Incidental Take of Marine Mammals; Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Conducting Precision Strike Weapons Testing and Training by Eglin Air Force Base in the Gulf of Mexico, 8354 [E7-3242]
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8354
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices
United States ratify the Convention and
enact implementing legislation (notice
published October 19, 2005, at 70 FR
60795). With the enactment of
implementing legislation in the form of
the WCPFCIA in January 2007, and,
following action by the President, the
need to fulfill the immediate obligations
of the United States under the
Convention, NMFS seeks to build on the
earlier scoping process and is accepting
additional comments on the scope of
issues to be included in this EA.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.; 16 U.S.C.
5501 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 973 et seq.; Pub. L.
109–479, 120 Stat. 3575.
Dated: February 20, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7–3240 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 011107D]
Incidental Take of Marine Mammals;
Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental
to Conducting Precision Strike
Weapons Testing and Training by
Eglin Air Force Base in the Gulf of
Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
Notice of issuance of a letter of
authorization.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, notification is
hereby given that a letter of
authorization (LOA) to take four species
of marine mammals, by harassment,
incidental to testing and training during
Precision Strike Weapons (PSW) tests in
the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), a military
readiness activity, has been issued to
Eglin Air Force Base (AFB).
This authorization is effective
from February 20, 2007, through
February 19, 2008.
DATES:
The application and LOA
are available for review in the Permits,
Conservation, and Education Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring,
MD 20910 or by contacting one of the
individuals mentioned below (See FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:03 Feb 23, 2007
Jkt 211001
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth Hollingshead or Candace
Nachman, NMFS, (301) 713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.
1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region, if certain findings
are made by NMFS and regulations are
issued. Under the MMPA, the term
‘‘taking’’ means to harass, hunt, capture,
or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt,
capture or kill marine mammals.
Authorization, in the form of annual
LOAs, may be granted for periods up to
five years if NMFS finds, after
notification and opportunity for public
comment, that the taking will have a
negligible impact on the species or
stock(s) of marine mammals and will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses. In
addition, NMFS must prescribe
regulations that include permissible
methods of taking and other means
effecting the least practicable adverse
impact on the species and its habitat,
and on the availability of the species for
subsistence uses, paying particular
attention to rookeries, mating grounds,
and areas of similar significance. The
regulations must include requirements
pertaining to the monitoring and
reporting of such taking. Regulations
governing the taking of marine
mammals incidental to PSW testing and
training within the Eglin Gulf Test and
Training Range in the GOM, were
published on November 24, 2006 (71 FR
67810) and remain in effect from
December 26, 2006 through December
27, 2011. The four species that Eglin
AFB may take in small numbers during
PSW testing and training are Atlantic
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus), Atlantic spotted dolphins
(Stenella frontalis), dwarf sperm whales
(Kogia simus), and pygmy sperm whales
(Kogia breviceps).
Issuance of the annual LOA to Eglin
AFB is based on findings made in the
preamble to the final rule that the total
takings by this project would result in
no more than a negligible impact on the
affected marine mammal stocks or
habitats and would not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on
subsistence uses of marine mammals.
NMFS also finds that the applicant will
meet the requirements contained in the
implementing regulations and LOA,
including monitoring and reporting
requirements. Without any mitigation
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
measures, a small possibility exists for
one bottlenose dolphin and one spotted
dolphin to be exposed to blast levels
from the PSW testing sufficient to cause
mortality. Additionally, less than two
cetaceans might be exposed to noise
levels sufficient to induce Level A
harassment (injury) annually, and as
few as 31 or as many as 52 cetaceans
(depending on the season and water
depth) could potentially be exposed
(annually) to noise levels sufficient to
induce Level B harassment in the form
of temporary (auditory) threshold
shift(TTS).
While none of these impact estimates
consider the proposed mitigation
measures that will be employed by Eglin
AFB to minimize potential impacts to
protected species, NMFS has authorized
Eglin AFB to lethally take one marine
mammal, two marine mammals by Level
A harassment, and up to 53 marine
mammals by Level B harassment (TTS)
annually. However, the proposed
mitigation measures described in the
final rule (71 FR 67810, November 24,
2006) and the LOA are anticipated to
reduce potential impacts to marine
mammals in both numbers and degree
of severity. These measures include a
conservative safety range for marine
mammal exclusion; incorporation of
aerial and shipboard survey monitoring
efforts in the program both prior to and
after detonation of explosives; and a
prohibition on detonations whenever
marine mammals are detected within
the safety zone, may enter the safety
zone at the time of detonation, or if
weather and sea conditions preclude
adequate aerial surveillance. This LOA
will be renewed annually based on a
review of the activity, completion of
monitoring requirements, and receipt of
reports required by the LOA.
Dated: February 20, 2007.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7–3242 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Science Advisory Board (SAB);
Meeting
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
E:\FR\FM\26FEN1.SGM
Notice of Open Meeting.
26FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 37 (Monday, February 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 8354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3242]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 011107D]
Incidental Take of Marine Mammals; Taking of Marine Mammals
Incidental to Conducting Precision Strike Weapons Testing and Training
by Eglin Air Force Base in the Gulf of Mexico
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of authorization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that a letter of
authorization (LOA) to take four species of marine mammals, by
harassment, incidental to testing and training during Precision Strike
Weapons (PSW) tests in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), a military readiness
activity, has been issued to Eglin Air Force Base (AFB).
DATES: This authorization is effective from February 20, 2007, through
February 19, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The application and LOA are available for review in the
Permits, Conservation, and Education Division, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or by
contacting one of the individuals mentioned below (See FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Hollingshead or Candace
Nachman, NMFS, (301) 713-2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C.
1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, upon request, the incidental, but
not intentional, taking of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S.
citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial
fishing) within a specified geographical region, if certain findings
are made by NMFS and regulations are issued. Under the MMPA, the term
``taking'' means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill or to attempt to
harass, hunt, capture or kill marine mammals.
Authorization, in the form of annual LOAs, may be granted for
periods up to five years if NMFS finds, after notification and
opportunity for public comment, that the taking will have a negligible
impact on the species or stock(s) of marine mammals and will not have
an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses. In addition, NMFS must prescribe
regulations that include permissible methods of taking and other means
effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the species and its
habitat, and on the availability of the species for subsistence uses,
paying particular attention to rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of
similar significance. The regulations must include requirements
pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking. Regulations
governing the taking of marine mammals incidental to PSW testing and
training within the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range in the GOM, were
published on November 24, 2006 (71 FR 67810) and remain in effect from
December 26, 2006 through December 27, 2011. The four species that
Eglin AFB may take in small numbers during PSW testing and training are
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Atlantic spotted
dolphins (Stenella frontalis), dwarf sperm whales (Kogia simus), and
pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps).
Issuance of the annual LOA to Eglin AFB is based on findings made
in the preamble to the final rule that the total takings by this
project would result in no more than a negligible impact on the
affected marine mammal stocks or habitats and would not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on subsistence uses of marine mammals. NMFS
also finds that the applicant will meet the requirements contained in
the implementing regulations and LOA, including monitoring and
reporting requirements. Without any mitigation measures, a small
possibility exists for one bottlenose dolphin and one spotted dolphin
to be exposed to blast levels from the PSW testing sufficient to cause
mortality. Additionally, less than two cetaceans might be exposed to
noise levels sufficient to induce Level A harassment (injury) annually,
and as few as 31 or as many as 52 cetaceans (depending on the season
and water depth) could potentially be exposed (annually) to noise
levels sufficient to induce Level B harassment in the form of temporary
(auditory) threshold shift(TTS).
While none of these impact estimates consider the proposed
mitigation measures that will be employed by Eglin AFB to minimize
potential impacts to protected species, NMFS has authorized Eglin AFB
to lethally take one marine mammal, two marine mammals by Level A
harassment, and up to 53 marine mammals by Level B harassment (TTS)
annually. However, the proposed mitigation measures described in the
final rule (71 FR 67810, November 24, 2006) and the LOA are anticipated
to reduce potential impacts to marine mammals in both numbers and
degree of severity. These measures include a conservative safety range
for marine mammal exclusion; incorporation of aerial and shipboard
survey monitoring efforts in the program both prior to and after
detonation of explosives; and a prohibition on detonations whenever
marine mammals are detected within the safety zone, may enter the
safety zone at the time of detonation, or if weather and sea conditions
preclude adequate aerial surveillance. This LOA will be renewed
annually based on a review of the activity, completion of monitoring
requirements, and receipt of reports required by the LOA.
Dated: February 20, 2007.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E7-3242 Filed 2-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S