2018-20479. Marine Mammals and Endangered Species

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permits.

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:

Amy Hapeman (Permit No. 21233), Erin Markin (Permit No. 20561), and Carrie Hubard (Permit No. 22292); 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
20561	0648-XG282	Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center (Responsible Party: W. Mark Swingle), 717 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23451	83 FR 28413; June 19, 2018	8/24/18
21233	0648-XG104	NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center (Responsible Party: Theophilus Brainerd, Ph.D.), 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149	83 FR 13477; March 29, 2018	8/7/18
22292	0648-XG319	Icon Films, (Responsible Party: Laura Marshall), 3rd Floor College House, 32-36 College Green, Bristol, BS1 5SP, United Kingdom	83 FR 30916; July 2, 2018	8/3/2018

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: September 17, 2018.

Julia Marie Harrison,

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