Amendments to existing permits and authorizations

Requesting a Modification
This section of APPS allows the Applicant, Principal Investigator, and Primary Contact
to request changes to the issued permit.
Note: The Director, Office of Protected Resources, may amend or modify
scientific research and enhancement permits in response to or independent of a
request from the Permit Holder. Amendments and modifications are subject to
additional analyses under NEPA and the ESA.
Requests to modify the following permit specific conditions may require a new 30-day
public review and comment period:
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changing the species to be taken or imported/exported;
increasing the number of animals to be taken or imported/exported;
changing or adding locations;
changing methods; and
extending the expiration date.

Other requests such as changing personnel or allowing a film crew to accompany the
researchers may be authorized without public review.
To begin, log in to your portfolio and open the submitted or issued permit that you would
like to modify by clicking on the “file number” link. At the top of the page, you will see
a series of links including “Request a Modification.” Click on this link to open the “New
Modification Request” page (see below).

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New Modification Request Page

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Modification Request Questions
1) What changes are you requesting? (Select all that apply)
On the first page of the “New Modification Request” window, you must check the type(s)
of modification(s) you are requesting. You have the following list of options:
• Edit/Add Location
• Edit/Add Take Information
• Edit Personnel
• Permit Extension for a year or less
• Authorization to allow a film crew to accompany researchers
• Change Study Objectives/Hypotheses
• Other
Your selections will dictate which fields are available for you to edit on the screens that
follow. For example, if you select “Edit/Add Take Information” you will only be able to
modify the take table. If you decide that you need to change other parts of the permit,
you will have to return to this screen and check those options.
2) Provide a Title for your request (up to 255 characters)
Describe the modification as concisely and descriptively as possible. Be sure to enter a
modification title before logging out of the system.
3) Describe your request (no text limit)
A request to modify an issued permit should address the pertinent sections of these
instructions relevant to the requested change. Your request should include the
following information, as applicable. See corresponding sections of application above
for information required under each category below. Disregard those that do not apply to
your modification request.
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Brief narrative summary
Research timeframe and sampling season/project duration
Literature review
Purpose: hypothesis/objectives and justification (also include a report of takes
used annually to date when requesting a take increase)
Project description (include specifications for changes in methods or gear,
such as tags)
Status of the affected species (if requesting a change in species)
Lethal take (intentional or unintentional)
Anticipated effects on animals
Measures to minimize negative effects
Resources needed to accomplish objectives
Captive information
References
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For personnel changes, include qualifications/experience in each take activity
For filming authorizations, include who (names and roles of crew), what,
when, where, why, how, and products that will be developed.

Notes: If requesting a change in authorized take, please make sure to select
“Edit/Add Take Information” and edit your take table within APPS. Do not
provide a separate take table when attaching a file.
For changes in field equipment or study areas, we highly recommend that you
attach figures, maps or illustrations drawn to scale.
4) Attach a file (Optional):
If you need to attach figures, maps, or other supporting documents please attach a file.
To open the attachments window, click on the “Select File” button. Within the
attachments window, you will click on the “Browse” button, and then navigate to the
directory containing the file you wish to attach. After locating the file, click the “Attach”
button. You can attach more than one document from this window. When you have
finished attaching files, click the “Cancel” button to return to the modification request
form. If you are making substantial or complex changes to your permit, your attachment
should contain enough detail in order for reviewers to understand your request.
Click “Next >” to proceed.

Modification Types
Edit/Add Location
If you selected this option, you will see the “Modification Locations and Take
Information” screen. Currently defined locations are displayed in the lower half of the
screen. For instructions on adding locations and take information, see the “Project
Locations and Take Information” section above. There is no limit to how many locations
you can add.
To increase your action area by adding states to your action area, click on the “Change
area or state” button.
To add a new location, click on the “Add new location” button.
To edit or delete an existing location, select the location and click on the “Edit/Delete
location” button.
When you have completed changes to the location information, and if you have no other
edits, you can submit your modification request. Click the “Next>” link at the top right

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of the screen. You should now see the “Submit Modification Request” screen. You are
encouraged to preview your modification before submitting.
Edit Take Information
This option allows applicants to request a modification to the take table. Some of the
typical types of modification requests include the addition of new methods, an increase in
the number of animals taken, and the addition of new species. You may edit any part of
the take table. See the “Take Table” section above for instructions on required
information in the table.
When requesting an increase in the number of animals to be taken, make sure that you
request the total number of animals to be taken (i.e., the number of takes you are
currently authorized plus your proposed increase). Please note that requests for increases
in take of species/stocks currently authorized by the permit must demonstrate valid
justification, including a reporting of how many authorized takes you have used.
Requests that do not provide this information may be considered incomplete. Provide
justification in the “Describe your request” text box or by attaching a supporting
document.
To request to remove/delete existing take records, first check the “Select” box to the left
of the record you wish to delete, then click the “Delete selected records” button near the
top of the page. A pop-up notice box will appear that indicates that the record will still
appear in the table but is marked for deletion.
To request to modify existing take records, first check the “Select” box to the left of the
record you wish to modify, then click the “Edit selected records” button near the top of
the page. The take table should refresh with an editable copy of the original record with
the next consecutive version number. For example, if you selected line number 2 to edit,
the copied record should be line number 2, version A. Then, make the changes you
would like to the record.
When you have finished entering the edits, additions, and deletions you want to request,
click the “Save” button and then the “Next>” link. You will be taken to the “Location”
page where you can then proceed to another location for which modifications are needed
or submit your application.
Edit Personnel
Refer to the “Project Contacts” section above for instructions on editing personnel
information. The process for searching and adding contacts for modifications is the
same. When using the search function, be sure to exhaust your search (i.e., start out with
a generic search before getting too specific so that duplicate contacts are not created).
To request removal of a contact, check the box labeled “remove” to the right of the
contact’s role.

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Note: To add personnel you must attach a CV or resume for each person.

Resumes and CVs are considered part of an application’s public record and are
available to reviewers and the public. Refer to the Additional Information at the end of
this chapter. Please do not include personal information such as:
• Home address/phone number
• Date of birth
• Social security number
• Nationality
• Marital status
• Salary
As the Applicant, it is your responsibility to notify your Co-investigators that their names
and resumes will be available to the public. When you submit your modification, all Coinvestigators will receive an automatic email saying that they have been named on
your application.
Permit Extension for a year or less
If you wish to apply for a permit extension, check this box and include your proposed
extended expiration date and justification in the description of your request.
Authorization to allow a film crew to accompany researchers
If you wish to apply for an authorization to allow a film crew to accompany you during
research, check this box and provide information on who will accompany you (i.e.,
production company, names and roles of the crew), where and when filming would occur,
and the purpose of the filming (e.g., documentary on humpback whales).
Change Study Objectives/Hypotheses
If you wish to modify the study objectives/hypotheses, check this box and include the
new objectives/hypotheses the description of your request.
Other
If you check this box, please explain the modification in the description of your request.

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Submitting Your Modification Request
After moving through all of the applicable windows, you may submit your request using
the “Next >” links or click the “Submit” link near the top of the page. A window should
appear that suggests you review your request before submitting. IMPORTANT: You
must click the Click Here to Submit Modification button on this page to submit your
application. Once submitted, you will receive an automatic email saying that you have
successfully submitted your application. A permit analyst will contact you regarding
your submitted application.
Call the Permits Division at 310-713-2289 if you need assistance.

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Additional Information
Under section 104(c) of the MMPA and section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, persons may be
authorized to take marine mammals and threatened and endangered species, respectively,
for purposes of scientific research or enhancing the survival of the species. Interested
persons are required to submit an application in accordance with the Acts and the
implementing regulations at 50 CFR part 216, subpart D, and 50 CFR part 222. These
instructions for applying for a research or enhancement permit are drawn from, but do not
substitute for, ESA regulations and MMPA regulations. These regulations are available
at the following web site: http://www.gpo.gov/. MMPA section 104 is available at:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/laws/mmpa104.pdf. ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) is
available at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/laws/esa_section10.pdf.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
The information requested in this application is required and is used to determine whether
the activities described in the application are consistent with the purposes and policies of
the Acts and their implementing regulations.
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 50 hours
per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to
the Chief, Permits Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources,
F/PR1, NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.
All permit documentation, including the application, permit and amendments, reports,
inventory information, and any other associated documents are considered public
information and as such, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor
shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of
information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
OMB Control No. 0648-0084
Expiration Date: 08/31/2016

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