[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 78 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21174-21178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8226]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 010604A]


Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Port of 
Miami Construction Project (Phase II)

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

ACTION: Notice of issuance of an incidental harassment authorization.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA), notification is hereby given that an Incidental Harassment 
Authorization (IHA) has been issued to the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers-Jacksonville District (Corps) to take bottlenose dolphins 
(Tursiops truncatus), by harassment, incidental to deepening the Dodge-
Lummus Island Turning Basin in Miami, FL (Turning Basin).

DATES: This authorization is effective from April 19, 2005, through 
April 18, 2006.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the application may be obtained by writing to 
Steve Leathery, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, 
Office of Protected Species, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Md 20910, or by telephoning the 
contact listed here. Documents cited in this notice may be viewed, by 
appointment, during regular business hours, at this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Hollingshead, NMFS, (301) 
713-2055, ext 128.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 
direct the Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the 
incidental, but not intentional, taking 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 either regulations are issued or, if the taking is limited to 
harassment, a notice of a proposed authorization is provided to the 
public for review.
    Permission may be granted if NMFS finds that the taking will have a 
negligible impact on the species or stock(s), will not have an 
unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or 
stock(s) for subsistence uses, and that the permissible methods of 
taking and requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of 
such takings are set forth. NMFS has defined ``negligible impact'' in 
50 CFR 216.103 as ``an impact resulting from the specified activity 
that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, 
adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates 
of recruitment or survival.''
    Subsection 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA established an expedited 
process by which citizens of the United States can apply for an 
authorization to incidentally take small numbers of marine mammals by 
harassment. Except with respect to certain activities not pertinent 
here, the MMPA defines ``harassment'' as:
    any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) has the 
potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the 
wild [Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential to disturb a 
marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing 
disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, 
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering 
[Level B harassment].
    Section 101(a)(5)(D) establishes a 45-day time limit for NMFS 
review of an application followed by a 30-day public notice and comment 
period on any proposed authorizations for the incidental harassment of 
small numbers of marine mammals. Within 45 days of the close of the 
comment period, NMFS must either issue or deny issuance of the 
authorization.

Summary of IHA Request

    On December 1, 2003, NMFS received a request from the Corps for a 
renewal of an IHA to take bottlenose dolphins incidental to using 
blasting while deepening the Turning Basin in the Port of Miami, south 
of Dodge-Lummus Island. An IHA for this activity was issued to the 
Corps previously on May 22, 2003 (68 FR 32016, May 29, 2003). This IHA 
expired on May 21, 2004. Since the work in the Turning Basin did not 
occur during that period, a new IHA is warranted.
    The Port of Miami is one of the major terminal complexes in 
Florida. The majority of this tonnage is high-value general cargo 
transported in trailers and containers. The Port also accommodates a 
large cruise ship industry. Development has primarily centered on the 
Lummus Island terminal and container complex facilities. Expanding and 
deepening the Turning Basin would eliminate the need for vessels docked 
at Lummus Island to back to or from the Fisher Island Turning Basin.
    Completion of the dredging project may employ a hopper dredge, 
clamshell dredge, cutterhead dredge and/or confined blasting. The 
dredging will remove 1.4 million cubic yards of material from an area 
1,500 ft (457.2 m) in diameter. The Corps has contracted for dredging 
the Turning Basin to a maximum depth of 42 ft (12.8 m) plus a 2 ft 
(0.61 m) overdepth. Material removed from the dredging will be placed 
in the Miami Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site.

[[Page 21175]]

    The Corps expects the contractor will employ underwater dredging 
and confined blasting to construct the project. Blasting has the 
potential to have adverse impacts on bottlenose dolphins and manatees 
(Trichechus manatus latirostris) inhabiting the area near the project. 
While the Corps does not presently have a blasting plan from the 
contractor, which will specifically identify the number of holes that 
will be drilled, the amount of explosives that will be used for each 
hole, the number of blasts per day (usually no more than 3/day), or the 
number of days the construction is anticipated to take to complete, the 
Corps has forwarded to NMFS a description of a completed project in San 
Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico to use as an example. For that project, the 
maximum weight of the explosives used for each event was 375 lbs (170 
kg) and the contractors detonated explosives once or twice daily from 
July 16 to September 9, for a total of 38 individual detonations. 
Normal practice is for each charge to be placed approximately 5 - 10 ft 
(1.5 - 3 m) deep within the rock substrate, depending on how much rock 
needs to be broken and how deep a depth is sought. The charges are 
placed in the holes and tamped with rock. Therefore, if the total 
explosive weight needed is 375 lbs (170 kg) and they have 10 holes, 
they would average 37.5 lbs (17.0 kgs)/hole. However, a more likely 
weight for this project may be only 90 lbs (41 kgs) and, therefore, 9 
lbs(4.1 kg)/hole. Charge weight and other determinations are expected 
to be made by the Corps and the contractor approximately 30-60 days 
prior to commencement of the construction project. Because the charge 
weight and other information is not presently available, NMFS will 
require the Corps to provide this information to NMFS, including 
calculations for impact/mitigation zones (for the protection of marine 
mammals and sea turtles from injury), prior to commencing work.

Comments and Responses

    A notice of receipt of the application and proposed authorization 
was published on January 15, 2004 (69 FR 2333). That notice described 
the activity and anticipated effects on marine mammals. NMFS received 
comments from the Marine Mammal Commission (Commission) on the 
application and proposed authorization.
    Comment 1: The Commission notes that, given that the formulae for 
determining the safety zones are based on theoretical considerations 
and modeling of the sound pressure levels to which animals would be 
exposed, the Commission believes that the applicant should collect 
empirical data during its operations that could assess the accuracy of 
the model.
    Response: The caution and safety zones are based on theoretical 
models derived from empirical research conducted by Goertner (1981) and 
others. This research cannot be replicated in the United States because 
of ethical/humanitarian concerns using live animals, especially marine 
mammals. However, recent exposures of dolphin, porpoise and sea turtle 
cadavers to small-charge detonations should provide scientists with new 
information in the near future. Until the time that those results are 
available, NMFS has determined that the models provided by Young 
(1991), based on the research by Goertner (1981) are the best 
scientific information currently available. As explained in detail in 
the proposed notice and elsewhere in this document, due to the expense 
involved in calculating safety zones based on the NMFS dual criteria 
formula for explosives, the Corps adopted conservative formula, based 
on the Navy Diver Formula, to protect bottlenose dolphins and manatees 
from injury. Young's (1991) formula for open water explosions are 
provided here:
    calf porpoise (3.3 ft) safe range = 578 W(lb)\.28\
    adult porpoise (8 ft) safe range = 434 W(lb)\.28\
    small whale 20-ft safe range = 327 W(lb)\.28\
    sea turtle safe range = 560 W(lb)\.33\
    Additional information can be found in the U.S. Navy's Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) on the Shock Trial of the 
Winston S. Churchill (see 66 FR 11288, February 23, 2001). What needs 
to be understood is that studies (e.g., Nedwell and Thandavamoorthy, 
1992) have shown that stemmed/confined blasts have a greater than 90 
percent decrease in the strength of the pressure wave released as 
compared to an open water blast. Therefore, once measurements are 
conducted and the results analyzed, blast projects would be able to 
reduce their safety zones. NMFS, therefore, will require empirical 
measurements of blasts in those situations where it believes that non-
conservative values for safety zones have been adopted and will only 
recommend these measurements be made in other cases. For Corps' 
blasting projects, the Corps is analyzing sound pressure measurements 
made during a blasting project in New York harbor and the Corps has 
agreed to measure attenuation levels at this site later in 2005. While 
the results from these measurements are not available to modify the 
safety zones here, the results from these measurements will provide 
information to make future assessments for safety zones at other blast 
locations.
    Comment 2: The Commission notes that it would be useful if NMFS or 
the applicant conducted pre- and post-blast surveys, and monitor and 
map the distribution of high intensity sound resulting from the 
shallow-water blasts.
    Response: The Corps will have at least two trained biologists 
conducting a marine mammal/sea turtle watch from a small water craft 
and/or an elevated platform on the explosives barge, at least 30 
minutes before through 30 minutes after each detonation to ensure that 
there are no dolphins or sea turtles in the area at the time of 
detonation. For this project, NMFS believes that level of monitoring is 
sufficient to ensure that no bottlenose dolphins will be injured or 
killed. Unlike other detonation projects that have the option to 
relocate its activity to ensure the lowest impact practicable, channel 
deepening projects do not have the ability to relocate. The 
Commission's concern regarding mapping areas of high intensity sound 
was answered in response to comment 1.
    Comment 3: Because there are no reliable survey data for bottlenose 
dolphins in the project area, the Commission states NMFS may want to 
require the applicant conduct population surveys prior to initiating 
the proposed activities.
    Response: NMFS does not believe that marine mammal surveys of this 
immediate area are warranted for this activity since the project is 
unlikely to result in more than a brief reaction to the activity that 
will not affect the reproduction or survival of the Western North 
Atlantic coastal or offshore bottlenose dolphin stocks (i.e., no 
animals will be injured or killed as a result of this activity). The 
Corps provided information regarding a survey conducted by the NMFS, 
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami Laboratory. Studies have 
identified 159 individual animals residing in Biscayne Bay, 146 of 
which have been resighted at least one additional time. Many of these 
animals have been sighted within or transiting through the Port of 
Miami. Population studies conducted by the Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center have found that the size of the subpopulation of bottlenose 
dolphins in Biscayne Bay averages between 78 and 92 individuals (Joe 
Contillo, pers. com. May 5, 2003). These animals are part of 
significantly larger stocks of either the offshore or coastal stocks 
with a minimum population estimate of 24,897 and 2,482 animals, 
respectively. Therefore, even without marine mammal monitoring, it

[[Page 21176]]

is likely that no more than a small number of dolphins will be 
temporarily disturbed by the Corps' blasting activity in Miami Harbor.
    While such minor disturbance does not warrant implementation of a 
population abundance survey, the monitoring team will conduct 
observations from the boat prior to initiation of blasts. This will 
provide an indication whether dolphins can be expected to be in the 
area and, if so, how many animals might be present.
    However, NMFS agrees that information on the marine mammal 
distribution and abundance along the east coast of the United States 
can be improved.
    Comment 4: The Commission recommends that the proposed mitigation 
and monitoring measures be carried out as described, and that NMFS 
ensure that the proposed monitoring activities and observer effort are 
adequate to detect any marine mammals that may be within the danger or 
caution/safety zones calculated for a particular explosion.
    Response: NMFS has reviewed the Corps proposed mitigation and 
monitoring program and has determined that it will be effective, to the 
maximum extent practicable, to prevent injury or mortality to any 
bottlenose dolphins. These mitigation/ monitoring measures are 
discussed later in this document. Recognizing that bottlenose dolphins 
are easy to spot because of schooling and short dive periods, and the 
relatively small zone for injury or mortality, it is unlikely that any 
dolphins would be able to travel through the potential zone of impact 
and not be seen by the observers. Protocols have been established to 
ensure that, once a dolphin (manatee, or sea turtle) is spotted within 
the watch zone, no detonation would occur.
    Comment 5: An across-the-board definition of temporary threshold 
shift (TTS) as constituting no more than Level B harassment 
inappropriately dismisses possible injury and biologically significant 
behavioral effects (e.g., an increased risk of natural predation or 
ship strikes) that can result from repeated TTS harassment and from the 
cumulative effects of long-term exposure. The Commission therefore 
reiterated its recommendation that TTS be considered as having the 
potential to injure marine mammals (i.e., Level A harassment).
    Response: NMFS has addressed the concern of the definition of TTS 
in previous small take authorizations (66 FR 22450, May 4, 2001; 67 FR 
46712, July 16, 2002). These authorizations state that the best 
scientific information available supports NMFS' determination that TTS 
results in Level B harassment, rather than Level A harassment. 
Alternative suggestions that TTS should be considered Level A 
harassment are based on speculation due to hypothetical second level 
impacts. Without the introduction of new scientific information upon 
which NMFS can reevaluate its previous determination, additional 
discussion is not warranted at this time. NMFS encourages those 
interested in this subject to refer to the Navy Final EIS on the 
Churchill shock trial referenced previously.
    Comment 6: The Commission recommends that prior to the Corp 
(contractor) initiating blasting, NMFS review and approve the specific 
blasting plan, including the maximum weight of the explosives that will 
be used for each explosive event, the number of holes that will be 
drilled, the amount of explosives that will be used for each hole, the 
number of blasts each day, and the number of days the construction is 
anticipated to take to complete to ensure that it is within the range 
of the project provided by the applicant to NMFS as an example.
    Response: NMFS will require the Corps provide this information to 
NMFS, including calculations for impact/mitigation ranges (for the 
protection of marine mammals and sea turtles from injury), 30 days 
prior to commencing work. However, the Puerto Rico project was provided 
by the Corps as an example of an earlier project and has no 
relationship to the current Miami project. Because NMFS believes that 
it does not have the expertise to determine the adequacy of the 
dredging/blasting plan, it will leave those determinations up to the 
Corps and its contractors, but will ensure, during its review of the 
blasting plan, that the caution and safety zones are adequate to 
protect marine mammals from injury or mortality.
    Comment 7: NMFS should advise the Corps that manatees have been 
observed in this area. If there is the potential that manatees will 
also be taken incidental to the proposed activities, authorization for 
such taking would be needed from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS).
    Response: Under section 7 of the ESA, the Corps completed 
consultation with the USFWS on June 19, 2002 for this project. The 
USFWS concurred with the Corps that activities associated with the 
Corps' dredging and blasting project in the Dodge-Lummus Island Turning 
Basin were not likely to adversely affect listed species.

Description of the Marine Mammals Affected by the Activity

    General information on marine mammal species found off the East 
Coast of the United States can be found in Waring et al. (2001, 2002). 
These reports are available at the following location: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/PR2/Stock_Assessment_Program/sars.html
    The only marine mammal species likely to be found in the Turning 
Basin are the bottlenose dolphin and West Indian manatee. Manatees are 
under the jurisdiction of the USFWS. There is no stock assessment 
available concerning the status of bottlenose dolphins in the inshore 
and nearshore waters off south Florida. Additionally, while neither a 
status review nor peer-reviewed reports on the status of the Biscayne 
Bay bottlenose dolphins have been published, the Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center, NMFS, is currently working on this report. Preliminary 
information indicates a documented population of 159 bottlenose 
dolphins residing within the boundaries of the Biscayne Bay area. A 
total of 146 bottlenose dolphins have been resighted in the Port of 
Miami area at least one additional time. These animals were often 
sighted within or transiting through the Port of Miami. It is not known 
whether bottlenose dolphins inhabit the Turning Basin or whether they 
simply use the area as a transit to North Biscayne Bay or offshore via 
the main port channel. The defined stocks of bottlenose dolphins that 
reside closest to the project area, therefore, are the western North 
Atlantic coastal (central Florida management unit) and offshore stocks 
of bottlenose dolphins with a minimum population estimated to be 24,897 
for the offshore stock. Abundance of the coastal stock in central 
Florida is 10,652 in winter, but unknown in summer. Additional 
assessment information for these two stocks is available at the 
previously mentioned URL.

Potential Effects on Habitat

    The Corps expects the effects on marine mammal habitat to be 
minimal. The bottom of the basin is rock and sand, and the walls of the 
Turning Basin are vertical rock. The Corps also believes that the area 
of the Turning Basin may not be suitable habitat for dolphins in 
Biscayne Bay. It is more likely that the animals use the area to 
traverse to North Biscayne Bay or offshore via the main port channel. 
In addition, as a large number of fish are not expected to perish 
during the detonations (Corps, 2004), there will not

[[Page 21177]]

be a significant effect on dolphins' food supply.

Potential Effects on Marine Mammals

    According to the Corps, bottlenose dolphins and other marine 
mammals have not been documented as being directly affected by dredging 
activities and, therefore, the Corps does not anticipate any incidental 
harassment of bottlenose dolphins by dredging. NMFS concurs.
    In general, potential impacts to marine mammals from explosive 
detonations could include both lethal and non-lethal injury, as well as 
Level B harassment. In the absence of mitigation, marine mammals may be 
killed or injured as a result of an explosive detonation due to the 
response of air cavities in the body, such as the lungs and bubbles in 
the intestines. Effects are likely to be most severe in near surface 
waters where the reflected shock wave creates a region of negative 
pressure called ``cavitation.''
    A second possible cause of mortality is the onset of extensive lung 
hemorrhage. Extensive lung hemorrhage is considered debilitating and 
potentially fatal. Suffocation caused by lung hemorrhage is likely to 
be the major cause of marine mammal death from underwater shock waves. 
The estimated range for the onset of extensive lung hemorrhage to 
marine mammals varies depending upon the animal's weight, with the 
smallest mammals having the greatest potential hazard range.
    NMFS' criteria for determining non-lethal injury (Level A 
harassment) from explosives are the peak pressure that will result in: 
(1) the onset of slight lung hemorrhage, or (2) a 50-percent 
probability level for a rupture of the tympanic membrane. These are 
injuries from which animals would be expected to recover on their own.
    NMFS has also established dual criteria for what constitutes Level 
B acoustic harassment: (1) An energy-based temporary threshold shift 
(TTS) from received sound levels 182 dB re 1 microPa\2\-sec cumulative 
energy flux in any 1/3 octave band above 100 Hz for odontocetes 
(derived from experiments with bottlenose dolphins (Ridgway et al., 
1997; Schlundt et al., 2000); and (2) 12 psi peak pressure cited by 
Ketten (1995) as associated with a safe outer limit for minimal, 
recoverable auditory trauma (i.e., TTS). The Level B Harassment zone, 
therefore, is the distance from the mortality/serious injury zone to 
the radius where neither of these criterion is exceeded.

Mitigation and Monitoring

    In the absence of acoustic measurements (due to the high cost and 
complex instrumentation needed), in order to protect endangered, 
threatened and protected species (manatees, dolphins, sea turtles), the 
following equations have been adopted by the Corps for blasting 
projects to determine zones for injury or mortality from an open water 
explosion and to assist the Corps in establishing mitigation to reduce 
impacts to the lowest level practicable. These equations are believed 
to be conservative because they are based on humans, who are more 
sensitive than dolphins, and on unconfined charges, while the proposed 
blasts in the Turning Basin will be confined (stemmed) charges. The 
equations, based on the Navy Diver Formula, are:
    Caution Zone radius = 260 (lbs/delay)\1/3\
    Safety Zone radius = 520 (lbs/delay)\1/3\
    The Caution Zone represents the radius in feet from the detonation 
beyond which mortality is not expected from an open-water blast. The 
Safety Zone is the approximate distance in feet beyond which injury 
(Level A harassment) is unlikely from an open-water explosion. These 
zones will be used for implementing mitigation measures.
    In the Turning Basin or any area where explosives are required to 
obtain channel design depth, marine mammal/sea turtle protection 
measures will be employed by the Corps. For each explosive charge, the 
Corps will ensure that detonation will not occur if a marine mammal is 
sighted by a dedicated marine mammal/sea turtle observer within the 
safety zone, a circular area around the detonation site with the 
following radius: R = 520(W)\1/3\ (520 times the cube root of the 
weight of the explosive charge in pounds) where: R = radius of the 
safety zone in ft; W = weight of the explosive charge in lbs).
    Although the area inside the Caution Zone is considered to be an 
area for potential mortality and the area inside the safety zone to be 
an area for potential injury, the Corps and NMFS believe that because 
all explosive charges will be stemmed (placed in a drilled hole and 
tamped with rock), the areas for potential mortality and injury will be 
significantly smaller than these areas and, therefore, it is unlikely 
that even non-serious injury would occur if, as is believed to be the 
case, monitoring this zone will be effective. For example, since 
bottlenose dolphins are commonly found on the surface of the water, 
implementation of a mitigation/monitoring program is expected by NMFS 
to be 100 percent effective.
    The Corps will implement mitigation measures and a monitoring 
program that will establish both caution- and safety-zone radii to 
ensure that bottlenose dolphins will not be injured during blasting and 
that impacts will be at the lowest level practicable. Additional 
mitigation measures include: (1) confining the explosives in a hole 
with drill patterns restricted to a minimum of 8 ft (2.44 m) separation 
from any other loaded hole; (2) restricting the hours of detonation 
from 2 hours after sunrise to 1 hr before sunset to ensure adequate 
observation of marine mammals and sea turtles in the safety zone; (3) 
staggering the detonation for each explosive hole in order to spread 
the explosive's total overpressure over time, which in turn will reduce 
the radius of the caution zone; (4) capping the hole containing 
explosives with rock in order to reduce the outward potential of the 
blast, thereby reducing the chance of injuring a dolphin, manatee, or 
sea turtle; (5) matching, to the extent possible, the energy needed in 
the ``work effort'' of the borehole to the rock mass to minimize excess 
energy vented into the water column; and (6) conducting a marine 
mammal/sea turtle watch with no less than two qualified observers from 
a small water craft and/or an elevated platform on the explosives 
barge, beginning at least 30 minutes before and continuing for at least 
30 minutes after each detonation to ensure that there are no dolphins 
or sea turtles in the area at the time of detonation.
    The observer monitoring program will take place in a circular area 
at least three times the radius of the above described Caution Zone 
(called the watch zone). Any marine mammal(s) in the caution, safety, 
or watch zones will not be forced to move out of those zones by human 
intervention. Detonation shall not occur until the animal(s) move(s) 
out of the safety zone on its own volition.

Reporting

    NMFS will require the Corps to submit a report of activities 120 
days before the expiration of the IHA if the proposed work has started. 
This report will include the status of the work being undertaken, 
marine mammals sighted during the monitoring period, any behavioral 
observations made on bottlenose dolphins and any delays in detonation 
due to marine mammals or sea turtles being within the safety zone.
    In the unlikely event a marine mammal or marine turtle is injured 
or killed during blasting, the Contractor

[[Page 21178]]

shall immediately notify the NMFS Regional Office.

Endangered Species Act

    Under section 7 of the ESA, the Corps completed consultation with 
NOAA Fisheries on September 23, 2002 and with the USFWS on June 19, 
2002 for this project. Both agencies concurred with the Corps that 
activities associated with the Corps' dredging project in the Dodge-
Lummus Island Turning Basin were not likely to adversely affect listed 
species.
    Issuance of an IHA to the Corps constitutes an agency action that 
is subject to section 7 of the ESA. Although the IHA does not authorize 
takes of listed species, it is related to activities that may result in 
effects to listed marine species. As the effects of the activities on 
listed marine species were analyzed during consultation under section 7 
of the ESA between the Corps, USFWS and NMFS, and as the action has not 
changed from that considered in the consultations, the discussion of 
effects that are contained in the Biological Opinion issued by NMFS to 
the Corps on September 23, 2002 and by the USFWS' informal consultation 
pertain also to this action. In conclusion, NMFS has determined that 
issuance of an IHA does not lead to any effects to listed species apart 
from those that were considered in the consultation on the Corp's 
action.

National Environmental Policy Act

    The Corps prepared a Final EIS in 1989 for the Navigation Study for 
the Miami Harbor Channel. A copy of this document is available upon 
request (see ADDRESSES). In addition, NMFS completed an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) and made a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on 
the impacts of blasting activities in Florida waters on marine life, 
particularly bottlenose dolphins. Therefore, preparation of an EIS on 
this action is not required by section 102(2) of the NEPA or its 
implementing regulations. A copy of the EA and FONSI are available upon 
request (see ADDRESSES).

Conclusions

    NMFS has determined that the Corps' proposed action, including 
mitigation measures to protect marine mammals, should result, at worst, 
in the temporary modification in behavior by small numbers of 
bottlenose dolphins, including temporarily vacating the area to avoid 
the blasting activities and the potential for minor visual and acoustic 
disturbance from the detonations. This action is expected to have a 
negligible impact on the affected species or stocks of marine mammals. 
In addition, no take by injury and/or death is anticipated, and 
harassment takes will be at the lowest level practicable due to 
incorporation of the mitigation measures described in this document.

Authorization

    NMFS has reissued an IHA to the Corps for the potential harassment 
of small numbers of bottlenose dolphins incidental to deepening the 
Dodge-Lummus Island Turning Basin in Miami, FL (Turning Basin), 
provided the previously mentioned mitigation, monitoring, and reporting 
requirements are incorporated. NMFS has determined that the proposed 
activity would result in the harassment of only small numbers of 
bottlenose dolphins and will have no more than a negligible impact on 
this marine mammal stock.

    Dated: April 19, 2005.
Laurie K. Allen,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-8226 Filed 4-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S