2021-16992. Marine Mammals and Endangered Species

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permits, permit modifications.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that permits and permit modifications 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. 24334) and Erin Markin (Permit Nos. 21467-02 and 22822-02); 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 activities, go to www.federalregister.gov and search on the permit number provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1—Issued Permits and Permit Modifications

Permit No.	RTID	Applicant	Previous Federal Register notice	Issuance date
21467-02	0648-XB053	Karen Holloway-Adkins, Ph.D., East Coast Biologists, Inc., P.O. Box 33715, Indialantic, FL 32903	86 FR 26207; May 13, 2021	July 2, 2021.
22822-02	0648-XB053	Pamela Plotkin, Ph.D., Texas Sea Grant, Texas A&M University, 797 Lamar Street, 4115 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843	86 FR 26207; May 13, 2021	July 2, 2021.
24334	0648-XA897	Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701 (Responsible Party: Lori Quakenbush)	86 FR 11729; February 26, 2021	July 13, 2021.

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: August 5, 2021.

Amy Sloan,

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