2022-10210. 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:

Sara Young (Permit Nos. 22187-03, 22260, and 26345), Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., (Permit Nos. 25843, 26245, and 26285), Jennifer Skidmore (Permit No. 26269), and Courtney Smith, Ph.D., (Permit No. 26288); 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
22187-03	0648-XB778	Heather E. Liwanag, Ph.D., 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407	87 FR 6511; February 4, 2022	April 1, 2022.
22260	0648-XB731	Allyson Hindle, Ph.D., University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154	87 FR 3976; January 26, 2022	April 29, 2022.
25843	0648-XB837	Peggy Stap, Marine Life Studies, 6 Carlton Drive, Del Rey Oaks, CA 93940	87 FR 10337; February 24, 2022	April 21, 2022.
26245	0648-XB780	Zoological Society of San Diego, d/b/a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, P.O. Box 120551, San Diego, CA 92112 (Responsible Party: Paul Baribault)	87 FR 7159; February 8, 2022	April 4, 2022.
26269	0648-XB824	Changqun Zhang, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553	87 FR 10337; February 24, 2022	April 11, 2022.
26285	0648-XB740	The Whale Museum, P.O. Box 924, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (Responsible Party: Jenny Atkinson)	87 FR 4226; January 27, 2022	April 21, 2022.
26288	0648-XB864	Deborah Giles, Ph.D., Wild Orca, 6523 California Avenue SW #172 Seattle, WA 98136	87 FR 13270; March 9, 2022	April 29, 2022.
26345	0648-XB786	Sealight Pictures, 51A Seaview Street, Balgowlah, Sydney NSW 2093 Australia (Responsible Party: Adam Geiger)	87 FR 7155; February 8, 2022	April 21, 2022.

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 9, 2022.

Amy Sloan,

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