[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21753-21754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8610]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA936


Marine Mammals; File No. 17011

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to NHK 
Enterprises, Inc., Nature & Science Programs, 5-20 Kamiyama-cho, Ogawa 
Bldg., Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan to conduct commercial or educational 
photography.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related documents are available for review 
upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
    Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 
phone (301) 427-8401; fax (301) 713-0376; and
    Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone 
(907) 586-7221; fax (907) 586-7249.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joselyd Garcia-Reyes or Laura Morse, 
(301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 18, 2012, notice was published in 
the Federal Register (77 FR 2513) that a request for a permit to 
conduct commercial/educational photography of Eastern North Pacific 
gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) 
had been submitted by the above-named applicant. 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.) and the regulations 
governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
    NHK Enterprises, Inc. will film gray whale and killer whale 
interactions in the Aleutian Islands from Unimak Pass to Sand Point, 
Alaska using a 100ft boat, a 21ft aluminum skiff, and a helicopter. Up 
to 100 gray whales and 300 killer whales may be approached and filmed 
during the life of the permit. Species that may be incidentally 
harassed during filming activities include: 60 White-sided dolphins 
(Lagenorhyncus obliquidens), 20 harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), 60 
harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), 40 northern fur seals (Callorhinus 
ursinus), and 40 Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli). Footage would 
be used to create a film that would document the hunting behavior of 
transient killer whales and to document the food chain that develops 
from this predation. The permit will expire on March 31, 2017.
    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.


[[Page 21754]]


    Dated: April 4, 2012.
Tammy C. Adams,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-8610 Filed 4-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P