2021-09976. 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.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that permits and 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 via email to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy Hapeman (Permit No. 25498), Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D. (Permit Nos. 22306 and 23675), Jennifer Skidmore (Permit No. 23960 and 24395), Courtney Smith, Ph.D. (Permit No. 24378), and Sara Young (Permit No. 23188-01); 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 activities, go to www.federalregister.gov and search on the permit number provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1—Issued Permits and Permit Amendments

Permit No.	RTID	Applicant	Previous Federal Register notice	Issuance date
22306	0648-XA897	NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037 (Responsible Party: David W. Weller, Ph.D.)	86 FR 11729; February 26, 2021	April 21, 2021.
23188-01	0648-XA896	Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California at Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (Responsible Party: Daniel Costa, Ph.D.)	86 FR 11930; March 1, 2021	April 27, 2021.
23675	0648-XA897	Brianna Witteveen, Ph.D., University of Alaska Fairbanks, 118 Trident Way, Kodiak, AK 99615	86 FR 11729; February 26, 2021	April 13, 2021.
23960	0648-XA912	Minnesota Zoological Gardens, 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 55124 (Responsible Party: Tony Fisher)	86 FR 12918; March 5, 2021	April 30, 2021.
24378	0648-XA897	University of Alaska Southeast—Sitka Campus, 1332 Seward Avenue Sitka, AK 99835 (Responsible Party: Janice Straley)	86 FR 11729; February 26, 2021	April 29, 2021.
24395	648-XA893	Lorrie Rea, Ph.D., University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop ELIF Suite 240, Fairbanks, AK 99775	86 FR 11730; February 26, 2021	April 15, 2021.
25498	0648-XA914	Titan Productions, Limited, 51-55 Whiteladies Road Bristol, BS8 2LY, United Kingdom (Responsible Party: Lucy Meadows)	86 FR 12926; March 5, 2021	April 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: May 6, 2021.

Julia Marie Harrison,

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