Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541)

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic

Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541)

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of permit applications received under the Antarctic

Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law 95-541.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish

notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated

under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published

regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act at Title 45 Part 670

of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of

permit applications received.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments,

or views with respect to these permit applications by September 25,

1998. Permit applications may be inspected by interested parties at the

Permit Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755,

Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson

Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Nadene G. Kennedy at the above address or (703) 306-1030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed

by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-541), has

developed regulations that implement the ``Agreed Measures for the

Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora'' for all United States

citizens. The Agreed Measures, developed by the Antarctic Treaty

Consultative Parties, recommended establishment of a permit system for

various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain animals and

certain geographic areas a requiring special protection. The

regulations establish such a permit system to designate Specially

Protected Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

The applications received are as follows:

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Permit Application No. 99-003

1. Applicant: Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, Department of Biology, Montana

State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Take, Enter Site of Special

Scientific Interest and Import into the U.S.A. The applicant is

continuing a study of the behavioral ecology and population biology of

the Adelie, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins and the interactions among

these species and their principal avian predators: skuas, gulls,

sheathbills, and giant petrels. The applicant proposes to band 1000

Adelie and Gentoo penguin chicks, plus adults of all three penguin

species, as needed (not greater than 150 per species), to fulfill

research goals. In addition, bands will be applied to adults and chicks

of the avian predator species as necessary. The applicant will continue

a study of the penguins' foraging habits which involves the application

of radio-transmitters (Txs), satellite tags (PTTs), and time-depth

recorders (TDRs) to a maximum of 50 adult penguins per species. The

study of foraging habits also involves the stomach pumping of a maximum

of 40 adult penguins per species. Finally the applicant will collect

one (1) milliliter blood samples from a maximum of 20 breeding adults

of each penguins species for use in DNA analysis.

The applicant also proposes to salvage carcasses and skeletons of

penguins and Antarctic flying birds for import into the U.S. for

educational and scientific study purposes. The salvaged specimens will

be returned to Montana State University for public display and teaching

aids in educational programs.

Location: Admiralty Bay (SSSI #8), King George Island, South

Shetland Islands.

Dates: September 25, 1998 to April 1, 1999.

Permit Application No. 99-004

2. Applicant: Donald B. Siniff, Department of Ecology, Evolution

and Behavior, 100 Ecology Building, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,

Minnesota 55108.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking, Export from the

U.S. and Import into the U.S. The applicant proposes to continue a

long-term study of the Weddell seal population surrounding McMurdo

Station by tagging, collection of blood, tissue and stomach samples and

attaching VHF and satellite-linked radio transmitters. Up to 600 pups

and 500 adult Weddell seals will be handled. Tags will be attached to

all pups born into the McMurdo Sound population and tags will be

replaced on those adults who have lost their tags. Blood and tissue

samples will be collected for current and future research examining the

behavioral ecology, paternity and genetic relatedness within and

between seal colonies. Additionally, blood samples will be used for

examination of blood hormones, blood chemistry and blood parasites and

various health parameters. Stomach samples will be taken to supplement

the scant data on Weddell seal prey species. These samples will be

analyzed in McMurdo or returned to the home institutions in the U.S.

VHF transmitters will be attached to the dorsal pelage of male seals

using a marine epoxy. The transmitters will permit tracking of the

seals local movements around the colonies and time spent above and

below the surface throughout the 24 hour day, which may assist in

correlating activity with paternity, as determined from the genetic

data. The transmitters will be removed or will fall off during the

annual molt. The satellite-linked radio transmitters will be attached

to the dorsal pelage of adults and pups, which will allow tracking of

the seals during the winter-over period. Demographic data collected

over the years has shown that pups tagged within the study area are

rarely seen for 4-5 years following tagging. The transmitters will help

determine where the pups go and will also collect extremely rare data

on the adult movements of seals during the winter-over months. Finally

the applicant proposes to salvage parts of seal carcasses and import

them into the U.S. for use in educational training and research. All

captured seals will be released unharmed.

Furthermore, the applicant proposes to export a skull of an

Antarctic Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) from the University of

Minnesota, through Los Angeles International Airport to McMurdo

Station, Antarctica. This skull was salvaged from a dead seal found in

McMurdo Sound in 1996 and shipped back to the United States. It is

being returned for permanent display in the Crary Science and

Engineering Center at McMurdo Station. The skull will serve as an

education tool. This particular seal was tagged in 1971 and returned to

McMurdo Sound to breed and give birth a minimum of 11 times. Displays

such as this are helpful in educating the public to the benefit and

productivity of a long term research program.

Location: McMurdo Station and McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.

Dates: October 1, 1998 to January 31, 2002.

Permit Application No. 99-005

3. Applicant: Donald B. Siniff, Department of Ecology, Evolution

and Behavior, 100 Ecology Building, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,

Minnesota 55108.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking, enter Site of

special Scientific Interest and Import into the U.S. The applicant

proposes to enter the White Island, Site of Special Scientific Interest

No. 18, for the purpose of studying the Weddell seal colony. The White

Island seal population has been a focus of interest dating to the early

1960's. this group of seals represents a isolated population that is

very small and the evidence suggests it has very limited exchange of

individuals with the McMurdo Sound population. Since intensive

censusing was begun in the late 1980's, no new untagged adults have

appeared in the population. Thus, the genetics of this population is of

interest because of the possibility of increasing the understanding of

such concepts as inbreeding depression and genetic drift. all pups born

in this colony since 1991 have been tagged, and in 1997 there was

evidence of a pup born to an individual tagged as a pup in 1991. This

observation supports the speculation of little or no emigration from

the colony. The applicant proposes to set up a temporary camp at White

Island that would be occupied by 3-4 people for up to one week in order

to continue tagging seal pups and collecting tissue and blood samples

for further study. The one week stay is long enough to ensure that each

individual at the colony has been identified, which is vital to

accurate predictions of population size and relatedness between

individuals.

Location: North-west White Island, McMurdo Sound (SSSI #18).

Dates: October 1, 1998 to January 31, 1999.

Permit Application No. 99-006

4. Applicant: Arthur L. DeVries, Ecology, Ethology & Evolution, 515

Morrill Hall, University of Illinois, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana,

Illinois 61801.

Activity for Which Permits is Requested: Introduce Non-Indigenous

Species into Antarctica. The applicant proposes to transport 15 New

Zealand black cod (Notothenia angustata) to the McMurdo Station

aquarium where the cod will be cold acclimated in a closed sea-water

system. The cod will be used in experiments to determine the role of

antifreeze glycopeptides in freezing avoidance and for isolating DNA.

The DNA will be screened for the presence of an ``unexpressed''

antifreeze

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glycopeptide gene. Sensitive blood serum freezing habit tests suggest

that cold acclimated black cod synthesize small amounts of antifreeze

glycopeptide after acclimation to +4 deg. C for 6 weeks.

Some specimens will be injected with purified antifreeze

glycopeptides to determine if the presence of the antifreeze

glycopeptides in the circulation is sufficient to provide avoidance of

freezing or if the antifreeze glycopeptides need to be integrated into

the membranes of protected cells by synthetic processes. In addition,

some specimens will be injected with small ice crystals and the fate of

the ice determined.

The integument of the cod will also be used in experiments to

determine whether it is a barrier to ice propagation due to its

physical properties or whether antifreeze gylcopeptides provide a

physio-chemical barrier in conjunction with the integument. The brain

lipids will also be analyzed to determined the degree of unsaturation

of the phospholipid fatty acids. Upon completion of the experiments,

the black cod will be sacrificed and preserved in formalin.

Location: McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica.

Dates: October 1, 1998 to February 27, 1999.

Permit Application No. 99-007

5. Applicant: William R. Fraser, Biology Department, 310 Lewis

Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking, Enter Site of

Special Scientific Interest and Enter Specially Protected Areas. The

applicant is a participant in two long-term ecological research (LTER)

programs in the western Antarctic Peninsula region. The focus of the

research is to assess how annual environmental variability affects

seabird diets, breeding success, growth rates, survival and

recruitment, behavior, population trends, foraging success and seasonal

dispersal. To accomplish these objectives, the applicant proposes to

census populations; capture, mark, and weigh a select number of adults,

chicks and eggs; and obtain diet samples through stomach lavage. The

applicant proposes to enter the following specially protected areas:

Dion Islands, Marguerite Bay (Specially Protected Area No. 8)--This

site has the only known breeding population of Emperor Penguins in the

western Antarctic Peninsula. The applicant proposes to conduct a census

in order to update the population data available on this species, since

a census has not been conducted in more than two decades.

Litchfield Island, Arthur Harbor (Specially Protected Area No. 17)

and Biscoe Point, Anvers Island (Site of Special Interest No. 20)--

These two sites near Palmer Station, Anvers Island, will serve as

research control areas. The applicant proposes to enter Litchfield

Island 2-3 times a week and Biscoe Point up to 5 times a season, for 2-

3 hours each visit, to census seabirds and seals and conduct habitat

mapping. Heavily vegetated areas will be avoided.

Avian Island, Marguerite Bay (Specially Protected Area No. 21)--

This site will serve as an alternate site in the Marguerite Bay region

for obtaining Adelie Penguin diet samples and censuses during the

annual Palmer LTER research cruise. The applicant proposes to obtain

diet samples from 20-25 penguins to determine trends in diets and

populations of this species in the Marguerite Bay region to determine

if it differs from those in the Palmer Station region due to

differences in annual sea ice conditions.

Location: Dion Island (SPA #8) and Avian Islands (SPA #21),

Marguerite Bay, Litchfield Island (SPA #17) and Biscoe Point, Anvers

Island (SSSI #20).

Dates: October 1, 1998 to April 30, 2002.

Permit Application No. 99-008

6. Applicant: William R. Fraser, Biology Department, 310 Lewis

Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking; Import into the

U.S. The applicant, during the course of normal research, occasionally

encounters specimens of various species that have died of natural

causes. The applicant proposes to salvage, on an opportunistic basis,

specimens of seabirds and seals for import to the U.S. for use in

museums and educational institutions.

Location: Palmer Station, Anvers Island and vicinity.

Dates: October 1, 1998 to April 30, 2000.

Permit Application No. 99-009

7. Applicant: William R. Fraser, Biology Department, 310 Lewis

Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking; Import into the

U.S. The applicant is a participant in two long-term ecological

research (LTER) programs in the western Antarctic Peninsula region. The

focus of the research is to assess how annual environmental variability

affects seabird diets, breeding success, growth rates, survival and

recruitment, behavior, population trends, foraging success and seasonal

dispersal. To accomplish these objectives, the applicant proposes to

census populations; capture, mark, and weigh a select number of adults,

chicks and eggs; obtain diet samples through stomach lavage, place

radio/satellite transmitters on some individuals to develop profiles on

foraging effort and dispersal; and use developing GIS/GPS technologies

to map and characterize breeding habitat features. The applicant

estimates 1,700 Adelie penguins, 1,000 Chinstrap penguins, 200 South

Polar Skuas, 100 Brown Skuas, 1,000 Giant Fulmars, 500 Blue-eyed Shags

and 500 Kelp Gulls will be involved in various parts of the research

effort. All seabirds will be released unharmed.

Location: Palmer Station, Anvers Island and vicinity.

Dates: October 1, 1998 to April 30, 2002.

Permit Application No. 99-010

8. Applicant: Rennie S. Holt, Chief Scientist, AMLR Program,

Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service,

8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093.

Activity for Which Permit is Requested: Taking, Import into the

United States, and Enter Site of Special Scientific Interest. The

applicant will be conducting ship-supported and land-based studies in

the region of the Antarctic Peninsula. Studies encompassing census

surveys, attendance, energetics, foraging, and long term monitory

(censusing/tagging) of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) will

be conducted at the AMLR Program campsite at Cape Shirreff, Livingston

Island (Site of Special Scientific Interest No. 32), Seal Island and on

the San Telmo Islands. Up to 80 adult and 1500 pups will be captured

and tagged. In addition up to 40 female/pup pairs will be captured to

quantify the foraging costs of maternal investment in pups associated

with changes in foraging strategies observed. Energetic costs and

benefits of different foraging patterns can be determined by

simultaneous measurements of energy expenditure (isotope), food intake

(isotope), dive depth, duration, time of day and dive frequency (via

TDR's) swim speed (TDR), and foraging location (satellite transmitter).

Attendance information collected from these instrumented females will

address issues such as (a) prey availability and subsequent impact on

females and pups, and (b) attendance-related factors of pup growth.

Milk extraction and gastric lavage/intubation will be used for

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energetic studies, providing trophic information.

In addition the applicant proposes to salvage bones and carcasses

of dead seals and other cetacean species found on shore for importation

to the U.S. These materials will be stored at the Southwest Fisheries

Science Center for education and research purposes.

Location: Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island (SSSI #32), Byers

Peninsula (SSSI #6), South Shetland Island, Antarctic Peninsula.

Dates: October 31, 1998 to April 1, 2001.

Nadene G. Kennedy,

Permit Officer, Officer of Polar Programs.

[FR Doc. 98-23040 Filed 8-26-98; 8:45 am]

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