Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

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###### Department of Commerce

###### National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

          - RIN 0648-XA363

# AGENCY:

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

# ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permit amendment.

# SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Gregory Bossart, Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, NW., Atlanta, GA 30313 has been issued a major amendment to Permit No. 14352.

# ADDRESSES:

The permit amendment and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:

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) 713-0376; and

Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701; phone (727) 824-5312; fax (727) 824-5309.

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carrie Hubard or Kristy Beard, (301) 713-2289.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

                    On August 6, 2010, notice was published in the                     **Federal Register**                     (75 FR 47537) that a request for an amendment to Permit No. 14352 to conduct research on bottlenose dolphins (                    *Tursiops truncatus*) had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit amendment has been issued under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361*et seq.*), and the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).                

The permit has been amended to authorize research in a new study area: Charleston, South Carolina. Fifty bottlenose dolphins may be captured, sampled, and released in Charleston annually. Captured dolphins will receive a health assessment clinical workup. All captured animals will receive a roto tag. Up to ten animals per year will also receive a VHF tag. Samples will be analyzed to examine a variety of health topics such as: infectious diseases, immune status, contaminant exposure, antibiotic resistance, and genetics. An additional 400 dolphins per year may be harassed during pre- and post-capture surveys. The amended permit is valid until October 31, 2014.

                    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.                

Dated: April 6, 2011.

P. Michael Payne,

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2011-9019 Filed 4-13-11; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P