# Marine Mammals; File No. 17411
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice; issuance of permit.
**SUMMARY:**
Notice is hereby given that a permit has been issued to Dr. Jennifer Burns, University of Alaska Anchorage, Biology Department, Anchorage, AK, to conduct research on marine mammals.
**ADDRESSES:**
The permit 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 March 8, 2013, notice was published in the *Federal Register* (78 FR 14984) that a request for a permit to conduct research on Weddell seals ( *Leptonychotes weddellii* ) had been submitted by the above-named applicant. The requested permit 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 permit allows: capture of adult female Weddell seals of known-age and known-reproductive history in the Erebus Bay, Antarctica region for health assessments during reproductive and molt periods each year, to include blood samples, muscle/blubber/skin biopsies, morphometric measurements, and attachment of VHF/TDR/GPS tags; recapture of animals to retrieve instruments and collect additional measurements or samples; ground surveys of the population for molt status and demographic models; incidental harassment of crabeater seals ( *Lobodon carcinophagus* ) during surveys; mortality of adult female Weddell seals and dependent pups; and import of samples for analysis. The permit is valid through June 1, 2018.
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: July 12, 2013.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.