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.), and the regulations governing the taking and ( printed page 48158) importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).

The applicant requests a 5 year permit to continue conservation research on dolphins in Florida to study health, environmental contaminants, reproduction, population structure and dynamics, acoustics, bioenergetics, trophic patterns human interactions, telemetry, ranging patterns, and behavior. Up to 10,000 bottlenose dolphins and 1,000 spotted dolphins may be taken annually during vessel surveys, including an unmanned aircraft system, for counts, photography, photo-identification, photogrammetry, video recording, observations, acoustic playbacks, and passive acoustic recording. A subset of these animals may be remotely biopsy sampled, suction-cup tagged, or bolt/pin tagged annually. Up to 50 bottlenose and 25 spotted dolphins of the above animals may be captured annually for health assessments to include biological sampling, auditory brainstem response tests, metabolic rate studies, ultrasound, X-rays, marking, tagging, release, and tracking. Two unintentional mortalities of each dolphin species may occur due to capture over the life of the permit. Biological samples collected may be imported and exported annually for analysis. The following non-target species may be unintentionally harassed during research: green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas), hawksbill sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp's ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta), olive ridley sea turtle ( L. olivacea), leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea), smalltooth sawfish ( Pristis pectinata), and gulf sturgeon ( Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi).

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.

87 FR 48157