[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 131 (Friday, July 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30879-30881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-12999]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE930]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities;
Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the City of Ketchikan's Berth III
Mooring Dolphins Project in Ketchikan, Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of incidental harassment authorization.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with regulations implementing the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that
NMFS has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the
City of Ketchikan (COK) for authorization to take marine mammals
incidental to the Berth III Mooring Dolphins Project in the Port of
Ketchikan in the Tongass Narrows, Alaska.
DATES: This IHA is effective for one year from the date of
effectiveness.
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the application and supporting
documents, as well as a list of the references cited in this document,
can be obtained online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-authorization-city-ketchikans-berth-iii-mooring-dolphins-project-port. For any issues accessing these documents, please
contact the person listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Krista Graham, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
MMPA Background and Determinations
The MMPA prohibits the ``take'' of marine mammals, with certain
exceptions. Among the exceptions is section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA
(16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), which directs the Secretary of Commerce (as
delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking by harassment 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 the public has an opportunity to comment on the proposed IHA.
Specifically, NMFS will issue an IHA if it determines that the
taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stock(s) and
will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the
species or stock(s) for taking for subsistence uses (where applicable).
Further, NMFS must prescribe the permissible methods of taking and
other ``means of effecting the least [practicable] adverse impact'' on
the affected species or stocks and their habitat, paying particular
attention to rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of similar
significance, and on the availability of such species or stocks for
taking for certain subsistence uses (referred to here as
``mitigation''). NMFS must also prescribe requirements for monitoring
and reporting of such takings. The definitions of key terms, such as
``take,'' ``harassment,'' and ``negligible impact,'' can be found in
the MMPA and the NMFS' implementing regulations (see 16 U.S.C. 1362; 50
CFR 216.103).
On April 16, 2025, a notice of NMFS' proposal to issue an IHA to
the COK for take of marine mammals incidental to the Berth III Mooring
Dolphins Project in the Port of Ketchikan in the Tongass Narrows,
Alaska, was published in the Federal Register (90 FR 15957). In that
notice, NMFS provided the estimated numbers, type, and methods of
incidental take proposed for each species or stock, as well as the
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting measures that would be required
should the IHA be issued. The Federal Register notice also included
analysis to support NMFS' preliminary conclusions and determinations
that the IHA, if issued, would satisfy the requirements of section
101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA for issuance of the IHA. The Federal Register
notice included web links to a draft IHA for review, as well as other
supporting documents.
No substantive comments were received during the public comment
period. Except for the relatively minor changes described below, and
upon which we provide a comparison table that includes the original
proposed authorized take compared to the updated final authorized take
(table 1), an updated authorized take by Level A and Level B harassment
and as a percentage of stock abundance table (table 2), and a table
with the updated shutdown and monitoring zones (table 3), there are no
changes to the specified activity, the species taken, the type or
methods of take, or the mitigation, monitoring, or reporting measures
in the proposed IHA notice. No new information has become available
that would substantively change any of the preliminary analyses,
conclusions, or determinations in the proposed IHA. Therefore, the
preliminary analyses, conclusions, and determinations included in the
proposed IHA are considered final.
Changes From the Proposed IHA to the Final IHA
Upon close inspection of the proposed Federal Register notice, we
identified either relatively minor numerical errors that were carried
over from the application (e.g., numbers were transposed in a table) or
systematic calculation errors. Numerical errors carried over from the
application included the following:
(a) In table 5 (Proxy Sound Source Levels for Pile Sizes and
Driving Methods) of the proposed IHA (90 FR 15957, April 16, 2025), the
cumulative sound source level at 10 meters (m) for impact installation
of 48-inch piles (1.22 m) used 179 decibels (dB) sound exposure level
(SEL) (referenced to 1 micropascal squared per second (re
1[micro]Pa\2\sec) instead of 180 dB SEL re 1[micro]Pa\2\sec.
Additionally, the sound source level at 10 m for the installation of
down-the-hole (DTH) anchors (12-inch (0.30 m)) was specified as 146 dB
re 1[micro]Pa peak and 172 dB re 1[micro]Pa\2\sec SEL, instead of the
inverse (172 dB re 1[micro]Pa peak and 146 dB re 1[micro]Pa\2\sec SEL).
(b) In table 6 (User Spreadsheet Input Parameters Used for
Calculating Level A Harassment Isopleths) of the proposed IHA (90 FR
15957, April 16, 2025), a strike per second or strike rate of 5.8 was
used instead of 8.5 for DTH sockets (30-inch (0.76 m), 36-inch (0.91
m), and 48-inch). For DTH anchors (12-inch), a strike rate of 5.8 was
used instead of 19.2. Additionally, a weighting factor adjustment of
2.5 kilohertz (kHz) was used instead of 2 kHz for DTH anchors (12-
inch).
(c) Once we corrected the numerical errors described above, the
calculated Level A harassment isopleths for DTH sockets (30-, 36-, and
48-inch) and DTH anchors (12-inch) (table 7 of the proposed IHA (90 FR
15957, April 16, 2025)) were adjusted slightly upwards,
[[Page 30880]]
i.e., the Level A harassment zones (measured in meters) were marginally
expanded outward.
(d) Carrying these revised isopleth calculations forward included
updating the calculated ratio of the average Level A isopleth to the
average Level B isopleth for each hearing group. For example, the ratio
for low-frequency cetaceans increased from 0.100 square kilometers
(km\2\) to 0.124 km\2\. These slightly enlarged isopleth ratios for
each functional hearing group resulted in slight upward adjustments to
the calculated Level A takes for some species, such as the humpback
whale (Hawai'i stock), harbor porpoise, Dall's porpoise, Steller sea
lion, and harbor seal (see table 1 below).
(e) In addition to correcting minor numerical errors carried over
from the application, we identified an inadvertent systematic error in
our calculations. For instance, as discussed in the proposed IHA (90 FR
15957, April 16, 2025), due to the size and frequency of some species,
we subjectively adjusted a single Level A take downward to zero. As
such, we should have added a single take to the total Level B take;
thereby, the total proposed take would have remained the same (e.g.,
fin whale, gray whale, killer whale, California sea lion, and northern
fur seal). This inadvertent error also applied when we subjectively
adjusted a Level A take upwards. For example, as discussed in the
proposed IHA (90 FR 15957, April 16, 2025), the calculated take for
Pacific white-side dolphins was originally 2 Level A takes; however, we
subjectively increased this to 20 Level A takes (i.e., added 18 Level A
takes) to match the average group size of the species. Therefore, we
should have subtracted the same amount from the Level B takes (i.e.,
subtracted 18 Level B takes). This method would have kept the total
proposed take of Pacific white-sided dolphins at 475. We have corrected
these errors and provided the updated authorized take (Level A, Level
B, and total proposed take) in Table 1, and updated authorized take and
``percent of stock'' calculations in table 2.
(f) Finally, based on the corrected Level A isopleths, we updated
the shutdown zones for the installation of DTH sockets (30-, 36-, and
48-inch) and DTH anchors (12-inch) (see table 3).
Table 1--Changes to Estimated Take by Level A and Level B Harassment between Proposed and Final IHA
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Proposed take Final authorized take
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Common name Stock Total
Level A Level B proposed Level A Level B Total
take take
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Humpback whale\1\ \2\........... Hawai[revaps]i.... 10 83 93 12 81 93
Fin whale \3\................... Northeast Pacific. 0 3 3 0 4 4
Gray whale \3\.................. Eastern North 0 5 5 0 6 6
Pacific.
Killer whale \3\................ Eastern North 0 55 55 0 56 56
Pacific Alaska
Resident.
Eastern North
Pacific Northern
Resident.
West Coast
Transient.
Pacific white-sided dolphin \3\. North Pacific..... 20 473 493 20 455 475
Harbor porpoise \2\............. Southern Southeast 10 46 56 11 45 56
Alaska Inland
Waters.
Dall's porpoise \2\............. Alaska............ 15 69 84 16 67 83
Steller sea lion \2\............ Eastern U.S....... 30 1,780 1,810 44 1,766 1,810
California sea lion \3\......... U.S............... 0 2 2 0 3 3
Northern fur seal \3\........... Eastern Pacific... 0 1 1 0 2 2
Harbor seal \2\................. Clarence Strait... 129 1,365 1,494 145 1,349 1,494
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\1\ For MMPA take apportionment and Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 consultation purposes, 2.4 percent of
animals are designated to the Mexico-North Pacific stock (Mexico distinct population segment (DPS)), and the
remaining animals are designated to the Hawai'i stock (Hawai[revaps]i DPS) (Wade 2021).
\2\ The revised average Level A to Level B isopleth ratios resulted in slight upward adjustments to Level A take
(see paragraph (d) above for more information).
\3\ Level A take numbers were subjectively adjusted (see paragraph (e) above for more information).
Table 2--Updated Authorized Take by Level A and Level B Harassment and as a Percentage of Stock Abundance
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Authorized take
Stock ------------------------------- Percent
Common name Stock abundance \1\ Total of stock
Level A Level B take
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Hawai[revaps]i...... 11,278 12 81 93 0.8
Humpback whale \2\............... Mexico-North Pacific \3\ N/A 1 2 3 N/A
Minke whale...................... Alaska.............. N/A 0 1 1 N/A
Fin whale........................ Northeast Pacific... \4\ UND 0 4 4 N/A
Gray whale....................... Eastern North 26,960 0 6 6 0.02
Pacific.
Killer whale..................... Eastern North 1,920 0 56 56 2.9
Pacific Alaska
Resident.
Eastern North 302 18.5
Pacific Northern
Resident.
West Coast Transient 349 16.0
Pacific white-sided dolphin...... North Pacific....... 26,880 20 455 475 1.8
Harbor porpoise.................. Southern Southeast 890 11 45 56 6.3
Alaska Inland
Waters.
Dall's porpoise.................. Alaska.............. UND 16 67 83 N/A
Steller sea lion................. Eastern U.S......... 36,308 44 1,766 1,810 5.0
California sea lion.............. U.S................. 257,606 0 3 3 0.0012
Northern fur seal................ Eastern Pacific..... 612,765 0 2 2 0.0003
Harbor seal...................... Clarence Strait..... 27,659 145 1,349 1,494 5.4
Northern elephant seal........... California.......... 187,386 3 21 24 0.01
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\1\ Stock size is Nbest (i.e., the statistical estimate of the overall population size) according to the NMFS
2024 Draft Stock Assessment Reports (SAR).
\2\ For MMPA take apportionment and ESA section 7 consultation purposes, 2.4 percent of animals are designated
to the Mexico-North Pacific stock, and the remaining animals are designated to the Hawai[revaps]i stock (Wade
2021).
\3\ N/A indicates data are not available or unknown.
\4\ UND (undetermined) indicates data are unavailable for calculating stock abundance data (see the SAR for
details).
[[Page 30881]]
Table 3--Updated Shutdown and Monitoring Zones for Each Driving/Removal Activity
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Low High Very high
frequency frequency frequency Phocid Otariid Level B
Pile size cetacean cetacean cetacean pinniped pinniped Harassment
shutdown shutdown shutdown shutdown shutdown zone (m)
area (m) area (m) area (m) area (m) area (m)
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Vibratory Pile Driving/Removal
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30-, 36-inch piles up to 8 hrs......... 80 40 70 110 40 11,660
30-, 36-inch piles up to 14 hrs........ 120 50 100 150 50
48-inch piles up to 8 hrs.............. 180 70 140 230 80 \2\ 12,500
48-inch piles up to 14 hrs............. 250 100 210 \1\ 300 110
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Impact Pile Driving
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30-inch piles 1-500 strikes (10 min)... 250 40 \1\ 300 230 90 1,000
30-inch piles 501-1,000 strikes (20 400 60 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 140
min)..................................
30-inch piles 1,001-1,500 strikes (30 520 70 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 180
min)..................................
36-inch piles 1-500 strikes (10 min)... 630 80 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 210 1,590
36-inch piles 501-1,000 strikes (20 1,000 130 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300
min)..................................
36-inch piles 1,001-1,500 strikes (30 1,310 170 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300
min)..................................
48-inch piles 1-500 strikes (10 min)... 400 60 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 140 1,360
48-inch piles 501-1,000 strikes (20 630 90 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 210
min)..................................
48-inch piles 1,001-1,500 strikes (30 830 110 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 280
min)..................................
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DTH Socket \3\
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30-, 36-inch piles up to 4 hrs......... 1,330 170 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \2\ 12,500
30-, 36-inch piles up to 8 hrs......... \4\ 2,000 270 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300
48-inch piles up to 4 hrs.............. \4\ 2,000 320 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \2\ 12,500
48-inch piles up to 8 hrs.............. \4\ 2,000 500 \1\ 300 \1\ 300 \1\ 300
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DTH Anchor \3\
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12-inch up to 4 hrs.................... 150 20 240 130 50 \2\ 12,500
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\1\ 300 m (0.3 km) is the maximum realistic expectation for sighting very high-frequency cetaceans, phocids, and
otariids.
\2\ Represents the largest Level B Harassment isopleth. Note that land masses truncate the isopleth at 12,500 m.
\3\ Represents the updated shutdown and monitoring zones for 30-, 36-, and 48-inch DTH sockets and 12-inch DTH
anchors based on corrected Level A isopleths (see paragraph (c) above for more information).
\4\ 2,000 m (2 km) is the maximum realistic expectation for sighting large mysticetes.
In summary, we have identified relatively minor errors that, upon
correction, do not substantially alter the analysis or our findings.
That is, based on the analysis contained in the proposed IHA (90 FR
15957, April 16, 2025) of the likely effects of the specified activity
on marine mammals and their habitat, and taking into consideration the
implementation of the monitoring and mitigation measures, NMFS finds
that the total marine mammal take from the activity will have a
negligible impact on all affected marine mammal species or stocks.
National Environmental Policy Act
To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA;
42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6A,
NMFS must review our proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an IHA)
with respect to potential impacts on the human environment.
This action is consistent with categories of activities identified
in Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no anticipated serious injury or
mortality) of the Companion Manual for NAO 216-6A, which do not
individually or cumulatively have the potential for significant impacts
on the quality of the human environment, and for which we have not
identified any extraordinary circumstances that would preclude this
categorical exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has determined that the
issuance of this IHA qualifies for categorical exclusion from further
NEPA review.
Endangered Species Act
Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
requires that each Federal agency ensures that any action it
authorizes, funds, or carries out is not likely to jeopardize the
continued existence of any endangered or threatened species or result
in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical
habitat. To ensure ESA compliance for issuing IHAs, NMFS consults
internally whenever we propose to authorize take for endangered or
threatened species.
NMFS is authorizing the take of two listed species--the humpback
whale (Mexico-North Pacific distinct population segment) and the fin
whale, which are listed as threatened and endangered, respectively,
under the ESA.
Authorization
Accordingly, consistent with the requirements of section
101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA, NMFS has issued an IHA to the COK for
authorization to take marine mammals incidental to the COK's Berth III
Mooring Dolphins Project in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Dated: July 9, 2025.
Kimberly Damon-Randall,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-12999 Filed 7-10-25; 8:45 am]
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