# Marine Mammals; File No. 358-1585-04
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Issuance of permit amendment.
**SUMMARY:**
Notice is hereby given that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526 [Principal Investigator: Robert Small, Ph.D.] has been issued an amendment to scientific research Permit No. 358-1585-02 as amended by a minor change [No. -03].
**ADDRESSES:**
The amendment and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following office(s):
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; and
Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone (907)586-7235; fax (907)586-7012.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Ruth Johnson or Carrie Hubard, (301)713-2289.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
On June 7, 2003, notice was published in the *Federal Register* (68 FR 33477) that an amendment of Permit No. 358-1585, issued September 30, 2002 (67 FR 64098), had been requested by the above-named organization. The requested amendment has been granted under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 *et seq.* ) and the Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).
The amendment authorizes the Holder to conduct additional activities on harbor seals that include: permanently marking females that receive implanted VHF transmitters to enable identification from a distance without further disturbance to determine if female has a pup; applying a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag to identify recaptured individuals to assess change in health or contaminant loads over time; using ultrsound to diagnose pregnancy and reproductive condition of females; attaching a sonic tag for realtime tracking of foraging behavior while simultaneously conducting acoustical surveys of prey availability; and attaching an Underwater Timed Picture Recorder (UTPR) with Time Depth Recorder to view prey selection and readily calculate pursuit and handling times.
Dated: September 9, 2003.
Stephen L. Leathery,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.