2023-19876. 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 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:

Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., (Permit Nos. 26939, 27038, and 27052), Malcolm Mohead (Permit Nos. 27294 and 24016–01), and Courtney Smith, Ph.D. (Permit No. 26623); at (301) 427–8401.

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 https://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
26623	0648–XC926	Erin Ashe, Ph.D., Oceans Initiative, 117 East Louisa Street No. 135, Seattle, WA 98102	88 FR 23645, April 18, 2023	August 7, 2023.
26939	0648–XC969	NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543 (Responsible Party: Jon Hare, Ph.D.)	88 FR 27451, May 2, 2023	August 28, 2023.
27038	0648–XC735	Center for Whale Research, 355 Smuggler's Cove Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (Responsible Party: Michael Weiss, Ph.D.)	88 FR 7078, February 2, 2023	August 15, 2023.
27052	0648–XC804	NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112 (Responsible Party: M. Bradley Hanson, Ph.D.)	88 FR 13100, March 2, 2023	August 25, 2023.
27294	0648–XC922	Nicole Phillips, Ph.D., The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive No. 5018, Hattiesburg, MS 39406	88 FR 24597, April 21, 2023	July 11, 2023.
24016–01	0648–XC967	Jason Kahn, Ph.D., National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910	88 FR 26523, May 1, 2023	August 17, 2023.

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: September 11, 2023.

Julia M. Harrison,

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