Notice is hereby given that Craig O'Connell, Ph.D., O'Seas Conservation Foundation, Inc., 26 South Shore Drive, Ridgefield, CT 06877, has applied in due form for a permit to con...
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice; receipt of application.
SUMMARY:
Notice is hereby given that Craig O'Connell, Ph.D., O'Seas Conservation Foundation, Inc., 26 South Shore Drive, Ridgefield, CT 06877, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial and educational photography on cetaceans.
DATES:
Written comments must be received on or before November 23, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
The application and related documents are available for review upon written request via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov.
Written comments on this application should be submitted via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please include File No. 29925 in the subject line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a written request via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. The request should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., or Sara Young, (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The subject permit is requested under the authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
The applicant requests a 2-year permit to harass and film cetaceans for a documentary film about the ecological relationships between sharks and cetaceans and the anthropogenic threats they face, including opportunistic filming of sharks feeding on marine mammal carcasses. Up to 5 humpback whales (
Megaptera novaeangliae), 5 minke whales (
Balaenoptera acutorostrata), 100 common dolphin (
Delphinus delphis), 100 Atlantic white-sided dolphins (
Lagenorhynchus acutus), and 50 bottlenose dolphins (
Tursiops truncatus) may be harassed, observed, and filmed annually by vessel, unmanned aircraft system, and underwater divers.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321et seq.), an initial determination has been made that the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register
, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
Dated: October 19, 2026.
Larissa Plants,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
16 U.S.C. 1361
50 CFR part 216