# Marine Mammals; File No. 14676
**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 a major amendment to Permit No. 14676 has been issued to Paul Ponganis, Ph.D., University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA for research on California sea lions ( *Zalophus californianus* ).
**ADDRESSES:**
The permit amendment and related documents are available for review upon written request or by appointment in the following offices:
Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427-8401; 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:**
Tammy Adams or Amy Sloan, (301) 427-8401.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
On November 7, 2011, notice was published in the *Federal Register* (76 FR 68719) that a request for an amendment Permit No. 14676 to conduct research on California sea lions 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).
The amendment includes authorization for capture of up to 30 animals over two field seasons and an additional procedure, deployment of a heart rate/stroke rate recorder on half of the animals. The amendment is valid through the original permit expiration date, February 1, 2015.
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: January 9, 2012.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.