[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 41 (Friday, March 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13865-13867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04791]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC462


Incidental Taking of Marine Mammals; Taking of Marine Mammals 
Incidental to the Explosive Removal of Offshore Structures in the Gulf 
of Mexico

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

ACTION: Notice; issuance of Letters of Authorization (LOA).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and 
implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has 
issued one-year LOAs to take marine mammals incidental to the explosive 
removal of offshore oil and gas structures (EROS) in the Gulf of 
Mexico.

DATES: These authorizations are effective from February 27, 2013 
through July 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES: The application and LOAs are available for review by writing 
to P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office 
of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3235 or by telephoning the 
contact listed here (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or online 
at:

[[Page 13866]]

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm. Documents cited in 
this notice may be viewed, by appointment, during regular business 
hours, at the aforementioned address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Howard Goldstein or Jolie Harrison, 
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 301-427-8401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 
1361 et seq.) directs the Secretary of Commerce (who has delegated the 
authority to NMFS) to allow, upon request, the incidental, but not 
intentional, taking of small numbers of marine mammals by United States 
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 ``take'' 
means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt, 
capture, or kill any marine mammal.
    Authorization for incidental taking, in the form of annual LOAs, 
may be granted by NMFS for periods up to five years if NMFS finds, 
after notice and opportunity for public comment, that the total taking 
over the five-year period 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 (where relevant). In addition, NMFS must prescribe regulations 
that include permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting 
the least practicable adverse impact on the species and its habitat 
(i.e., mitigation), and on the availability of the species for 
subsistence uses, paying particular attention to rookeries, mating 
rounds, and areas of similar significance. The regulations also must 
include requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such 
taking.
    Regulations governing the taking of marine mammals incidental to 
EROS were published on June 19, 2008 (73 FR 34875), and remain in 
effect through July 19, 2013. For detailed information on this action, 
please refer to that Federal Register notice. The species that 
applicants may take in small numbers during EROS activities are 
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Atlantic spotted dolphins 
(Stenella frontalis), pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella 
attenuata), Clymene dolphins (Stenella clymene), striped dolphins 
(Stenella coeruleoalba), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), 
rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis), Risso's dolphins (Grampus 
griseus), melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra), short-finned 
pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), and sperm whales (Physeter 
macrocephalus). NMFS received requests for LOAs from Energy Resource 
Technology GOM, Inc. (ERT) and Demex International, Inc. (Demex) for 
activities covered by EROS regulations.

Reporting

    NMFS Galveston Laboratory's Platform Removal Observer Program 
(PROP) has provided reports for ERT's removal of offshore structures 
during 2012. Demex does not have reports for any operations to date. 
NMFS PROP observers and non-NMFS observers reported the following 
during ERT's EROS operations in 2012:

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                                                                         Marine mammals      Biological impacts
     Company             Structure                  Dates                    sighted         observed to  marine
                                                                          (individuals)            mammals
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ERT..............  South Marsh Island    May 2 to 7, 2012...........  Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Area, Block 15,                                    (99).
                    Platform A.
ERT..............  East Cameron Area,    May 8 to 14, 2012..........  Spotted dolphins      None.
                    Block 185, Platform                                (28); Unidentified
                    C.                                                 dolphins (6).
ERT..............  East Cameron Area,    May 15 to 21, 2012.........  Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Block 184, Platform                                (25); Spotted
                    A.                                                 dolphins (13).
ERT..............  Vermilion Area,       May 20 to 23, 2012.........  Spotted dolphins      None.
                    Block 162, Platform                                (23).
                    C.
ERT..............  Vermilion Area,       May 23 to June 2, 2012.....  None................  None.
                    Block 250, Platform
                    I.
ERT..............  Vermilion Area,       June 3 to 8, 2012..........  Spotted dolphins      None.
                    Block 182, Platform                                (22).
                    JA.
ERT..............  South Timbalier       June 3 to 4, 2012; June 17   Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Area, Block 63,       to 19, 2012.                 (51).
                    Caisson 18.
ERT..............  South Timbalier       June 5 to 8, 2012..........  Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Area, Block 63,                                    (19).
                    Caisson 23.
ERT..............  Vermilion Area,       June 8 to 15, 2012.........  Spotted dolphins      None.
                    Block 182, Platform                                (22).
                    JB.
ERT..............  South Timbalier       June 9 to 14, 2012.........  Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Area, Block 63,                                    (22); Unidentified
                    Caisson I.                                         dolphins (50).
ERT..............  South Timbalier       June 14 to 16, 2012........  None................  None.
                    Area, Block 63,
                    Caisson J.
ERT..............  Ship Shoal Area,      August 15 to 20, 2012......  Bottlenose dolphins   None.
                    Block 223, Platform                                (23).
                    F.
ERT..............  South Timbalier       August 21 to 22, 2012......  None................  None.
                    Area, Block 63,
                    Caisson 21.
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    Pursuant to these regulations, NMFS has issued LOAs to ERT and 
Demex. Issuance of the LOAs is based on a finding made in the preamble 
to the final rule that the total taking over the five-year period (with 
monitoring, mitigation, and reporting measures) will have a negligible 
impact on the affected species or stock(s) of marine mammals and will 
not have an unmitigable adverse impact on subsistence uses. NMFS will 
review reports to ensure that the applicants are in compliance with 
meeting the requirements contained in the implementing regulations and 
LOA, including monitoring, mitigation, and reporting requirements.


[[Page 13867]]


    Dated: February 26, 2013.
Helen M. Golde,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-04791 Filed 2-28-13; 8:45 am]
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