[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 48817]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24673]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 091097A]


Incidental Take of Marine Mammals; Bottlenose Dolphins and 
Spotted Dolphins

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

ACTION: Notice of issuance of letters of authorization.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as 
amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given 
that 1-year letters of authorization to take bottlenose and spotted 
dolphins incidental to oil and gas structure removal activities were 
issued on July 10, 1997, to the Coastal Oil and Gas Corporation; on 
July 11, 1997, to Enron Oil and Gas Corporation; on July 18, 1997, to 
the Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, all of Houston, TX; on July 
25, 1997, to Mobil Exploration and Producing U.S. Inc., of New Orleans, 
LA; and on September 10, 1997, to the Forest Oil Corporation, of 
Denver, CO, and Unocal of California, of Lafayette, LA.

ADDRESSES: The applications and letters are available for review in the 
following offices: Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and the Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721 
Executive Center Drive N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Hollingshead, Office of 
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2055 or Charles Oravetz, Southeast 
Region (813) 570-5312.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 
1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on 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 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.
    Permission may be granted for periods up to 5 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 
bottlenose and spotted dolphins incidental to oil and gas structure 
removal activities in the Gulf of Mexico were published on October 12, 
1995 (60 FR 53139), and remain in effect until November 13, 2000.

Summary of Requests

    NMFS received requests for letters of authorization on June 25, 
1997, from Coastal Oil and Gas Corporation; on July 11, 1997, from 
Enron Oil and Gas Corporation; on June 27, 1997, from the Louisiana 
Land and Exploration Company; on July 17, 1997, from Mobil Exploration 
and Producing U.S. Inc.; on September 3, 1997, from the Forest Oil 
Corporation, and on September 4, 1997, from Unocal of California. These 
letters requested a take by harassment of a small number of bottlenose 
and spotted dolphins incidental to the described activity. Issuance of 
these letters of authorization are based on a finding that the total 
takings will have a negligible impact on the bottlenose and spotted 
dolphin stocks of the Gulf of Mexico.

    Dated: September 11, 1997.
Patricia A. Montanio,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-24673 Filed 9-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F