Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; Proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region, for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals by harassment incidental to construction activities as part of a tidal marsh restoration project within the Minhoto-Hester Marsh in Elkhorn Slough, Monterey County, California. In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, we request comments on our proposed authorization for the applicant to take incidentally, by harassment, small numbers of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) over the course of approximately 11 months beginning between January 2017 and June 2017. We anticipate no take by injury or death and include none in this proposed authorization, which would be for take by harassment only.