Document

Marine Mammals and Endangered Species

Notice is hereby given that permits have been issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  1. [RTID 0648-XF740]

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permits, including permit amendments.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that permits have been issued 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 .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Courtney Smith, Ph.D. (File Nos. 24378, 29471, and 29565), Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D. (File Nos. 23966, 29070, and 29154), Amy Hapeman (File No. 29017), and Jennifer Skidmore (File No. 28985); at (301) 427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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. Notices were published in the Federal Register on the dates listed below that requests had been submitted. To locate the Federal Register notice that announced our receipt of the application and a complete description of the activities, go to https://www.federalregister.gov and search for the file number provided in table 1 below.

Table 1—Issued Permits

File No. Version No. RTID Applicant Previous Federal Register notice Issuance date
23966 01 0648-XB412 Christopher Cilfone, Kohola Film Project, 61 Loa Place, Lahaina, HI 96761 86 FR 50704, September 10, 2021 April 29, 2026.
24378 02 0648-XE954 University of Alaska Southeast-Sitka, 1332 Seward Avenue, Sitka, AK 99835 (Responsible Party: Jan Straley) 90 FR 23519, June 3, 2025 April 17, 2026.
28985 N/A 0648-XF551 Minnesota Zoological Gardens, 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 55124 (Responsible Party: John Frawley) 91 FR 8467, February 23, 2026 April 29, 2026.
29017 N/A 0648-XF059 Alaska Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802 (Responsible Party: Lori Quakenbush, Ph.D.) 90 FR 44648, September 16, 2025 April 22, 2026.
29070 N/A 0648-XF512 University of Florida, 2015 Southwest 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32608 (Responsible Party: Michael Walsh, DVM) 91 FR 5729, February 9, 2026 April 8, 2026.
29154 N/A 0648-XF513 Briana Witteveen, Ph.D., University of Alaska Fairbanks, 4422 SE 50th Avenue, Portland, OR 97206 91 FR 5726, February 9, 2026 April 29, 2026.
29471 N/A 0648-XF419 Fort Wayne Zoo, 3411 Sherman Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46808 (Responsible Party: Rick Schuiteman) 91 FR 5928, February 10, 2026 April 15, 2026.
29565 N/A 0648-XF543 Mission Partners Entertainment Group, 5500 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 (Responsible Party: Greg Eliason) 91 FR 12172, March 12, 2026 April 29, 2026.

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 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.

Dated: May 18, 2026.

Shannon Bettridge,

Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026-10166 Filed 5-20-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Legal Citation

Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

91 FR 29942

Web Citation

Suggested Web Citation

Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.

“Marine Mammals and Endangered Species,” thefederalregister.org (May 21, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-10166/marine-mammals-and-endangered-species.