82 FR 31346 - Endangered Species; Marine Mammal Receipt of Applications for Permit

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 128 (July 6, 2017)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 128 (Thursday, July 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31346-31347]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14146]



[[Page 31346]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0033; FXIA16710900000-178-FF09A30000]


Endangered Species; Marine Mammal Receipt of Applications for 
Permit

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications for permit.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities 
with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions, 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act 
(MMPA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal 
authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

DATES: We must receive comments or requests for documents on or before 
August 7, 2017.

ADDRESSES: 
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-
IA-2017-0033.
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0033; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Headquarters, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
    When submitting comments, please indicate the name of the applicant 
and the PRT# you are commenting on. We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any 
personal information you provide us (see the Public Comments section 
for more information).
    Viewing Comments: Comments and materials we receive will be 
available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov, or by 
appointment, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of 
Management Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; 
telephone 703-358-2095.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Russell, Government Information 
Specialist, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service Headquarters, MS: IA; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 
22041-3803; telephone 703-358-2023; facsimile 703-358-2280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I request copies of applications or comment on submitted 
applications?

    Send your request for copies of applications or comments and 
materials concerning any of the applications to the contact listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Please include the Federal Register 
notice publication date, the PRT-number, and the name of the applicant 
in your request or submission. We will not consider requests or 
comments sent to an email or address not listed under ADDRESSES. If you 
provide an email address in your request for copies of applications, we 
will attempt to respond to your request electronically.
    Please make your requests or comments as specific as possible. 
Please confine your comments to issues for which we seek comments in 
this notice, and explain the basis for your comments. Include 
sufficient information with your comments to allow us to authenticate 
any scientific or commercial data you include.
    The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and 
likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by 
quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include 
citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations. We 
will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we 
receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments 
delivered to an address other than those listed above (see ADDRESSES).

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the street address listed under 
ADDRESSES. The public may review documents and other information 
applicants have sent in support of the application unless our allowing 
viewing would violate the Privacy Act or Freedom of Information Act. 
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 
seq.), along with Executive Order 13576, ``Delivering an Efficient, 
Effective, and Accountable Government,'' and the President's Memorandum 
for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies of January 21, 
2009--Transparency and Open Government (74 FR 4685; January 26, 2009), 
which call on all Federal agencies to promote openness and transparency 
in Government by disclosing information to the public, we invite public 
comment on these permit applications before final action is taken. 
Under the MMPA, you may request a hearing on any MMPA application 
received. If you request a hearing, give specific reasons why a hearing 
would be appropriate. The holding of such a hearing is at the 
discretion of the Service Director.

III. Permit Applications

    We invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain 
activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the 
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; ESA) prohibits 
activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired 
that allows such activities.

A. Endangered Species

Applicant: Morani River Ranch, Uvalde TX; PRT-49112A

    The applicant requests a renewal to a captive-bred wildlife 
registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for barasingha (Rucervus 
duvaucelii), red lechwe (Kobus leche), Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), 
and Eld's Deer (Rucervus eldii), to enhance the propagation or survival 
of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by 
the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Houston Zoo, Inc., Houston, TX; PRT-19910C
    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and Baird's tapir 
(Tapirus bairdii) to enhance the propagation or survival of the 
species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the 
applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL; PRT-24014C
    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR

[[Page 31347]]

17.21(g) to enhance the propagation or survival of the following 
species: African slender-snouted crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus), 
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Malayan 
tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), 
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), red-fronted lemur (Eulemur rufus), 
mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz), ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), red-
ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra), Cuban parrot (Amazona leucocephala), 
blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis), and golden parakeet (Guarouba 
guarouba). This notification covers activities to be conducted by the 
applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, TX; PRT-31693C
    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) to enhance the propagation or survival of the following 
species: Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), 
maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), Przewalski's horse (Equus 
przewalskii), black-footed cat (Felix negripes), red-crowned crane 
(Grus japonensis), and black rhino (Diceros bicornis). This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.
Applicant: The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL; 
PRT-14503C
    The applicant requests a permit to import biological samples from 
the wild and captive-born Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) for the 
purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to 
be conducted by the applicant over a 1-year period.
Applicant: The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham AL; PRT-
15849C
    The applicant requests a permit to import biological samples from 
the wild and captive-born Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) for the 
purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to 
be conducted by the applicant over a 1-year period.

B. Marine Mammal

Applicant: U.S. Fish Wildlife Service Marine Mammals Management, 
Anchorage, AK; PRT-039386
    The applicant requests authorization to renew their permit to take 
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) samples, conduct surveys, and import 
biological specimens for the purposes of scientific research. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.
Applicant: Offspring Films, Bristol, UK; PRT-29633C
    The applicant requests a permit to film up to 100 Southern sea 
otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) and up to 80 Northern sea otters 
(Enhydra lutris kenyoni) within a six month period at the Monterey Bay 
area, California, and Cordova and Simpson Bay areas and Prince William 
Sound, Alaska, for the purpose of education. This notification covers 
activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

IV. Next Steps

    If the Service decides to issue permits to any of the applicants 
listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal 
Register. You may locate the Federal Register notice announcing the 
permit issuance date by searching in www.regulations.gov under the 
permit number listed in this document.

V. Public Comments

    You may submit your comments and materials concerning this notice 
by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We will not consider 
comments sent by email or fax or to an address not listed in ADDRESSES.
    If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the Web site. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes 
personal identifying information, you may request at the top of your 
document that we withhold this information from public review. However, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    We will post all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov.

VI. Authorities

    Endangered Species Act of 1973, (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); Marine 
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.).

Joyce Russell,
Government Information Specialist, Branch of Permits, Division of 
Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2017-14146 Filed 7-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P