[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 86 (Thursday, May 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35847-35848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09479]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004; FXES111607MRG01-245-FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Permit Applications and Issuances
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; notice of issuance of
permits.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite
public comment on applications for permits to conduct certain
activities involving marine mammals for which the Service has
jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). In
addition, we announce permits that we have issued recently in response
to prior applications.
DATES: We must receive comments on the new permit applications by June
3, 2024.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents:
Application Materials: The applications, application
supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we
receive are available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
Issued Permits: To access materials pertaining to the
permits we have issued, see Permits Issued by the Service under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Submitting Comments on the Applications: You may submit comments
containing written data or views concerning the taking or importation
proposed in each application by one of the following methods:
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R7-ES-2024-0004; 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: Charles Hamilton, via email at
[email protected] or by telephone at 907-786-3800 or 1-800-362-
5148. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in
the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
With some exceptions, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), prohibits the take and
importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products absent Federal
authorization. In carrying out our responsibilities under the MMPA, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), may authorize such
activities via permits after receipt of an application and verification
that MMPA statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
Section 104(c) of the MMPA specifies the conditions for authorizing
the taking or importation of a marine mammal for purposes of scientific
research, public display, or enhancing the survival or recovery of a
species or stock under the MMPA.
This notice provides information about two aspects of the MMPA
permitting process: application and issuance. At section II, we provide
the public with notice of and the opportunity to comment on
applications that we have received from entities or individuals to
conduct certain activities with marine mammals for which the Service
has jurisdiction under the MMPA. At section III, we announce recently
issued MMPA permits to entities or individuals in response to prior
applications.
II. Applications Available for Public Review
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the MMPA, we invite
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on
the applications listed below before final action is taken. Concurrent
with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we are forwarding
copies of these marine mammal applications to the Marine Mammal
Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.
A. Permit Applications Received
We invite comments on the following applications:
Applicant: Matson's Laboratory, Manhattan, MT; Permit No. PER6413229
The applicant requests a permit to import teeth from up to 200
legally harvested Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) from
Canada. After analysis, Matson's Lab will provide information on animal
ages to be used by governmental authorities in Canada to inform
population abundance estimation and survival analyses, along with
ensuring that legal harvest of walrus is sustainable and well managed.
Once the laboratory analysis is complete, samples will be exported
(returned) to Canada. This notification covers activities to be
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Jason Roehing/MeatEater Inc., Bozeman, MT, Permit No.
5955318
The applicant requests a permit to conduct commercial photography
and filming of northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in the
wild. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the
applicant during the period March through May 2024.
Applicant: North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife, Utqiagvik, AK,
Permit No. 0046206
The applicant requests a reissuance of their scientific research
permit to (1) collect tissue samples from dead polar bears (Ursus
maritimus) and Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus); (2) conduct
aerial surveys to detect carcasses of polar bears and Pacific walrus;
and (3) conduct noninvasive sampling for eDNA. This notification covers
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
[[Page 35848]]
Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management
Office, Anchorage, AK, Permit No. MA82088B-1
The applicant requests an amendment to their scientific research
permit to allow the take of polar bears (Ursus martimus) by
disturbance. The research will be used to evaluate the distance at
which wild polar bears on the Beaufort seashore respond to boat
traffic. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the
applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: U.S. National Park Service, Juneau, AK, Permit No. 14762C
The applicant requests a reissuance of their scientific research
permit to (1) conduct aerial photographic surveys to estimate the
spatial distribution and abundance of sea otters (Enhydra lutris
kenyoni) and (2) conduct land-based foraging observations of sea otters
in the Glacier Bay, Icy Strait, Cross Sound, outer coast of Glacier
Bay, and Yakutat areas of southeastern Alaska. This notification covers
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Windfall Films, London, United Kingdom, Permit No. 9061181
The applicant requests a permit to conduct commercial photography
and filming of Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) in the
wild. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the
applicant during the period May through October 2024.
B. Public Comment Procedures
1. How do I comment on permit applications?
Before issuing any requested permit, 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 to an
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our
administrative record comments that 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: (a) Those
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (b) those that
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and
regulations.
2. May I review comments submitted by others?
You may view public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless
our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or other
Federal law.
3. 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.
C. Next Steps for Submitted Applications
After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed
above in this notice, we will publish a subsequent 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for ``12345A''.
III. Permits Issued by the Service
We have issued permits to conduct certain activities involving
marine mammals and marine mammal products in response to prior permit
applications that we received. This notice informs the public that the
Service has issued the permits listed in Table 1 below.
The permittees' original permit application materials, along with
public comments we received during public comment periods for the
applications, are available for review. To locate the application
materials and received comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov and
search for the appropriate permit number (e.g., PER12345) or docket
number (e.g., FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0001) provided in table 1.
Table 1--MMPA Permits Recently Issued
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Permit
Permit No. Applicant issuance date Docket No.
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PER0030527........................ U.S. Geological 10/05/2023 FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0007
Survey.
PER690038......................... U.S. Geological 10/19/2023 FWS-HQ-IA-2018-0083
Survey.
PER84399D......................... NOAA Fisheries/AFSC/ 10/30/2023 FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0102
Marine Mammal
Laboratory.
PER0032559........................ Alaska Veterinary 01/04/2024 FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138
Pathology Services.
PER0040980 (Legacy PRT #84799B)... Texas A&M University 01/12/2024 FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0138
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IV. 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.
Peter Fasbender,
Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries and Ecological Services,
Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2024-09479 Filed 5-1-24; 8:45 am]
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