[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 102 (Thursday, May 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29181-29182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14126]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 052198B]


Marine Mammals

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

ACTION: Receipt of application for amendment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Moana Productions, Inc., 311 
Portlock Road, Honolulu, HI 96825, has requested an amendment to 
Photography Permit No. 867-1388.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments must be received on or before June 
29, 1998.
ADDRESSES: The amendment request and related documents are available 
for review upon written request or by appointment in the following 
office(s):
    Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/
713-2289);
    Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, 709 W. 9<SUP>th</SUP> 
Street,

[[Page 29182]]

Federal Building, Room 461, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, Alaska 99802 (907/
586-7012); and
    Regional Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean 
Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562/980-4001).
    Written comments or requests for a public hearing on this request 
should be submitted to the Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, 
F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, 
Room 13822, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals requesting a 
hearing should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this 
particular amendment request would be appropriate.
    Comments may also be submitted by facsimile at 301/713-0376, 
provided the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy submitted by mail and 
postmarked no later than the closing date of the comment period. Please 
note that comments will not be accepted by e-mail or other electronic 
media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Trevor Spradlin, 301/713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject amendment to Permit No. 867-
1388, issued on July 25, 1997, (62 FR 50906) 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. 867-1388 authorizes the permit holder to take by Level B 
harassment several species of small delphinid cetaceans in Hawaii and 
North Carolina waters for purposes of commercial photography. The 
permit holder now requests authorization to film the following marine 
mammals in Alaska waters: killer whales (Orcinus orca), Dall's 
porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli), Pacific white-sided dolphins 
(Lagenorhynchus obscurus), harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and 
minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).
    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 amendment request to the 
Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: May 21, 1998.
Art Jeffers,
Acting Chief, Permits and Documentation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-14126 Filed 5-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F