[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 57 (Friday, March 22, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 11808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7045]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 031396D]
Incidental Take of Marine Mammals; Bottlenose Dolphins and
Spotted Dolphins
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 the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given
that letters of authorization to take bottlenose and spotted dolphins
incidental to oil and gas structure removal activities were issued on
March 8, 1996, to Tatham Offshore, Inc. 7400 Texas Commerce Tower, 600
Travis, Houston, TX 77002; and Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S.,
Inc., 1250 Poydras Plaza, New Orleans, LA 70113-1892.
EFFECTIVE DATE: The letters of authorization are effective from March
8, 1996 through March 7, 1997.
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 the Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721
Executive Center Drive N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Hollingshead, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2055 or Charles Oravetz, Southeast
Region (813) 570-5312.
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 of Commerce 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 bottlenose and spotted dolphins incidental to oil and gas
structure removal activities in the Gulf of Mexico were published on
October 12, 1995 (60 FR 53139) and remain in effect until November 13,
2000.
Summary of Request
NMFS received requests for letters of authorization on February 22,
1996, from Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S., Inc., and on February
26, 1996, from Tatham Offshore, Inc. These letters request a take by
harassment of a small number of bottlenose and spotted dolphins
incidental to the above mentioned activity. Issuance of these letters
of authorization is based on a finding that the total takings will have
a negligible impact on the bottlenose and spotted dolphin stocks of the
Gulf of Mexico.
Dated: March 13, 1996.
Patricia A. Montanio,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-7045 Filed 3-21-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
