82 FR 60967 - Marine Mammals; File No. 21386

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 246 (December 26, 2017)

Page Range		60967-60968
FR Document		2017-27738

Notice is hereby given that North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management (Responsible Party: Taqulik Hepa), P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723, has applied in due form for a permit to collect, receive, import, and export marine mammal parts for scientific research.

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60967-60968]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27738]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF909


Marine Mammals; File No. 21386

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that North Slope Borough Department of 
Wildlife Management (Responsible Party: Taqulik Hepa), P.O. Box 69, 
Barrow, AK 99723, has applied in due form for a permit to collect, 
receive, import, and export marine mammal parts for scientific 
research.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or 
before January 25, 2018.

ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for 
review by

[[Page 60968]]

selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the ``Features'' box 
on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species (APPS) home page, 
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 21386 from the 
list of available applications.
    These documents are also available upon written request or by 
appointment in the 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.
    Written comments on this application should be submitted to the 
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above. 
Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713-0376, or by 
email to [email protected]. Please include the File No. 21386 
in the subject line of the email comment.
    Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a 
written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the 
address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons 
why a hearing on this application would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shasta McClenahan or Jennifer 
Skidmore, (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the 
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 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 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the 
regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of 
endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226).
    The applicant proposes to collect, receive, import, and export 
biological samples from pinnipeds and cetaceans annually for scientific 
research. Pinniped samples may include up to 100 each of bearded 
(Erignathus barbatus), ringed (Phoca hispida), spotted (P. larga), and 
ribbon (Histriophoca fasciata) seals. Cetacean samples may include up 
to 100 beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), 70 bowhead whales 
(Balaena mysticetus), 10 each of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and 
gray (Eschrichtius robustus) whales, and 10 harbor porpoise (Phocoena 
phocoena). Receipt, import, and export is requested worldwide. The 
primary source of samples will be subsistence harvested marine mammals 
in Alaska, however additional sources of samples may include foreign 
subsistence harvests, marine mammal strandings in foreign countries, 
and other foreign and domestic authorized researchers. The requested 
duration of the permit is 5 years.
    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 the application to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.

    Dated: December 20, 2017.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected 
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-27738 Filed 12-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices 60967

pinnipeds of rookeries and haulouts in the California stock of Pacific harbor significant impacts on the quality of the
the project area, based on over 20 years seals is 30,968 (Carretta et al., 2017), a human environment and for which we
of monitoring data; and substantially smaller number of have not identified any extraordinary
• The presumed efficacy of planned individual harbor seals is expected to circumstances that would preclude this
mitigation measures in reducing the occur within the project area. We expect categorical exclusion. Accordingly,
effects of the specified activity to the that, because of harbor seals’ NMFS has determined that the issuance
level of least practicable impact. documented site fidelity to haulout of the IHA qualifies to be categorically
In combination, we believe that these locations at VAFB and the NCI, and excluded from further NEPA review.
factors, as well as the available body of because of their limited ranges, the same
evidence from other similar activities, Endangered Species Act
individuals are likely to be taken
demonstrate that the potential effects of repeatedly over the course of the There is one marine mammal species
the specified activity will be short-term specified activities (maximum of twelve (Guadalupe fur seal) listed under the
on individual animals. The specified Falcon 9 First Stage recovery actions). ESA with confirmed occurrence in the
activity is not expected to impact rates Therefore, the number of instances of area expected to be impacted by the
of recruitment or survival and will Level B harassment among harbor seals planned activities. The NMFS West
therefore not result in population-level over the course of the authorization (i.e., Coast Region has determined that NMFS
impacts. Based on the analysis the total number of takes shown in OPR’s issuance of the IHA to SpaceX for
contained herein of the likely effects of Table 6) is expected to accrue to a much the take of marine mammals incidental
the specified activity on marine smaller number of individuals to Falcon 9 First Stage recovery
mammals and their habitat, and taking encompassing a small portion of the activities is not likely to adversely affect
into consideration the implementation overall regional stock. The maximum the Guadalupe fur seal. Therefore,
of the monitoring and mitigation number of individual of harbor seals formal ESA section 7 consultation on
measures, NMFS finds that the total expected to be taken by Level B this IHA is not required.
marine mammal take from the planned harassment, per Falcon 9 First Stage Authorization
activity will have a negligible impact on recovery action, is 1,384. As we believe
the affected marine mammal species or the same individuals are likely to be NMFS has issued an IHA to SpaceX
stocks. taken repeatedly over the course of the for the potential harassment of small
specified activities, we use the estimate numbers of six marine mammal species
Small Numbers incidental to Falcon 9 First Stage
of 1,384 individual animals taken per
As noted above, only small numbers Falcon 9 First Stage recovery activity for recovery activities in California and at
of incidental take may be authorized the purposes of estimating the contingency landing locations offshore,
under Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA percentage of the stock abundance likely provided the previously mentioned
for specified activities other than to be taken over the course of the entire mitigation, monitoring and reporting
military readiness activities. The MMPA activity. requirements are incorporated.
does not define small numbers and so, Based on the analysis contained Dated: December 20, 2017.
in practice, NMFS compares the number herein of the planned activity (including Donna S. Wieting,
of individuals taken to the most the mitigation and monitoring Director, Office of Protected Resources,
appropriate estimation of abundance of measures) and the anticipated take of National Marine Fisheries Service.
the relevant species or stock in our marine mammals, NMFS finds that [FR Doc. 2017–27761 Filed 12–22–17; 8:45 am]
determination of whether an small numbers of marine mammals will BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
authorization is limited to small be taken relative to the population size
numbers of marine mammals. of the affected species or stocks.
Additionally, other qualitative factors DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
may be considered in the analysis, such Unmitigable Adverse Impact Analysis
as the temporal or spatial scale of the and Determination National Oceanic and Atmospheric
activities. There are no relevant subsistence uses Administration
The numbers of authorized takes of the affected marine mammal stocks or
would be considered small relative to RIN 0648–XF909
species implicated by this action.
the relevant stocks or populations (less Therefore, NMFS has determined that Marine Mammals; File No. 21386
than 22 percent for all species and the total taking of affected species or
stocks). It is important to note that the stocks would not have an unmitigable AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
number of expected takes does not adverse impact on the availability of Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
necessarily represent of the number of such species or stocks for taking for Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
individual animals expected to be taken. subsistence purposes. Commerce.
Our small numbers analysis accounts ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
for this fact. Multiple exposures to Level National Environmental Policy Act
B harassment can accrue to the same To comply with the National SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
individual animals over the course of an Environmental Policy Act of 1969 North Slope Borough Department of
activity that occurs multiple times in (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Wildlife Management (Responsible
the same area (such as SpaceX’s NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) Party: Taqulik Hepa), P.O. Box 69,
planned activity). This is especially 216–6A, NMFS must review our Barrow, AK 99723, has applied in due
likely in the case of species that have proposed action with respect to form for a permit to collect, receive,
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES

limited ranges and that have site fidelity potential impacts on the human import, and export marine mammal
to a location within the project area, as environment. parts for scientific research.
is the case with harbor seals. This action is consistent with DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email
As described above, harbor seals are categories of activities identified in CE comments must be received on or before
non-migratory, rarely traveling more B4 of the Companion Manual for NAO January 25, 2018.
than 50 km from their haulout sites. 216–6A, which do not individually or ADDRESSES: The application and related
Thus, while the estimated abundance of cumulatively have the potential for documents are available for review by

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Document Created: 2017-12-23 03:08:01
Document Modified: 2017-12-23 03:08:01

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice; receipt of application.
Dates		Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or before January 25, 2018.
Contact		Shasta McClenahan or Jennifer Skidmore, (301) 427-8401.
FR Citation		82 FR 60967
RIN Number		0648-XF90

82 FR 60967 - Marine Mammals; File No. 21386

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 246 (December 26, 2017)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration