2022-22089. Marine Mammals and Endangered Species

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permits and permit amendments.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that permits and permit amendments have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

ADDRESSES:

The permits and related documents are available for review upon written request via email to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Erin Markin, Ph.D. (Permit No. 26591), Jennifer Skidmore (Permit No. 26667, 26678, and 26708), and Sara Young (Permit No. 21018); at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notices were published in the Federal Register on the dates listed below that requests for a permit or permit amendment had been submitted by the below-named applicants. To locate the Federal Register notice that announced our receipt of the application and a complete description of the activities, go to www.federalregister.gov and search on the permit number provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1—Issued Permits and Permit Amendments

Permit No.	RTID	Applicant	Previous Federal Register notice	Issuance date
21018-01	0648-XF536	Brent Stewart, Ph.D., Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, 2595 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA 92109	82 FR 48985; October 23, 2017	September 26, 2022.
26591	0648-XC141	BBC Natural History and Factual Productions, Ltd., Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, UK W12 7FA	87 FR 39803; July 5, 2022	September 2, 2022.
26667	0648-XC179	North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management (Taqulik Hepa, Responsible Party), P.O. Box 69, Barrow, AK 99723	87 FR 43499; July 21, 2022	September 20, 2022.
26678	0648-XC256	Matson Laboratory (Carolyn Nistler, Responsible Party), 135 Wooden Shoe Lane, Manhattan, MT 59741	87 FR 48649; August 10, 2022	September 27, 2022.
26708	0648-XC255	Chicago Zoological Society (Michael J. Adkesson, D.V.M., Responsible Party), 3300 South Golf Road, Brookfield, Illinois 60513	87 FR 49808; August 12, 2022	September 28, 2022.

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 activities proposed are categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

As required by the ESA, as applicable, issuance of these permit was based on a finding that such permits: (1) were applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in Section 2 of the ESA.

Authority: The requested permits have been issued under the MMPA 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 ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), as applicable.

Dated: October 5, 2022.

Julia M. Harrison,

Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.