2018-08351. 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 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:

Jennifer Skidmore (Permit No. 21339), Erin Markin (Permit Nos. 21169 and 21301), Amy Hapeman (Permit No. 21367); Courtney Smith (Permit Nos. 16479-04 and 21059), Carrie Hubard (Permit Nos. 19655-01, 19703, and 20993), and Shasta McClenahan (Permit No. 21966) 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 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 Amendment issuance date
16479-04	0648-XA84	Pacific Whale Foundation (Responsible Party: Jens Curie, M.Sc.), 300 Maalaea Road, Suite 211, Wailuku, HI 96793	82 FR 29053; June 27, 2017	March 28, 2018.
19655-01	0648-XF085	Adam Pack, Ph.D., University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720	82 FR 3727; January 12, 2017	March 30, 2018.
19703	0648-XF154	Fred Sharpe, Ph.D., Alaska Whale Foundation, 4739 University Way NE, No. 1230, Seattle, WA 98105	82 FR 4860; January 17, 2017	March 30, 2018.
20993	0648-XF154	Christopher Cilfone, Be Blue, 2569 Douglas Highway, Unit 1, Juneau, AK 99801	82 FR 29053; June 27, 2017	March 12, 2018.
21059	0648-XF378	Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (Responsible Party: Philip N. Hooge, Ph.D.), P.O. Box 140, Gustavus, AK 99826	82 FR 32328; July 13, 2017	March 30, 2018.
21169	0648-XF619	Inwater Research Group, Inc. (Responsible Party: Michael Bresette), 4160 NE Hyline Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957	82 FR 42984; September 12, 2017	March 9, 2018.
21301	0648-XF528	Kara Dodge, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MS#33, Redfield 256, Woods Hole, MA 02543	82 FR 41001; August 29, 2017	March 9, 2018.
21367	0648-XF862	Christopher Marshall, Ph.D., Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553	82 FR 60588; December 21, 2017	March 16, 2018.
21339	0648-XF871	Kerri Smith, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968	82 FR 57730; December 7, 2017	March 15, 2018.
21966	0645-XG026	Mystic Aquarium (Responsible Party: Katie Cubina), 55 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355	83 FR 8437; February 27, 2018	March 30, 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: April 17, 2018.

Julia Marie Harrison,

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