[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30080]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: December 7, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 112194B]
Small Takes of Ringed Seals Incidental to On-Ice Seismic Activity
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of letters of authorization.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 101(a)(5) of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, and implementing regulations,
notification is hereby given that letters of authorization to take
ringed seals incidental to on-ice seismic operations in the Beaufort
Sea off Alaska were issued on December 1, 1994 to BP Exploration,
Western Geophysical, and Schlumberger, all of Anchorage, AK.
DATES: These letters of authorization are effective from December 1,
1994 until December 1, 1995.
ADDRESSES: The applications and letters are available for review in the
following offices: Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and Western Alaska Field Office, NMFS,
701 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99513.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Hollingshead, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2055 or Ron Morris, Western Alaska
Field Office, NMFS, (907) 271-5006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.
1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on request, the incidental, but
not intentional, taking of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S.
citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial
fishing) within a specified geographical region, if certain findings
are made, and regulations are issued. Under the MMPA, the term
``taking'' means to harass, hunt, capture or kill or to attempt to
harass, hunt, capture or kill marine mammals.
Permission may be granted for periods up to 5 years if the
Secretary finds, after notification and opportunity for public comment,
that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or
stock(s) of marine mammals and will not have an unmitigable adverse
impact on the availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence
uses. In addition, NMFS must prescribe regulations that include
permissible methods of taking and other means effecting the least
practicable adverse impact on the species and its habitat, and on the
availability of the species for subsistence uses, paying particular
attention to rookeries, mating grounds and areas of similar
significance. The regulations must include requirements pertaining to
the monitoring and reporting of such taking. Regulations governing the
taking of ringed seals incidental to on-ice seismic activities were
promulgated on January 13, 1993 (58 FR 4091) and remain in effect until
December 31, 1997.
Summary of Requests
NMFS received requests for letters of authorization on the dates
specified from: (1) BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., 900 East Benson Blvd.
P.O. Box 196612, Anchorage, AK 99519-6612 (July 15, 1994, revised
September 20, 1994); (2) Western Geophysical/ Western Atlas
International, Inc. 351 E. International Airport Road, Anchorage, AK
99518-1299 (November 4, 1994); and (3) Schlumberger, 500 W.
International Airport Road, Anchorage, AK 99518 (October 31, 1994). All
letters request a take by harassment of a small number of ringed seals
incidental to on-ice seismic work in the Beaufort Sea, AK.
Issuances of these letters are based on findings that the total
takings will have a negligible impact on the ringed seal species or
stock and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of this species for subsistence uses.
Dated: December 1, 1994.
P.A. Montanio,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-30080 Filed 12-6-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
