Fish and Wildlife Service July 23, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in response to a request under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended, from Turnagain Marine Construction, propose to authorize nonlethal, incidental take by harassment of small numbers of Southcentral Alaska stock northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) from July 19, 2024, to July 18, 2025. The applicant has requested this authorization for take by harassment that may result from activities associated with pile driving and marine construction activities on the western shore of Passage Canal in Whittier, Alaska. We estimate that this project may result in the nonlethal incidental take by harassment of up to 162 northern sea otters from the Southcentral stock. This proposed authorization, if finalized, will be for up to 17 takes of northern sea otters by Level A harassment and 145 takes of northern sea otters by Level B harassment. Neither the applicant nor the FWS anticipated any lethal take, and the FWS does not propose to authorize any lethal take. We invite comments on the proposed incidental harassment authorization and the accompanying draft environmental assessment from the public, and local, State, Tribal and Federal agencies.