[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 108 (Friday, June 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24158-24160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office []
[FR Doc No: 2025-10289]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2025-0037; FXES111607MRG01-256-FF07CAMM00]
Marine Mammal Protection Act; Permit Applications and Issuances
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; notice of issuance of
permits.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite
public comment on applications for permits to conduct certain
activities involving marine mammals for which the Service has
jurisdiction under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In addition, we
announce permits that we have issued recently in response to prior
applications.
DATES: We must receive comments on the new permit applications by July
7, 2025.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents:
Application Materials: The applications, application
supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we
receive are available for public inspection at in Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2025-0037.
Issued Permits: To access materials pertaining to the
permits we have issued, see Permits Issued by the Service under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Submitting Comments on the Applications: You may submit comments
containing written data or views concerning the taking or importation
proposed in each application by one of the following methods:
Internet: . Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-R7-ES-2025-0037.
U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R7-ES-2025-0037; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katrina Liebich, via email at
[email protected] or by telephone at 907-786-3800. Individuals in
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
With some exceptions, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), prohibits the take and
importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products absent Federal
authorization. In carrying out our responsibilities under the MMPA, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), may authorize such
activities via permits after receipt of an application and verification
that MMPA statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
Section 104(c) of the MMPA specifies the conditions for authorizing
the taking or importation of a marine mammal for purposes of scientific
research, public display, or enhancing the survival or recovery of a
species or stock under the MMPA.
This notice provides information about two aspects of the MMPA
permitting process: application and issuance. In section II, we provide
the public with notice of and the opportunity to comment on
applications that we have received from entities or individuals to
conduct certain activities with marine mammals for which the Service
has jurisdiction under the MMPA. In section III, we announce recently
issued MMPA permits to entities or individuals in response to prior
applications.
II. Applications Available for Public Review
To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected
species, and in consideration of section 104(c) of the MMPA, we invite
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on
the applications listed below before final action is taken. Concurrent
with publishing this notice in the Federal Register, we are forwarding
copies of these marine mammal applications to the Marine Mammal
Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors for their review.
A. Permit Applications Received
We invite comments on the following applications:
[[Page 24159]]
Applicant: U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, AK; Permit No.
PER19222522
The applicant requests a modification to their scientific research
permit to test methods for a new immobilization protocol for Pacific
walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). The study will occur in the
Beaufort and Chukchi Seas on wild walruses. This research is required
before transmitters could be attached to walrus, which in turn would
increase our understanding of walrus biology and inform future
conservation actions. This notification covers activities to be
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
Applicant: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management
Office, Anchorage, AK; Permit No. PER18107557
The applicant requests a renewal and modification of their
scientific research permit to conduct scientific research on polar
bears (Ursus maritimus). Research will involve monitoring and
mitigating human-polar bear conflicts on Alaska's North Slope;
evaluating the distance at which wild polar bears on the Beaufort
seashore respond to boat traffic; aerial distance sampling of polar
bears in the Chukchi Sea; monitoring polar bear physiology via
implantable biologgers; and noninvasive DNA sampling of polar bears by
collecting hair, scat, and skin cells from paw prints. This
notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a
5-year period.
Applicant: Dr. Puckett, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN; Permit No.
PER 14048379
The applicant requests a scientific research permit to conduct a
study on polar bear (Ursus maritimus) genetics and characteristics of
hair and skin using samples collected from wild polar bears and
captive-held polar bears. This notification covers activities to be
conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.
B. Public Comment Procedures
1. How do I comment on permit applications?
Before issuing any requested permit, we will take into
consideration any information that we receive during the public comment
period.
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email, or to an
address not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our
administrative record comments that 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: (a) Those
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (b) those that
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and
regulations.
2. May I review comments submitted by others?
You may view public comments at unless
our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or other
Federal law.
3. Who will see my comments?
If you submit a comment at , 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.
C. Next Steps for Submitted Applications
After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding
permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed
above in this notice, we will publish a subsequent notice in the
Federal Register. You may locate the notice announcing the permit
issuance by searching 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 and search for ``12345A''.
III. Permits Issued by the Service
We have issued permits to conduct certain activities involving
marine mammals and marine mammal products in response to prior permit
applications that we received. This notice informs the public that the
Service has issued the permits listed in table 1 below.
The permittees' original permit application materials, along with
public comments we received during public comment periods for the
applications, are available for review. To locate the application
materials and received comments, go to and
search for the appropriate permit number (e.g., PER12345) or docket
number (e.g., FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148) provided in table 1.
Table 1--MMPA Permits Recently Issued
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Permit issuance
Permit No. Applicant date Docket No.
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PER12241375...................... Seattle Aquarium 3/5/25 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148.
Society.
PER12101045...................... Pioneer Studios..... 3/5/25 FWS-R7-ES-2024-0148.
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[[Page 24160]]
IV. Authority
We issue this notice under the authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its
implementing regulations.
Peter Fasbender,
Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries and Ecological Services, Alaska
Region.
[FR Doc. 2025-10289 Filed 6-5-25; 8:45 am]
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