# Marine Mammals; File No. 29433
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice; receipt of application.
**SUMMARY:**
Notice is hereby given that the University of Alaska Museum of the North, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775 (Responsible Party: Link Olson, Ph.D.), has applied in due form for a permit to receive, import, and export marine mammal parts for scientific research.
**DATES:**
Written comments must be received on or before April 16, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
The application and related documents are available for review by selecting “Records Open for Public Comment” from the “Features” box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species (APPS) home page, *https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov,* and then selecting File No. 29433 from the list of available applications. These documents are also available upon written request via email to *[email protected]* .
Written comments on this application should be submitted via email to *[email protected]* . Please include File No. 29433 in the subject line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a written request via email to *[email protected]* . The request should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be appropriate.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Jennifer Skidmore or Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., (301) 427-8401.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The subject permit is requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 *et seq.* ), the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 *et seq.* ), the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 *et seq.* ).
The University of Alaska Museum functions as an archive for scientific parts and provides these to the global scientific community through their loan program for research. The museum is requesting authority to receive, import, and export parts from up to 200 individual cetaceans and 1,000 individual pinnipeds, excluding walrus, annually. The requested duration of the permit is 10 years.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 *et seq.* ), an initial determination has been made that the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the *Federal Register* , NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: March 12, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.