§ 216.180 - Specified activity.

Regulations in this subpart apply only to the incidental taking of those marine mammal species specified in paragraph (b) of this section by the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, while engaged in the operation of no more than four SURTASS LFA sonar systems conducting active sonar operations, in areas specified in paragraph (a) of this section. The authorized activities, as specified in a Letter of Authorization issued under §§216.106 and 216.188, include the transmission of low frequency sounds from the SURTASS LFA sonar and the transmission of high frequency sounds from the mitigation sonar described in §216.185 during training, testing, and routine military operations of SURTASS LFA sonar.

(a) With the exception of those areas specified in §216.183(d), the incidental taking by harassment may be authorized in the areas (biomes, provinces, and subprovinces) described in Longhurst (1998), as specified in a Letter of Authorization.

(b) The incidental take, by Level A and Level B harassment, of marine mammals from the activity identified in this section is limited to the following species and species groups:

(1) Mysticete whales—blue ( Balaenoptera musculus ), fin ( Balaenoptera physalus ), minke ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ), Bryde's ( Balaenoptera edeni ), sei ( Balaenoptera borealis ), humpback ( Megaptera novaeangliae ), North Atlantic right ( Eubalaena glacialis ), North Pacific right ( Eubalena japonica ) southern right ( Eubalaena australis ), pygmy right ( Capera marginata ), bowhead ( Balaena mysticetus ), and gray ( Eschrichtius robustus ) whales.

(2) Odontocete whales—harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ), spectacled porpoise ( Phocoena dioptrica ), beluga ( Dephinapterus leucas ), Stenella spp. , Risso's dolphin ( Grampus griseus ), rough-toothed dolphin ( Steno bredanensis ), Fraser's dolphin ( Lagenodelphis hosei ), northern right-whale dolphin ( Lissodelphis borealis ), southern right whale dolphin ( Lissodelphis peronii ), short-beaked common dolphin ( Delphius delphis ), long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis ), very long-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus tropicalis ), Lagenorhynchus spp. , Cephalorhynchus spp. , bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ), Dall's porpoise ( Phocoenoides dalli ), melon-headed whale ( Peponocephala spp. ), beaked whales ( Berardius spp., Hyperoodon spp., Mesoplodon spp. , Cuvier's beaked whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ), Shepard's beaked whale ( Tasmacetus shepherdi ), Longman's beaked whale ( Indopacetus pacificus ), killer whale (Orcinus orca), false killer whale ( Pseudorca crassidens ), pygmy killer whale ( Feresa attenuata ), sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ), dwarf and pygmy sperm whales ( Kogia simus and K. breviceps ), and short-finned and long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala macrorhynchus and G. melas ).

(3) Pinnipeds—hooded seal ( Cystophora cristata ), harbor seal ( Phoca vitulina ), spotted seal ( P. largha ), ribbon seal ( P. fasciata ), gray seal ( Halichoerus grypus ), elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirostris and M. leonina ), Hawaiian monk seal ( Monachus schauinslandi ), Mediterranean monk seal ( Monachus monachus ), northern fur seal ( Callorhinus ursinus ), southern fur seal ( Arctocephalus spp. ), harp seal ( Phoca groenlandica ), Galapagos sea lion ( Zalophus californianus wollebaeki ), Japanese sea lion ( Zalophus californianus japonicus ), Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus ), California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ), Australian sea lion ( Neophoca cinerea ), New Zealand sea lion ( Phocarctos hookeri ), and South American sea lion ( Otaria flavescens ).