11132 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 46 / Wednesday, March 10, 2010 / Notices 

behavior, and responses to sound of 

marine mammals, including endangered 

species. The results would be integrated 

with related studies and directly 

contribute to conservation management 

for sound producers and regulatory 

agencies by identifying characteristics of 

target species that are critical for passive 

monitoring, detection, and/or density 

estimation and by demonstrating how 

specific sounds, including simulated 

military sonar, may evoke behavioral 

responses in marine mammals. The 

experimental design involves 

temporarily attaching individual 

recording tags to measure vocalization, 

behavior, and physiological parameters 

as well as sound exposure. Behavior 

will be measured before, during, and 

after carefully controlled exposures of 

sound in conventional playback 

experiments. Tagged subjects will be 

exposed to received sound levels up to 

180 dB re: 1μPa. This study will involve 

various activities that could take 

animals by harassment, including close 

approaches, attachment of tags, and 

sound exposure. Small fragments of 

sloughed skin, which often remain 

attached to retrieved tags, would be 

used for genetic analyses. Target species 

include beaked whales and other 

odontocetes, key baleen whales, and 

pinniped species for whom such data 

have not been previously obtained; 

other marine species may be 

incidentally impacted. Please refer to 

the tables in the application for the 

numbers of marine mammals, by species 

and stock, that are proposed for this 

permit. The research will be focused in 

the waters within the U.S. Navy’s 

Southern California Range Complex, 

and primarily near the vicinity of San 

Clemente Island. 

The applicant has revised the 

application to (1) increase the number of 

Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), 

bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops 

truncatus), Pacific white-sided dolphins 

(Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and 

northern elephant seals (Mirounga 

angustirostris) that may be harassed by 

close approach, focal follow, tag 

attachment, and sound exposure, to 

include these species as focal animals in 

the overall objectives; (2) increase the 

number of requested ‘‘tagless’’ playbacks 

for some cetacean species, such as blue 

whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin 

whales (B. physalus) and the social 

pelagic delphinids, but not for the more 

solitary and deep-diving beaked whale 

species, to increase data obtained on 

behavioral responses; (3) modify the 

proposed action area slightly northward 

to 35° 0’ N; the longitude boundaries 

remain as before (from 116° 0’ to 127° 

0’ W); and (4) clarify tagging and 

playback protocols and mitigation for 

when dependent calves are present. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of the 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: March 3, 2010. 

Tammy C. Adams, 

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–5014 Filed 3–9–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XU85 

Marine Mammals; File No. 15261 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Paul Ponganis, Ph.D., University of 

California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 

92093, has applied in due form for a 

permit to conduct research on leopard 

seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) in Antarctica. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

April 9, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review by 

selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public 

Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on 

the Applications and Permits for 

Protected Species (APPS) home page, 

https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then 

selecting File No. 15261 from the list of 

available applications. 

These documents are also available 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office(s): 

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 

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West 

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, 

CA 90802–4213; phone (562) 980–4001; 

fax (562) 980–4018. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted to the Chief, 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, at the address listed above. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile to (301) 713–0376, or by email 

to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. 

Please include the File No. in the 

subject line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division at the address listed 

above. The request should set forth the 

specific reasons why a hearing on this 

application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate 

Swails or Amy Sloan, (301) 713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216). 

Dr. Ponganis proposes to study the 

foraging behavior of leopard seals at 

Cape Washington, Antarctica. Backpack 

digital cameras and time depth 

recorders would be deployed on up to 

five leopard seals annually over five 

years (no more than ten seals total) to 

document diving and foraging behavior 

near the emperor penguin colony, and, 

for the first time, construct time-activity 

budgets and prey intake rates of these 

seals. The action could result in the 

incidental harassment of one leopard 

seal annually. The applicant requested 

incidental mortality of up to one 

leopard seal over a five-year period. 

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 the 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: March 4, 2010. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–5148 Filed 3–9–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XT21 

Marine Mammals; File No. 555–1870 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 46 / Wednesday, March 10, 2010 / Notices 11133 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

James T. Harvey, Ph.D., Moss Landing 

Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss 

Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 

95039, has been issued a major 

amendment to Permit No. 555–1870–00. 

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 

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West 

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, 

CA 90802–4213; phone (562)980–4001; 

fax (562)980–4018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Sloan or Tammy Adams, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

December 8, 2009, notice was published 

in the Federal Register (74 FR 64686) 

that a request for an amendment to 

Permit No. 555–1870–00 to conduct 

research on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) 

had been submitted by the above-named 

applicant. One project in the requested 

permit amendment (increasing the 

number of animals taken in the wild) 

has been issued and another project in 

the requested amendment (temporary 

captivity of wild seals) has been denied 

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 amendment (Permit No. 

555–1870–01) authorizes an increase in 

the number of harbor seal pups taken 

annually in California by capture, 

sedation, tagging, and sampling from 40 

seals (20 males and 20 females) to 70 

seals (35 males and 35 females). The 

request to bring up to six seals into 

temporary captivity for a pilot study to 

assess the efficacy of a modified 

sedation protocol for the surgical 

implantation of subcutaneous tag 

implants was denied. The facility 

proposed did not meet minimum 

standards for space as required by 

Animal Welfare Act regulations for the 

humane handling, care and treatment of 

marine mammals. Therefore, the 

applicant could not demonstrate that 

the activity proposed was humane and 

did not present any unnecessary risks to 

the health and welfare of the marine 

mammals (50 CFR 216.34(1)(a)). 

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: February 24, 2010. 

Tammy C. Adams, 

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–5144 Filed 3–9–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XV01 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting of 

Wreckfish Shareholders for the South 

Atlantic region to discuss draft 

Amendment 20 to the Snapper Grouper 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which 

considers changes to the Wreckfish 

Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. 

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council will hold a 

meeting of Wreckfish Shareholders for 

the South Atlantic region. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The meeting will take place 

March 29–30, 2010. The meeting will be 

held from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on March 

29, 2010 and 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon on 

March 30, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the office of the South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council, 4055 Faber Place 

Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 

29405; telephone: (843) 571–4366 or toll 

free (866) SAFMC–10; fax: (843) 769– 

4520. Persons interested in listening to 

the discussions may call (877) 774– 

6707, PIN ι 294. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim 

Iverson, Public Information Officer, 

South Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 

201, North Charleston, SC 29405; 

telephone: (843) 571–4366 or toll free: 

(866) SAFMC–10; fax: (843) 769–4520; 

email: kim.iverson@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is being convened to gather 

input from Wreckfish Shareholders on 

changes the Council is considering for 

the current ITQ program in Amendment 

20 to the Snapper Grouper FMP. Some 

of the changes considered include 

implementing a cost recovery program, 

re-issuing unused quota, and 

implementing an Annual Catch Limit 

(ACL) for the wreckfish stock. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, in 

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Actions will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the Council’s intent to take 

final action to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for auxiliary aids should be 

directed to the council office (see 

ADDRESSES) 3 days prior to the meetings. 

Note: The times and sequence 

specified in this agenda are subject to 

change. 

Dated: March 5, 2010. 

William D. Chappell, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–5088 Filed 3–9–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XV00 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

convene a meeting of the Ad Hoc Data 

Collection Advisory Panel. 

DATES: The meeting will convene at 1 

p.m. on Monday, March 29, 2010 and 

conclude by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 

March 30, 2010. 


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