source will
occur only between September 15, 1997 to October 11, 1997, and that a
significant research opportunity will be lost if the requested
authorization is not provided. Therefore, in light of the time
constraints and the unique research opportunity that would otherwise be
lost, pursuant to Section 104(c)(3)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection
Act and 50 CFR 216.33(e)(6) of the MMPA regulations, we issued an
amendment to Permit No. 836 granting the authorization.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Dated: September 11, 1997.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-25012 Filed 9-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
