83 FR 58275 - Foreign Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Permit Applications

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 223 (November 19, 2018)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and foreign or native species for which the Service has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With some exceptions, the ESA and the MMPA prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA and MMPA also require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for endangered species or marine mammals.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 223 (Monday, November 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58275-58277]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25120]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2018-0052; FXIA16710900000-178-FF09A30000]


Foreign Endangered Species; Marine Mammals; Receipt of Permit 
Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the 
public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with 
foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) and foreign or native species for which the Service 
has jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With 
some exceptions, the ESA and the MMPA prohibit activities with listed 
species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. The ESA and MMPA also require that we invite public comment 
before issuing permits for endangered species or marine mammals.

DATES: We must receive comments by December 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: The applications, application 
supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we 
receive will be available for public inspection at http://

[[Page 58276]]

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2018-0052.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Internet: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2018-0052.
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2018-0052; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Headquarters, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-
2104, via email at [email protected], or via the Federal Relay Service at 
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or fax, or to an 
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our 
administrative record comments we receive after the close of the 
comment period (see DATES).
    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant 
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide 
sufficient information 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.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments on http://www.regulations.gov, unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at http://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, 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. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

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 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and 
section 104(c) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit 
applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the 
ESA prohibits/ESA and MMPA prohibit/MMPA prohibits activities with 
listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. Permits issued under section 10 of the ESA allow activities 
for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of 
the affected species. Regulations regarding permit issuance under the 
ESA are in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17. ESA 
permits cover a wide range of activities pertaining to foreign listed 
species, including import, export, and activities in the United States. 
Concurrent with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we are 
forwarding copies of the marine mammal applications to the Marine 
Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their 
review.

III. Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

A. Endangered Species

Applicant: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, Omaha, NE; Permit No. 
78380C

    The applicant requests a permit to import one live captive-bred 
male Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) Zoo de Granby, Granby, 
Quebec, Canada for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival 
of the species. This notification is for a single import.

Applicant: U.S. Geological Survey, Missoula, MT; Permit No. 80989C

    The applicant requests authorization to import skin and mouth swabs 
from wild Sonora tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi), 
taken in Sonora, Mexico, for the purpose of scientific research. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.

Applicant: University of Texas at Arlington, Amphibian and Reptile 
Diversity Research Center, Arlington, TX, Permit No. 93328C

    The applicant requests authorization to export and reimport 
nonliving museum specimens of endangered and threatened species 
previously accessioned into the applicant's collection for scientific 
research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the 
applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: University of Utah dba Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt 
Lake City, UT; Permit No. 166772

    The applicant requests authorization to export and reimport 
nonliving museum specimens of endangered and threatened species 
previously accessioned into the applicant's collection for scientific 
research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the 
applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Oregon Wildlife Foundation, Douglas, AZ; Permit No. 60203C

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for slender-horned gazelle (Gazella leptoceros) 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: Maria de Lourdes Martinez Estevez, University of California 
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; Permit No. 77865C

    The applicant requests a permit to import 189 skin and shell 
samples derived from the hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) 
from Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias A.C., La Paz, Baja California 
Sur, Mexico, for scientific research purposes. This notification is for 
a single import.

Applicant: Arthur Bogan, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC; 
Permit No. 86122C

    The applicant requests authorization to export biological samples 
from captive bred Louisiana pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera hembeli) 
and Alabama pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera marrianae) for the

[[Page 58277]]

purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to 
be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange, NJ; Permit No. 75693A

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species: Komodo monitor (Varanus 
komodoensis), African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Andean condor 
(Vultur gryphus), white-naped crane (Grus vipio), white-cheeked gibbon 
(Nomascus leucogenys), maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), snow leopard 
(Uncia uncia), spotted leopard (Panthera pardus), and African lion 
(Panthera leo), 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: Great Plains Zoo, Sioux Falls, SD; Permit No. 84932C

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species: Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur 
catta), Siamang gibbon (Symphalangus syndactylus), Siberian tiger 
(Panthera tigris altaica), snow leopard (uncia uncia), African lion 
(Panthera leo), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), African wild dog 
(Lycaon pictus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Komodo monitor (Varanus 
komodoensis), Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), Panamanian golden 
frog (Atelopus varius zeteki), and Chinese alligator (Alligator 
sinensis), 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: Surprise Spring Foundation, Prescott, AZ; Permit No. 93748A

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species: radiated tortoise 
(Astrochelys radiata), yellow-spot river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), 
Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), and spotted pond turtle 
(Geoclemys hamiltonii) 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: Michael Burroughs, Las Vegas, NV; Permit No. 94167A

    The applicant requests renewal of a captive-bred wildlife 
registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for radiated tortoise (Astrochelys 
radiata) 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: Kevin Loewengruber, Southgate, MI; Permit No. 84345C

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 
50 CFR 17.21(g) for radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) 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: H. Yturria Land and Cattle Co., Brownsville, TX; Permit No. 
86124C

    The applicant requests a permit authorizing the culling of excess 
red lechwe (Kobus leche) from the captive herd maintained at their 
facility, to enhance the species' propagation and survival. This 
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 
5-year period.

Multiple Applicants

    The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted 
trophies of male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a 
captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of 
South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival 
of the species.

Applicant: Richard Prager, Greenwich, CT; Permit No. 93301C
Applicant: Roger Bennett, Ardmore, TN; Permit No. 93048C
Applicant: Ronald Williams, Midland, TX; Permit No. 87946C
Applicant: Aaron Kik, Lowell, MI; Permit No. 87966C
Applicant: John Lortscher, Moneta, VA; Permit No. 90004C
Applicant: Mike Cunningham, Georgetown, TX; Permit No. 86992C

B. Endangered Marine Mammals and Marine Mammals

Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK; Permit No. 
82088B

    The applicant requests authorization to renew and amend their 
permit to conduct research activities on polar bears (Ursus maritimus) 
and export and import biological samples for the purpose of scientific 
research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the 
applicant over a 5-year period.

IV. Next Steps

    If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, 
we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may locate the 
notice announcing the permit issuance by searching http://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended 
(16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of 
Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2018-25120 Filed 11-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P