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Marine Mammals; File Nos. 434-1669, 1010-1641, 800-1664, 881- 1668, 782-1768, 358-1769, 715-1784, and 1034-1773
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[Federal Register: April 4, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 63)]
[Notices]
[Page 17072-17074]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04ap05-67]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 032905A]
Marine Mammals; File Nos. 434-1669, 1010-1641, 800-1664, 881-
1668, 782-1768, 358-1769, 715-1784, and 1034-1773
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Receipt of applications.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the following individuals and
institutions have applied for a permit or permit amendment to conduct
research on Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, Corvallis, OR (ODFW; File No. 434-1669); the
Aleutians East Borough, Juneau, AK (AEB: File No. 1010-1641); Dr.
Randall Davis, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX (File No. 800-1664);
the Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, AK (ASLC: File No. 881-1668); the
National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center,
Seattle, WA (NMML: File No. 782-1768); the Alaska Department of Fish
and Game, Anchorage, AK (ADF&G: File No. 358-1769); The North Pacific
Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. (NPUMMRC: File No. 715-1784); and Dr. Markus
Horning, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX (File No. 1034-1773).
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail comments must be received on or
before May 4, 2005.
ADDRESSES: The applications and related documents are available for
review upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):
[[Page 17073]]
Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD
20910; phone (301)713-2289; fax (301)427-2521;
Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg.
1, Seattle, WA 98115-0700; phone (206)526-6150; fax (206)526-6426; and
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone
(907)586-7221; fax (907)586-7249.
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on these
applications should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and
Education 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 a particular request would be appropriate.
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at (301)427-2521,
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period.
Additionally, comments may be submitted by e-mail. The mailbox
address for providing email comments is NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov.
Include the appropriate file number(s) in the subject line of the e-
mail comment as a document identifier.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Adams or Amy Sloan, (301)713-2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permits and permit amendments
are requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 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 (ESA; 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).
File No. 434-1669: Permit No. 434-1669, issued to ODFW on November
12, 2002 (67 FR 69724) authorizes takes of threatened Steller sea lions
in California, Washington, and Oregon by capture, hot-branding, flipper
tagging, collection of blood, tissue sampling, attachment external
scientific instruments, harassment incidental to these activities and
remote monitoring, and incidental mortality. The purpose of these
activities is to continue monitoring the status of the Steller sea lion
population in California, Oregon, and Washington. ODFW has requested an
amendment to extend the duration of the permit for three years and also
proposes to add a study on the effects of hot-brands. The proposed
study of hot-brands does not include a request for an increase in
numbers of animals captured and handled.
File No. 1010-1641: Permit No. 1010-1641, issued to AEB on November
12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of Steller sea lions of all
ages by harassment during aerial surveys and vessel-based behavioral
observations in the western Gulf of Alaska, and scat collection at
rookeries and haulouts along the Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutian
Islands. The permit also authorized mortality incidental to the
research. AEB has requested an amendment to extend the duration of the
permit, with an increase in the number of sea lions that may be
harassed during aerial surveys annually. The purpose of the activities
proposed by AEB is to provide additional information on seasonal prey
consumption by Steller sea lions through analysis of scat collected at
rookeries and haulouts along the Alaska Peninsula and Eastern Aleutian
Islands, and to improve the accuracy and precision of population
indices through expanded aerial and vessel surveys in the western Gulf
of Alaska.
File No. 800-1664: Permit No. 800-1664, issued to Dr. Davis on
November 12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of threatened and
endangered juvenile and adult female Steller sea lions in Alaska by
capture, anesthesia, hot-branding, tissue sampling (including blood,
skin, and blubber), attachment of scientific instruments (video system/
data logger and satellite transmitters), and incidental mortality. Dr.
Davis has requested an amendment to extend the duration of the permit
and to modify some of the objectives and methods for taking Steller sea
lions. The purpose of the activities proposed by Dr. Davis is to study
the hunting behavior and three-dimensional movements of Steller sea
lions. The results would be used, in conjunction with data on satellite
remote sensing of hydrographic features, and on the abundance,
distribution, and composition of prey at spatial and temporal scales,
to address questions about Steller sea lion prey preference, predator/
prey relationships, and ecological attributes of foraging habitat.
File No. 881-1668: Permit No. 881-1668, issued to the ASLC on
November 12, 2002 (67 FR 69724), authorizes takes of threatened and
endangered Steller sea lions in Alaska by capture, hot-branding,
flipper tagging, collection of blood and tissue samples, attachment of
external scientific instruments, incidental mortality, and harassment
incidental to these activities and remote monitoring activities. The
permit was amended on July 31, 2203 (68 FR 47294) to include capture
and transport of up to 16 juvenile Steller sea lions per year to the
ASLC for short-term captivity, health assessments (including
anesthesia, blood sampling, blubber biopsy, diagnostic x-ray,
endoscopy, bioelectric impedance analysis, deuterated water, and
urinalysis), controlled fasting, and adrenocorticotrophic hormone
challenge experiments. ASLC has requested permit amendments to extend
the duration of the permit and modify some of the objectives, methods,
and numbers of Steller sea lions taken. The ASLC states that the
overall purpose of their activities, including the proposed amendments,
is to collect information on the health status (e.g., morphometrics,
body composition, immunology, epidemiology, endocrinology, viral
serology), physiology (e.g., vitamin requirements, stress responses to
capture, handling, and captivity), life history (e.g., ontogenetic and
annual cycles, population dynamics), foraging behavior, and habitat use
of Steller sea lions.
File No. 782-1768: The NMML has requested a five-year permit to
collect information on the life history, foraging behavior, habitat
use, physiology, population status and trends, survival and
reproductive rates, and condition of Steller sea lions in the North
Pacific. To accomplish this, NMML proposes to conduct aerial surveys
and ground counts as well as capture, sample, and mark Steller sea
lions. NMML has also requested a number of incidental mortalities.
File No. 358-1768: The ADF&G has requested a five-year permit to
investigate the various hypotheses for the decline of Steller sea lions
in western Alaska, including conducting studies of life history traits,
physiological investigations of animal condition and time of weaning,
and studies of animal movement and dive activity. To accomplish this,
ADF&G proposes to conduct aerial surveys and ground counts as well as
capture, sample, and mark Steller sea lions. ADF&G has also requested a
number of incidental mortalities.
File No. 715-1784: The NPUMMRC has requested a five-year permit to
collect data on sea lion distribution and diet compositions through
aerial surveys of sea lion rookeries and haul outs in Southeast Alaska;
collection of scat from rookeries and haul outs in Southeast Alaska;
conducting
[[Page 17074]]
behavioral observations of sea lions on rookeries, haul outs and tagged
sea lions at sea; and mortality incidental to research. The objectives
of the study are to understand how diets vary temporally and spatially,
and how this variation is related to population trends and abundance,
nutritional stress, and commercial fishing activities.
File No. 1034-1773: Dr. Horning has requested a five-year permit to
surgically implant dual ``Life History Transmitters'' into up to 80
free-ranging Steller sea lions ages nine months to four years, using
ship-based surgical operations under gas anesthesia. The objectives of
the proposed study are (1) to determine age specific survival rates for
juvenile Steller sea ions, (2) to determine the time of year for the
greatest mortality of juvenile Steller sea lions, (3) to determine
approximate locations of mortalities, (4) to analyze ontogenetic and
seasonal changes in the dive behavior and dive effort from deceased
animals and relate these to environmental conditions and prey abundance
as assessed by other groups, (5) to test the effects of body condition
and health indicators on survival of juveniles, and (6) to assess the
predictive power of parameters measurable in juvenile Steller sea lions
for future survival. All animals captured would also be subject to
comprehensive ``body condition and health assessments'' and would be
hot-branded for future identification. Dr. Horning has also requested a
number of incidental mortalities.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has
been prepared to examine whether significant environmental impacts
could result from issuance of the proposed permits and permit
amendments. The draft EA is available for review and comment
simultaneous with the applications. The scope of the draft EA includes
the following six environmental impact issues: (1) Is NMFS able to
coordinate research under the various permits and ensure that
activities are not unnecessarily duplicative and do not result in
significant adverse impacts on threatened and endangered Steller sea
lions? (2) Is NMFS able to adequately monitor the effects of the
overall research program on Steller sea lions? (3) Can NMFS coordinate
and synthesize the data generated by this research program in a way
that is useful or meaningful for conservation of Steller sea lions? (4)
Are all of the research proposals consistent with permit issuance
criteria under the MMPA and ESA, such as whether all of the projects
are likely to contribute to conservation of Steller sea lions? (5) Does
the amount of incidental mortality to be authorized represent a
significant adverse impact on Steller sea lions? (6) What are the
potential effects of various research activities, either individually
or cumulatively, on Steller sea lions as a species? Chapter 4 of the
draft EA outlines NMFS analytical approach to evaluating alternatives.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the applications to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: March 29, 2005.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-6610 Filed 4-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S