Marine Mammals; Permit No. 909-1465-02

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that a request for amendment of scientific research Permit No. 909-1465-02 submitted by Dan Engelhaupt, Biological Sciences Department, University of Durham, P.O. Box 197, Picton, New Zealand, has been granted.

ADDRESSES:

The amendment and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:

Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301)713-2289, fax (301)713-0376;

Northeast Region, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298; phone (978)281-9200; fax (978)281-9371; and

Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432; phone (727)570-5301; fax (727)570-5320.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carrie Hubard or Ruth Johnson, (301)713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The requested amendment has been granted under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the provisions of 50 CFR 222.306 of the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened fish and wildlife (50 CFR 222-226).

The modification extends the expiration date of the Permit from April 30, 2004, to April 30, 2005, for takes of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and other cetacean species in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and western North Atlantic.

Issuance of this amendment, as required by the ESA was based on a finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of the threatened and endangered species which are the subject of this permit; and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA.