[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 48817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24673]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 091097A]
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 1-year letters of authorization to take bottlenose and spotted
dolphins incidental to oil and gas structure removal activities were
issued on July 10, 1997, to the Coastal Oil and Gas Corporation; on
July 11, 1997, to Enron Oil and Gas Corporation; on July 18, 1997, to
the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, all of Houston, TX; on July
25, 1997, to Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S. Inc., of New Orleans,
LA; and on September 10, 1997, to the Forest Oil Corporation, of
Denver, CO, and Unocal of California, of Lafayette, LA.
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 NMFS 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 Requests
NMFS received requests for letters of authorization on June 25,
1997, from Coastal Oil and Gas Corporation; on July 11, 1997, from
Enron Oil and Gas Corporation; on June 27, 1997, from the Louisiana
Land and Exploration Company; on July 17, 1997, from Mobil Exploration
and Producing U.S. Inc.; on September 3, 1997, from the Forest Oil
Corporation, and on September 4, 1997, from Unocal of California. These
letters requested a take by harassment of a small number of bottlenose
and spotted dolphins incidental to the described activity. Issuance of
these letters of authorization are 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: September 11, 1997.
Patricia A. Montanio,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-24673 Filed 9-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
