13250 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 21, 2007 / Notices 

directed to Philip Watson, (206) 947–

3107 or philip.watson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) proposes to collect information 

pertaining to the economic utilization of 

marine resources by communities on the 

West Coast, in order to improve fishery 

management; satisfy NMFS’ legal 

mandates under Executive Order 12866, 

Title 8 of the Magnuson Steven Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as amended in 

2007; and quantify achievement of the 

performance measures in the NMFS 

Strategic Operating Plans. The data 

collected will enable researchers to 

determine the degree of dependence of 

these communities on marine resource 

based activities and will inform policy 

makers as to the likely economic 

impacts of fishery and marine 

regulations on these communities. 

Economic data for selected U.S. 

coastal communities will be collected 

for each of the following groups of 

operations: (1) Locally operated 

businesses; (2) resident households; and 

(3) visitors. In general, local businesses 

will be asked questions concerning their 

sources of revenue, location and levels 

of expenditures, ownership, 

dependence on the fisheries and other 

marine resources, and fishery 

employment. Households will be asked 

questions concerning their sources of 

income, the location of expenditures 

made, and their dependence on fishing 

and other marine resources. Visitors 

will be asked questions concerning 

region of residence, expenditures made 

while visiting, and reasons for visiting. 

The data collection efforts will be 

coordinated to reduce the additional 

burden for those who own multiple 

businesses. Participation in these data 

collections will be voluntary. 

The data will be used to construct a 

regional economic simulation model to 

analyze fishery management alternatives 

and to investigate the degree of 

economic dependence on marine 

resources in the respective 

communities. 

II. Method of Collection 

Data will be collected via in-person 

interviews, telephone interviews and/or 

mail questionnaire. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: None. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; business or other for-profit 

organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

2,400. 

Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour 

per survey of businesses; 30 minutes per 

survey of households; and 15 minutes 

per survey of individual visitors. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 998. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: March 15, 2007. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E7–5094 Filed 3–20–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 031507A] 

Endangered Species; File No. 1599 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Inwater Research Group, Inc (Michael J. 

Bresette-Responsible Party), 4160 NE 

Hyline Dr, Jensen Beach, FL, 34957, has 

applied in due form for a permit to take 

green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead 

(Caretta caretta), hawksbill 

(Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp’s 

ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles 

for purposes of scientific research. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

April 20, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review 

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) 427–2521; and 

Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; 

phone (727) 824–5312; fax (727) 824–

5309. 

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing on this application 

should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 

individuals requesting a hearing should 

set forth the specific reasons why a 

hearing on this particular request would 

be appropriate. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile at (301)427–2521, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

e-mail. The mailbox address for 

providing e-mail comments is 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: File No. 1599. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate 

Swails or Patrick Opay, (301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of 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 222–226). 

The purpose of the proposed research 

is to continue long term monitoring of 

sea turtles foraging in the Key West 

National Wildlife Refuge and 

surrounding waters. The applicant 

would net or hand capture up to 200 

green, 200 loggerhead, 50 hawksbill, 

and 10 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles per 

year. The turtles would be measured, 

weighed, flipper and Passive Integrated 

Transponder tagged, blood and tissue 

sampled, marked with paint, and 

released. A subset of green turtles would 

be lavaged and satellite tagged. The 

permit would be valid for five years. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 54 / Wednesday, March 21, 2007 / Notices 13251 

Dated: March 15, 2007. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–5174 Filed 3–20–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 022007C] 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Rocket Launches at 

Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of issuance of a Letter of 

Authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, and 

implementing regulations, notification 

is hereby given that a 1–year letter of 

authorization (LOA) has been issued to 

the 30th Space Wing, U.S. Air Force, to 

take four species of seals and sea lions 

incidental to rocket and missile 

launches on Vandenberg Air Force Base 

(VAFB), California. 

DATES: Effective March 17, 2007, 

through March 16, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting 

documentation are available for review 

by writing to P. Michael Payne, Chief, 

Permits, Conservation, and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), 1315 East-West Highway, 

Silver Spring, MD 20910–3225 or by 

telephoning one of the contacts listed 

below (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT). Documents cited in this 

notice may be viewed, by appointment, 

during regular business hours, at the 

aforementioned address and at the 

Southwest Regional Office, NMFS, 501 

West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200, 

Long Beach, CA 90802. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jolie 

Harrison or Candace Nachman, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713–

2289, or Monica DeAngelis, NMFS, 

(562) 980–3232. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs the National 

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to 

allow, upon request, the incidental, but 

not intentional, taking of small numbers 

of marine mammals by U.S. citizens 

who engage in a specified activity (other 

than commercial fishing) within a 

specified geographical region if certain 

findings are made and regulations are 

issued. Under the MMPA, the term 

‘‘taking’’ means to harass, hunt, capture, 

or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt, 

capture, or kill marine mammals. 

Authorization may be granted for 

periods up to 5 years if NMFS finds, 

after notification and opportunity for 

public comment, that the taking will 

have a negligible impact on the species 

or stock(s) of marine mammals and will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) for subsistence uses. In 

addition, NMFS must prescribe 

regulations that include permissible 

methods of taking and other means 

effecting the least practicable adverse 

impact on the species and its habitat 

and on the availability of the species for 

subsistence uses, paying particular 

attention to rookeries, mating grounds, 

and areas of similar significance. The 

regulations must include requirements 

for monitoring and reporting of such 

taking. 

Regulations governing the taking of 

Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina 

richardsi), northern elephant seals 

(Mirounga angustirostris), California sea 

lions (Zalophus californianus), and 

northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), 

by harassment, incidental to missile and 

rocket launches, aircraft flight test 

operations, and helicopter operations at 

VAFB, were issued on February 6, 2004 

(69 FR 5720), and remain in effect until 

February 6, 2009. For detailed 

information on this action, please refer 

to that document. These regulations 

include mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements for the 

incidental take of marine mammals 

during missile and rocket launches at 

VAFB. 

This LOA is effective from March 17, 

2007 through March 16, 2008 and 

authorizes the incidental take of the four 

marine mammal species listed above 

that may result from the launching of up 

to 30 space and missile vehicles and up 

to 20 rockets annually from VAFB, as 

well as from aircraft and helicopter 

operations. Harbor seals haul-out on 

several sites on VAFB, and harbor seals, 

California sea lions, elephant seals, and 

northern fur seals are found on various 

haul-out sites and rookeries on San 

Miguel Island (SMI). Currently, five 

space launch vehicle programs use 

VAFB to launch satellites into polar 

orbit: Atlas IIAS, Delta II, Minotaur, 

Taurus, and Titan (II and IV). Also a 

variety of small missiles, several types 

of interceptor and target vehicles, and 

fixed-wing aircrafts are launched from 

VAFB. 

The activities under these regulations 

create two types of noise: continuous 

(but short-duration) noise, due mostly to 

combustion effects of aircraft and 

launch vehicles, and impulsive noise, 

due to sonic boom effects. Launch 

operations are the major source of noise 

on the marine environment from VAFB. 

The operation of launch vehicle engines 

produces significant sound levels. The 

noise generated by VAFB activities will 

result in the incidental harassment of 

pinnipeds, both behaviorally and in 

terms of physiological (auditory) 

impacts. The noise and visual 

disturbances from space launch vehicle 

and missile launches and aircraft and 

helicopter operations may cause the 

animals to move towards or enter the 

water. Take of pinnipeds will be 

minimized through implementation of 

the following mitigation measures: (1) 

all aircraft and helicopter flight paths 

must maintain a minimum distance of 

1,000 ft (305 m) from recognized seal 

haul-outs and rookeries; (2) missile and 

rocket launches must, whenever 

possible, not be conducted during the 

harbor seal pupping season of March 

through June; (3) VAFB must avoid, 

whenever possible, launches which are 

predicted to produce a sonic boom on 

the Northern Channel Islands during 

harbor seal, elephant seal, and 

California sea lion pupping seasons, 

March through June; and 4) monitoring 

methods will be reviewed by NMFS if 

post-launch surveys determine that an 

injurious or lethal take of a marine 

mammal occurred. VAFB will also use 

monitoring surveys, audio-recording 

equipment, and time-lapse video to 

monitor the animals before, during, and 

after rocket launches, and to measure 

sound levels generated by the launches. 

Reports will be submitted to NMFS after 

each LOA expires, and a final report 

will be submitted before the rule 

expires. 

Summary of Request 

NMFS received a request for a LOA 

pursuant to the aforementioned 

regulations that would authorize, for a 

period not to exceed 1 year, take of 

marine mammals, by harassment, 

incidental to rocket and missile 

launches at VAFB. 

Summary of Activity and Monitoring 

Under the Current LOA 

In compliance with the 2006 LOA, 

VAFB submitted an annual report on 

the rocket launches at VAFB. A 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES