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Marine Mammals; File No. 895-1450-00

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 [Federal Register: March 30, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 62)]
[Notices]
[Page 16894-16895]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30mr00-48]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032000A]


Marine Mammals; File No. 895-1450-00

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

[[Page 16895]]

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Rachel Cartwright, P.O. Box 1317,
Lahaina, Hawaii 96767, has requested an amendment to Scientific
Research Permit No. 895-1450-00.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before May
1, 2000.

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 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/
713-2289);
    Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 709 W 9th
Street, Federal Building, Room 461, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802
(907-586-7235); and
    Protected Species Program Manager, Pacific Islands Area Office,
NMFS, NOAA, 1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, Hawaii
96814-4700 (808/973-2935).
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing 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 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a
hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this
particular amendment request would be appropriate.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeannie Drevenak or Trevor Spradlin,
301/713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 895-
1450-00, issued on December 23, 1998 (64 FR 862) is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Regulations Governing the Taking and
Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the regulations
governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and
threatened species (50 CFR 222-226). Permit No. 895-1450-00 authorizes
the permit holder to harass annually up to 1,100 humpback whales
(Megaptera novaeangliae), including mother/calf pairs, during the
conduct of scientific research on the whales in Hawaii waters. The
purpose of the research is to study North Pacific humpback whale calf
behavior and development. Research activities involve photo-
identification and observation of the whales' surface and underwater
behaviors. Activities are carried out between January and April, in the
waters around the main Hawaiian Islands. The applicant is now
requesting authorization to extend the study to Alaska waters.
Extending the study to Alaska waters would allow documentation of the
whole first year of the life of the humpback whale calf, incorporating
the entire period of the calf's known association with the mother. The
applicant is not requesting an increase in the number of animals
authorized to be harassed under the Permit. The applicant proposes to
initiate work in Alaska in early June 2000.
    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.
    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.

    Dated: March 24, 2000.
Ann D. Terbush,
Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-7923 Filed 3-29-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F

 
 

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