2018-03509. 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 modifications.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that permits or 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 or by appointment in the Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone [phone]; fax [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carrie Hubard (File No. 20626), Shasta McClenahan (File No. 21431), Jennifer Skidmore (File No. 21315), and Amy Hapeman (File No. 18688); at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notices were published in the Federal Register on the dates listed below that requests for a permit or permit modification 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 research, go to www.federalregister.gov and search on the permit number provided in the table below.

Permit No.	RIN	Applicant	Previous Federal Register notice	Permit or modification issuance date
18688-01	0648-XD505	NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (Responsible Party: Michael Tosatto), 1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814	0648-XD505; November 21, 2017	January 31, 2018.
20626	0648-XF734	James H.W. Hain, Ph.D., Box 721, Woods Hole, MA 02543	82 FR 51397; November 6, 2017	December 22, 2017.
21315	0648-XF746	Alaska Department of Fish and Game, (Responsible Party: Lori Quakenbush), 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701	82 FR 48488; October 18, 2017	January 19, 2018.
21431	0648-XF787	Gregory Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D., Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30313	82 FR 50121; October 30, 2017	January 19, 2018.

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 Marine Mammal Protection Act 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 Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 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 15, 2018.

Julia Harrison,

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