Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 185 / Friday, September 25, 2009 / Notices 48909 

Dated: September 17, 2009. 

John M. Andersen, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E9–23258 Filed 9–24–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XR83 

Marine Mammals; File No. 358–1787 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application 

for permit amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Alaska Department of Fish and 

Game, Division of Wildlife 

Conservation, 1255 West 8th Street, 

Juneau, AK 99802 (Principal 

Investigator: Robert Small, Ph.D.), has 

applied for an amendment to Scientific 

Research Permit No. 358–1787–01. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

October 26, 2009. 

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 home page, https:// 

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting 

File No. 358–1787 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 

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone 

(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249. 

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: 

Tammy Adams or Amy Sloan, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject amendment is requested 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). 

Permit No. 358–1787, issued on 

March 10, 2006 (71 FR 14503; March 22, 

2006), authorizes the permit holder to 

conduct surveys of, capture of, tissue 

sampling of, and attachment of tags and 

scientific instruments to harbor seals 

(Phoca vitulina), spotted seals (P. 

largha), ringed seals (P. hispida), ribbon 

seals (P. fasciata), and bearded seals 

(Erignathus barbatus) in Alaska. The 

purpose of the permitted research is to 

allow studies to describe the ecology 

and behavior of these pinnipeds in 

Alaska. The permit was modified on 

June 12, 2006, by minor amendment 

(Permit No. 358–1787–01) to extend the 

expiration date to December 31, 2011, 

and adjust the annual reporting period 

to accommodate the timing of field 

seasons. A second minor amendment 

(Permit No. 358–1787–02) was issued 

on April 4, 2008, to include within the 

existing allowance for incidental 

harassment ‘‘planned vessel 

approaches’’ of harbor seals that have 

been instrumented with heart-rate 

monitors and time-depth recorders. That 

minor amendment did not result in 

takes of more harbor seals than were 

already permitted; and the objective was 

to examine the potential effects of vessel 

traffic on the metabolic rate and 

energetic budgets of harbor seals. 

The permit holder now requests to 

increase the number of ringed, bearded, 

spotted, and ribbon seals that may be 

captured, from 50 per year to 100 per 

year, to allow for selection of animals of 

specific age, sex, and molt condition. 

For these four species, the holder also 

requests to include permission to (1) 

administer diazepam as needed to 

sedate seals acting aggressively, (2) pull 

a whisker for stable isotope analyses of 

diet; and (3) include using a dip net 

from a boat as an additional capture 

method. The amendment would be 

valid for the duration of the permit, 

which expires on December 31, 2011. 

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 this 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: September 21, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–23249 Filed 9–24–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XR65 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. 

Section to the International 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas; Second Fall Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In preparation for the 2009 

ICCAT meeting, the Advisory 

Committee to the U.S. Section to 

International Commission for the 

Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 

will convene its second and final fall 

meeting in October 2009. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

October 15–16, 2009. There will be an 

open session the morning of Thursday, 

October 15, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The remainder of the meeting will be 

closed to the public. Oral and written 

comments can be presented during the 

public comment session on October 15, 

2009. Written comments on issues being 

considered at the meeting should be 

received no later than October 8, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Hilton Hotel, 8727 Colesville Road, 

Silver Spring, MD 20910. Written 

comments should be sent to Melanie 

King at NOAA Fisheries, Office of 

International Affairs, Room 12641, 1315 

East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910. Written comments can also be 

provided via fax (301–713–2313) or 

email (melanie.king@noaa.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Melanie King, (301) 713–9090. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 

to ICCAT will meet in open session on 

October 15, 2009. The Advisory 


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