Federal Register/Vol. 79, No. 195/Wednesday, October 8, 2014
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 8, 2014 / Notices 60811 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), categories, consolidates existing fur seal DATES: Effective September 20, 2014, to Commerce. authorized takes for studies with similar December 1, 2014. ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit types of incidental disturbance, and ADDRESSES: A copy of the IHA and the amendment. extends the permit for one year. The application are available by writing Jolie permit amendment expires on August Harrison, Chief, Permits and SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a 31, 2015. Conservation Division, Office of major amendment to Permit No. 14330– In compliance with the National Protected Resources, National Marine 01 has been issued to the Aleut Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Community of St. Paul Island, Tribal U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NMFS has Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or by Government, Ecosystem Conservation determined that the activities proposed telephone the contacts listed below (see Office, St. Paul Island, AK 99660. are consistent with the Preferred FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). ADDRESSES: The permit amendment and Alternative in the Final Programmatic An electronic copy of the IHA related documents are available for Environmental Impact Statement for application containing a list of the review upon written request or by Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal references used in this document may appointment in the Permits and Research (NMFS 2007), and that be obtained by writing to the address Conservation Division, Office of issuance of the permit would not have specified above, telephoning the contact Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East- a significant adverse impact on the listed here (see FOR FURTHER West Highway, Room 13705, Silver human environment. INFORMATION CONTACT) or visiting the Spring, MD 20910; telephone: (301) As required by the ESA, issuance of Internet at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ 427–8401; fax: (301) 713–0376. this permit was based on a finding that pr/permits/incidental/. Documents cited FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: such permit: (1) Was applied for in good in this notice, including the IHA Brendan Hurley or Amy Sloan; faith; (2) will not operate to the application, may also be viewed by telephone: (301) 427–8401. disadvantage of such endangered appointment, during regular business species; and (3) is consistent with the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July hours, at the aforementioned address. purposes and policies set forth in An ‘‘Environmental Assessment on 17, 2013, notice was published in the section 2 of the ESA. Federal Register (78 FR 42756) that a the Issuance of an Incidental request for an amendment to Permit No. Dated: September 24, 2014. Harassment Authorization to the 14330–01 for research on northern fur Julia Harrison, National Science Foundation and seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Antarctic Support Contract to Take incidental disturbance to Steller sea Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Mammals by Harassment lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and harbor Marine Fisheries Service. Incidental to a Low-energy Marine seals (Phoca vitulina) had been [FR Doc. 2014–23940 Filed 10–7–14; 8:45 am] Geophysical Survey in the Scotia Sea submitted by the above-named BILLING CODE 3510–22–P and South Atlantic Ocean, September to applicant. The requested permit October 2014’’ was prepared by NMFS. amendment has been issued under the NMFS also issued a Biological Opinion authority of the Marine Mammal DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE under section 7 of the Endangered Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 Species Act (ESA) to evaluate the effects National Oceanic and Atmospheric of the low-energy seismic survey and U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations Administration governing the taking and importing of IHA on marine species listed as marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the RIN 0648–XD256 threatened and endangered. The NMFS Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Biological Opinion is available online amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ the regulations governing the taking, Specified Activities; Low-Energy consultations/opinions.htm. importing, and exporting of endangered Marine Geophysical Survey in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: and threatened species (50 CFR parts Scotia Sea and South Atlantic Ocean, Howard Goldstein or Jolie Harrison, 222–226), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, September to October 2014 Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.). AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 301–427–8401. Permit No. 14330–02 authorizes the Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: permit holder to conduct activities to Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Background fulfill their Biosampling, Commerce. Disentanglement, and Island Sentinel ACTION: Notice; issuance of an Incidental Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the program responsibilities as established Harassment Authorization (IHA). MMPA, (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct under the co-management agreement the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) between NMFS and the Aleut SUMMARY: In accordance with the to allow, upon request, the incidental, Communities. Activities include Marine Mammal Protection Act but not intentional, taking of small northern fur seal (1) disentanglement; (MMPA), notification is hereby given numbers of marine mammals by United (2) sample collection from dead animals that NMFS has issued an IHA to the States citizens who engage in a specified and sample export; and (3) haulout and National Science Foundation (NSF) activity (other than commercial fishing) rookery observations, monitoring, and Division of Polar Programs, and within a specified geographical region if remote camera maintenance. The permit Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) on certain findings are made and either amendment authorizes additional takes behalf of two research institutions, regulations are issued or, if the taking is of northern fur seals for new habitat use University of Texas at Austin and limited to harassment, a notice of a studies, incorporates incidental University of Memphis, to take marine proposed authorization is provided to disturbance of Steller sea lions and mammals, by Level B harassment, the public for review. harbor seals during other fur seal incidental to conducting a low-energy An authorization for incidental studies without increasing authorized marine geophysical (seismic) survey in takings shall be granted if NMFS finds takes, consolidates existing fur seal the Scotia Sea and South Atlantic that the taking will have a negligible authorized takes of certain age and sex Ocean, September to October 2014. impact on the species or stock(s), will VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:27 Oct 07, 2014 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\08OCN1.SGM 08OCN1 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 60812 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 8, 2014 / Notices not have an unmitigable adverse impact hydrophone streamer, NSF and ASC including to and from port. Some minor on the availability of the species or intend to operate a single-beam deviation from this schedule is possible, stock(s) for subsistence uses (where echosounder, multi-beam echosounder, depending on logistics and weather relevant), and if the permissible acoustic Doppler current profiler (e.g., the cruise may depart earlier or be methods of taking and requirements (ADCP), and sub-bottom profiler extended due to poor weather; or there pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring continuously throughout the survey. could be additional days of seismic and reporting of such takings are set NMFS published a notice making operations if collected data are deemed forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible preliminary determinations and to be of substandard quality). impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ‘‘. an proposing to issue an IHA on August 5, Specified Geographic Region impact resulting from the specified 2014 (79 FR 45592). The notice initiated activity that cannot be reasonably a 30-day public comment period. The planned project and survey sites expected to, and is not reasonably likely Acoustic stimuli (i.e., increased are located in selected regions of the to, adversely affect the species or stock underwater sound) generated during the Scotia Sea (located northeast of the through effects on annual rates of operation of the seismic airgun array Antarctic Peninsula) and the southern recruitment or survival.’’ may have the potential to cause Atlantic Ocean and focus on two areas: Except with respect to certain behavioral disturbance for marine (1) Between the central rise of the Scotia activities not pertinent here, the MMPA mammals in the survey area. This is the Sea and the East Scotia Sea, and (2) the defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of principal means of marine mammal far southern Atlantic Ocean pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) taking associated with these activities, immediately northeast of South Georgia has the potential to injure a marine and NSF and ASC have requested an towards the northeastern Georgia Rise mammal or marine mammal stock in the (both encompassing the region between authorization to take 26 species of ° ° wild [Level A harassment]; or (ii) has marine mammals by Level B 53 to 58 South, and between 33 to 40 the potential to disturb a marine harassment. Take is not expected to West) (see Figure 2 of the IHA mammal or marine mammal stock in the result from the use of the single-beam application). The majority of the wild by causing disruption of behavioral echosounder, multi-beam echosounder, planned seismic survey will be within patterns, including, but not limited to, ADCP, and sub-bottom profiler, as the the EEZ of the Government of the South migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, brief exposure of marine mammals to Georgia and South Sandwich Islands feeding, or sheltering [Level B one pulse, or small numbers of signals, (United Kingdom) and a limited portion harassment]. to be generated by these instruments in of the seismic survey will be conducted in International Waters.