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-XF963]

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; issuance of permits, including 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:

Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D. (File Nos. 25740, 25885, and 29287), Amy Hapeman (File No. 25563), Courtney Smith, Ph.D. (File No. 25508), and Jennifer Skidmore (File No. 24054); 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 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
24054 01 0648-XB503 Terrie Williams, Ph.D., University of California at Santa Cruz, Long Marine Lab, Center for Ocean Health, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 86 FR 56900, October 13, 2021 August 31, 2026.
25508 01 0648-XB173 SeaWorld, LLC, 6240 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32821 (Responsible Party: Christopher Dold, DVM) 86 FR 50704, September 10, 2021 August 27, 2026.
25563 03 0648-XD609 NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Marine Mammal Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 (Responsible Party: Nancy Friday, Ph.D.). 89 FR 27419, April 17, 2024 August 11, 2026.
25740 03 0648-XB573 Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA 02657 (Responsible Party: Anne-Marie Runfola) 86 FR 62516, November 10, 2021 August 10, 2026.
25885 01 0648-XB792 Peter Thielen, D. Eng., Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723 87 FR 7820, February 10, 2022 August 10, 2026.
29287 N/A 0648-XF860 NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037 (Responsible Party: David Weller, Ph.D.) 91 FR 39603, June 30, 2026 August 26, 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 ( printed page 57863) 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: September 9, 2026.

Larissa Plants,

Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026-18621 Filed 9-10-26; 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 57862

Web Citation

Suggested Web Citation

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

“Marine Mammals and Endangered Species,” thefederalregister.org (September 11, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-18621/marine-mammals-and-endangered-species.