# Marine Mammals; File No. 87-1851-02
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice; issuance of permit amendment.
**SUMMARY:**
Notice is hereby given that Daniel P. Costa, Ph.D., University of California at Santa Cruz, Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA has been issued a major amendment to Permit No. 87-1851-01.
**ADDRESSES:**
The permit 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
Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213; phone (562) 980-4001; fax (562) 980-4018.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Amy Sloan or Tammy Adams, Ph.D., (301) 713-2289.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
On October 20, 2009, notice was published in the *Federal Register* (74 FR 53719) that a request for an amendment to Permit No. 87-1851-01 to conduct research on Antarctic pinnipeds had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit amendment has been issued 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).
Permit No. 87-1851-02 authorizes the permit holder to expand the geographic range where research is conducted in Antarctica to include the Ross Sea, and to increase the number of Weddell seals ( *Leptonychotes weddellii* ) captured, sedated, tagged, and sampled from 10 animals per year to 40 animals per year. Permit No. 87-1851-02 expires on January 31, 2012.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 *et seq.* ), a final determination has been made that the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Dated: December 28, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.