2024-02812. 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:

Amy Hapeman (Permit No. 27128), Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D. (Permit No. 21482–02), Erin Markin, Ph.D. (Permit No. 27670), and Carrie Hubard (Permit No. 26663); at (301) 427–8401.

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 https://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
21482–02	0648–XG359	Dan Engelhaupt, Ph.D., HDR, Inc., 4173 Ewell Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455	84 FR 41705, August 15, 2019	January 9, 2024.
27128	0648–XD201	Tamara McGuire, Ph.D., 5010 SW West Hills Road, Unit 1, Corvallis, OR 97333	88 FR 50112, August 1, 2023	January 16, 2024.
27670	0648–XD524	Iris Segura-García, Ph.D., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, 5600 US 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34946	88 FR 78729, November 16, 2023	January 12, 2024.
26663	0648–XC868	Alaska Whale Foundation, P.O. Box 1927, Petersburg, AK 99833 (Responsible Party: Fred Sharpe, Ph.D.)	88 FR 18299, March 28, 2023	January 30, 2024.

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: February 6, 2024.

Amy Sloan,

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