2018-15460. 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/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:

Shasta McClenahan (Permit Nos. 17845-03, 21238, 21348, and 21371), Carrie Hubard (Permit No. 22049), and Erin Markin (Permit No. 19496-01); 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
17845-03	0648-XC599	Rachel Cartwright, Ph.D., Keiki Kohola Project, 4945 Coral Way, Oxnard, CA 93035	82 FR 11180; February 21, 2017	June 14, 2018.
19496-01	0648-XG038	Mariana Fuentes, Ph.D., Florida State University, 3263 Foley Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32309	83 FR 10686; March 12, 2018	June 5, 2018.
21238	0648-XG028	Center for Whale Research (Responsible Party: Kenneth Balcomb III), 355 Smuggler's Cove Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250	83 FR 8435; February 27, 2018	June 4, 2018.
21348	0648-XG027	NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112	83 FR 11733; March 16, 2018	June 5, 2018.
21371	0648-XF968	NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543	83 FR 5614; February 8, 2018	June 4, 2018.
22049	0648-XG206	Living Planet Productions/Silverback Films (Responsible Party: Sarah Wade), 1 St. Augustine Yard, Gaunts Lane, Bristol, BS1 5DE, UK	83 FR 19710; May 4, 2018	June 7, 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: July 16, 2018.

Julia Marie Harrison,

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