67052 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 23, 1997 / Notices

David R. Keifer, Executive Director,

Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council, Federal

Building, Room 2115, 300 South New

Street, Dover, DE 19901–6790, (302)

674–2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert A. Dickinson, Office of

Sustainable Fisheries, (301) 713–2337.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with a Memorandum of

Understanding with the Secretary of

State, NMFS publishes for public review

and comment summaries of applications

received by the Secretary of State

requesting permits for foreign fishing

vessels to fish in the U.S. EEZ under

provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act

(16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).

This notice concerns the receipt of an

application from the Government of

Estonia and the receipt of an application

from the Government of Lithuania

requesting authorization to conduct

joint venture (JV) operations in 1998 in

the Northwest Atlantic Ocean for

Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic herring.

The large stern trawler/processors

JACOB HURT and SOELA are identified

as the Estonian vessels that would

receive Atlantic mackerel and Atlantic

herring from U.S. vessels in JV

operations, and the large stern/trawler

processors MAIRONIS and UTENA are

identified as the Lithuanian vessels that

would receive Atlantic mackerel and

Atlantic herring from U.S. vessels in JV

operations.

While both applications also request

authorization for the named vessels to

directly harvest Atlantic mackerel and

Atlantic herring, since no ‘‘Total

Allowable Level of Foreign Fishing’’

(TALFF) is available for either of these

species, no foreign vessels can be

permitted to directly harvest Atlantic

mackerel or Atlantic herring.

Dated: December 16, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33386 Filed 12–22–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 120597A]

Marine Mammals; Scientific Research

Permit No. 473–1433

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Ms. Janice M. Straley, P.O. Box 273,

Sitka, Alaska 99835 has been issued a

permit to take humpback whales

(Megaptera novaeangliae), killer whales

(Orcinus orca), minke whales

(Balaenoptera acutorostrata), gray

whales (Eschrichtius robustus), and fin

whales (B. physalus) for purposes of

scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Regional Administrator, Alaska

Regional Office, NMFS, NOAA, 709

West 9th Street, Federal Building,

Juneau, Alaska 99802 (907–586–7221).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

October 31, 1997, notice was published

in the Federal Register (62 FR 58943)

that the above-named applicant had

submitted a request for a scientific

research permit to inadvertently harass

humpback whales (Megaptera

novaeangliae), during the course of

photo-identification research from

December 1, 1997, to November 30,

2002 in Alaska waters, and to

opportunistically photo-identify killer

whales (Orcinus orca), minke whales

(Balaenoptera acutorostrata), gray

whales (Eschrichtius robustus), and fin

whales (B. physalus) during the course

of the humpback whale studies. 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 (ESA) of 1973,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

fish and wildlife (50 CFR part 222).

Issuance of this permit, as required by

the ESA, was based on a finding that

such permit: (1) Was applied for in good

faith; (2) will not operate to the

disadvantage of the endangered species

which is the subject of this permit; and

(3) is consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA.

Dated: December 12, 1997.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33437 Filed 12–22–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 121797C]

Marine Mammals; Scientific Research

Permit No. 875–1401

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for

amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr.

Christopher W. Clark, Cornell

University, Ithaca, New York 14850, has

requested an amendment to permit No.

875–1401.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before January 22, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The application for

amendment and related documents,

including a draft environmental

assessment (EA) that examines the

environmental consequences of issuing

the requested amended permit, are

available for review upon written

request or by appointment in the

following offices:

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, 501 West Ocean Boulevard,

Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213

(562/980-4001).

Written data or views, or requests for

a public hearing on this request, should

be submitted to the Director, Office of

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13705, Silver

Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals

requesting a hearing should set forth the

specific reasons why a hearing on this

application would be appropriate.

Concurrent with the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register,

NMFS is forwarding copies of this

application for amendment to the

Marine Mammal Commission and its

Committee of Scientific Advisors.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject amendment to permit No. 875–

1401 is requested 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 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

fish and wildlife (50 CFR part 222.23).