77 FR 148 pg. 45592 - Marine Mammals; File No. 17157
Type: NOTICEVolume: 77Number: 148Page: 45592
FR document: [FR Doc. 2012-18770 Filed 7-31-12; 8:45 am]
Agency: Commerce Department
Sub Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC033
Marine Mammals; File No. 17157
AGENCY:
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice; issuance of permit.
SUMMARY:
Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Stephen John Trumble, Ph.D., Baylor University, 101 Bagby Ave, Waco, TX 76706 to receive, import and export marine mammal parts for scientific research.
ADDRESSES:
The permit and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Morse or Jennifer Skidmore, (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
On May 21, 2012 notice was published in the Federal Register (77 FR 29966) that a request for a permit to import specimens for scientific research had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit has been issued 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 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ), and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226).
The permit authorizes the receipt, import and export of up to 25 earplugs each of blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ), sei whale ( B. borealis ), minke whale ( B. acutorostrata ), humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ), and gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) from museums worldwide for analysis. No takes of live animals are authorized. The permit will expire July 17, 2017.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ), a final determination has been made that the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
As required by the ESA, issuance of this permit was based on a finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA.
Dated: July 26, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-18770 Filed 7-31-12; 8:45 am]
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