2024 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Application from Steven Emslie to collect, import, and export marine mammal parts for research.
Intention to continue to collect information from commercial fishermen regarding their use of fishing gear or engagement in fisheries that are not on the “List of Gear by Fisheries.
Proposed rule to designate marine portions of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) as the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS)”
Comments regarding draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the expenditure of funds to increase prey availability for Southern Resident killer whales.
2022 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Application from BBC Studios to film manatees in Florida.
Proposed rule to establish a seasonal manatee protection zone at the Florida Power & Light Cape Canaveral Energy Center Interim Warm-water Refuge in Brevard County, Florida.
Proposed rule to authorize taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Ocean Wind, LLC wind energy facility (Ocean Wind 1) offshore of New Jersey.
Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to consider designating the marine portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a National Marine Sanctuary.
2023 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Designation of Kotzebue Sound beluga whales as separate stock under the MMPA.
Notice of scoping regarding the establishment of a take reduction team to address interactions between humpback whales and the sablefish pot fishery on the West Coast.
Proposed rule to authorize Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC to take marine mammals incidental to the construction and operation of the Atlantic Shores South wind farm project.
Notice of Intent to prepare draft programmatic environmental impact statement regarding increasing the availability of prey to Southern Resident killer whales.
Commission’s recommendation to the National Marine Fisheries Service to reconvene the Pelagic Longline Take Reduction Team to address a mortality and serious injury rate that exceeds the Potential Biological Removal.
Follow-up on the National Marine Fisheries Service’s response to the Commission’s recommendations regarding a proposed amendment to the Pelagic Longline Take Reduction Plan.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to refurbishing the Hydaburg Seaplane Base in Hydaburg, Alaska.
Proposed rule to authorize Park City Wind LLC to take marine mammals incidental to the construction and operation of the New England Wind Offshore Wind Farm.
Update to its Technical Guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal hearing: Underwater and in-air thresholds for the onset of auditory injury and temporary threshold shifts.
Proposed rule to authorize the taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Dominion Energy Virginia in waters off Virginia.
Proposed rule to authorize the taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Empire Wind, LLC wind energy facility, located in waters off New York and New Jersey in the New York Bight.
Proposed rule to authorize the taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Sunrise Wind, LLC wind energy facility in waters south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Proposed changes to take estimates for regulations governing taking of marine mammals incidental to geophysical survey activities in the Gulf of Mexico.
Proposed rule to authorize taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Revolution Wind, LLC wind energy facility in waters southeast of Rhode Island.
2022 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Proposed rule to establish a seasonal manatee protection zone at the Florida Power & Light Cape Canaveral Energy Center Interim Warm-water Refuge in Brevard County, Florida.
Proposed rule to authorize taking of marine mammals incidental to construction and operation of the Ocean Wind, LLC wind energy facility (Ocean Wind 1) offshore of New Jersey.
Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement to consider designating the marine portions of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a National Marine Sanctuary.
2021 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Application from San Diego Zoo Alliance to conduct research on captive polar bears.
Recommended decision of the Administrative Law Judge on the proposed rule to authorize the taking of gray whales for subsistence and ceremonial purposes by the Makah Tribe.
Intent to prepare a supplemental environmental assessment for commercial wind lease issuance and site assessment activities at the Wilmington East Wind Energy Area (WEA) off North Carolina.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Point Mugu Sea Range study area.
Proposed amendment to the Pacific Salmon Fishery Management Plan that would put in place measures to increase the availability of Chinook salmon to Southern Resident killer whales when the abundance of the salmon is low.
Application from Alaska Oil and Gas Association seeking authorization to take polar bears and walruses incidental to oil and gas operations in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska.
Draft Phase II Restoration Plan #3.2 and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project in Barataria Bay, Louisiana.
Deepwater Horizon Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group
Not available yet.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities in association with modification of a dry dock and berths in Kittery, Maine.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities associated with ferry berth improvements and construction in Tongass Narrows near Ketchikan, Alaska.
Application from Southwest Fisheries Science Center to conduct research on cetaceans and pinnipeds in the Pacific, Atlantic, Southern and Indian Oceans.
Application from South Fork Wind, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the South Fork Wind Farm and associated high-resolution geophysical surveys.
Application from U.S. Navy to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities in association with modification of a dry dock and berths in Kittery, Maine.
Application from Dr. Daniel Costa, University of California Santa Cruz, to amend his permit to conduct research on northern elephant seals in California.
National Marine Fisheries Service’s Draft Biological Opinion regarding the impact of the American lobster and Jonah crab federal fisheries on the North Atlantic right whale.
Application from Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities for the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Bridge Project in Virginia.
Application from Hampton Roads Connector Partners to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project in Virginia.
Application from Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation to take polar bears incidental to seismic surveys in the Marsh Creek East Program Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain (1002 region).
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for training activities conducted within the Temporary Maritime Activities Area in the Gulf of Alaska.
2020 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
The Marine Mammal Commission’s comments on the National Marine Fisheries Service’s request for information on current and future plans for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) in the Gulf of Mexico, Southern California, and nationwide.
Request from U.S. Navy to modify its incidental harassment authorization to take marine mammals incidental to pile driving and removal in association with the service pier extension project at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in Washington.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to removing piles at the casting basin in Aberdeen, Washington.
Application from Port of Kalama to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the Kalama Manufacturing and Marine Export Facility on the Columbia River in Washington.
Application from U.S. Coast Guard to take marine mammals incidental to expanding the existing wharf at the Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach in California.
Petition from Sea Shepherd asking National Marine Fisheries Service to ban imports of seafood and seafood products imported from New Zealand fisheries that are responsible for serious injuries and mortalities of endangered Maui dolphins.
Application from Point Blue Conservation Science to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird research activities on Southeast Farallon Island, Año Nuevo Island, and Point Reyes National Seashore in California.
Application from Ørsted Wind Power North America, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting high-resolution geophysical surveys in coastal waters from New York to Massachusetts.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to constructing the Transit Protection Program pier at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in Washington.
Application from Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
Application from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a marine geophysical survey in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean.
Application from Washington Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to reconfiguring the Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock in Washington.
Application from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting various monitoring, research, and enforcement activities within the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Massachusetts.
Notice of availability of the supplement to Vineyard Wind Offshore Energy Project draft environmental impact statement for Vineyard Wind LLC’s construction and operations plan.
Application from Office of Naval Research to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting research activities in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.
Application from Equinor Wind, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting high-resolution geophysical surveys off New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhoda Island, and Massachusetts.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to constructing a ferry terminal in Mukilteo, Washington.
Application from City and County of San Francisco to take marine mammals incidental to conducting various construction activities on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, California.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Northwest Training and Testing study area.
Application from U.S. Navy to renew its authorization to take pinnipeds incidental to conducting target and missile launch activities on San Nicolas Island, California.
Applications from Rio Grande LNG, LLC and Annova LNG Common Infrastructure, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to constructing two separate LNG facilities in the Brownsville Ship Channel in Cameron County, Texas.
Application from Chevron Products Company to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Long Wharf in Richmond, California.
Application from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a geophysical survey in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Application from Hampton Roads Connector Partners to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project in Virginia.
Application from Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a/ Dominion Energy Virginia to take marine mammals incidental to construction of wind energy turbines off the coast of Virginia.
Application from U.S. Marine Corps to take marine mammals incidental to conducting various training exercises at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point Range Complex in North Carolina.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Mariana Islands Training and Testing study area.
Application from Vineyard Wind, LLC and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting high-resolution geophysical surveys off the northeast United States.
Final rule creating hard caps on the take of sperm, fin, humpback, and short-finned pilot whales, and bottlenose dolphins in the CA/OR Drift Gillnet Fishery.
Application from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC and Eni U.S. Operating Co. Inc. to take marine mammals incidental to the construction, maintenance, and operation of ice roads and ice trails on Alaska’s North Slope.
Application from the City and Borough of Juneau to modify its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a waterfront improvement project in Juneau, Alaska.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to reconstructing the ferry terminal in Gustavus, Alaska.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which assesses the potential environmental impacts of proposed changes to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, its regulations and management plan.
Application from Partnership for the Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans at the University of California Santa Cruz to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocky intertidal monitoring activities along the California and Oregon coasts.
Application from California Department of Fish and Wildlife to take harbor seals incidental to conducting construction activities in association with a tidal marsh restoration project in Elkhorn Slough, California.
Application from the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a marine geophysical survey in the Amundsen Sea in February 2020.
Application from Point Blue Conservation Science to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird research activities in California.
2019 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Scoping of potential regulations to protect Southern Resident killer whales from the impacts of vessel disturbance and sound in the inland marine waters of Washington State
Application from the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities for the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Bridge Project in Virginia.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities related to building a new ammunition pier at Seal Beach, California.
Application from Jordan Cove Energy Project, LP to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility and ancillary activities in Coos Bay, Oregon.
Applications from University of California at Davis and Stanford University to import, receive, and possess samples from Atlantic walruses and polar bears, respectively.
Application from Point Blue Conservation Science to renew its authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird research activities in California.
Revised permit application instructions and other related documents and forms related to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Fur Seal Act, and the National Inventory of Marine Mammals.
Application from Carnival Corporation & PLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting improvements at its cruise terminal in Long Beach, California.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to modifying a ferry terminal in Whittier, Alaska.
Application from Skipjack Offshore Energy, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting high-resolution geophysical surveys offshore of Delaware and Maryland.
Application from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a marine geophysical survey in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Application from Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to installation of the Raritan Bay Loop pipeline in waters offshore of New York and New Jersey.
Application from U.S. Navy to extend the final rule from 2023 to 2025 to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing study area.
Application from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a geophysical survey in the southwest Atlantic Ocean.
Application from Ørsted Wind Power North America LLC to take marine mammals incidental to high-resolution geophysical surveys associated with an offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to improving and constructing ferry berths in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Letter to NMFS conveying Commission’s concerns regarding the 2017-19 spike in human-caused serious injuries and deaths of North Atlantic right whales, the population’s low birthing rate and declining population size, and the need for immediate, strong measures to mitigate human-based threats to the species.
Application from Hilcorp Alaska LLC and Eni U.S. Operating Co. Inc. to take marine mammals incidental to ice road and ice trail construction on the North Slope of Alaska.
Application from Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Project in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at the Bremerton ferry terminal.
Application from City and Borough of Sitka and Duck Point Development II, LLC, to take northern sea otters incidental to conducting construction projects in Sitka and Hoonah, Alaska.
Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group draft restoration plan 2 and environmental assessment: Fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and mesophotic and deep benthic communities.
Application from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a marine geophysical survey in the northeast Pacific Ocean.
Application from Hilcorp Alaska to take marine mammals incidental to construction, operation, and maintenance of the Liberty Drilling and Production Island in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to reconfiguring the Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock in Washington.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to modifying a ferry terminal in Auke Bay, Alaska.
Application from U.S. Navy to extend the final rule from 2023 to 2025 to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing study area.
Application from Vineyard Wind, LLC, to take marine mammals incidental to construction of commercial wind energy turbines and associated facilities off Massachusetts.
Application from the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to take marine mammals incidental to ferry terminal expansion and renovations in San Francisco, California.
Application from Avangrid Renewables, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to high-resolution geophysical surveys in support of wind energy development off North Carolina.
Application from Chevron to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Long Wharf in Richmond, California.
Application from Duck Point Development II, LLC, to marine mammals incidental to construction of a cruise ship berth and lightering float on Chichagof Island, Alaska.
Application from Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program to amend its permit to conduct research and enhancement activities on marine mammals.
Application from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take marine mammals incidental to conducting various monitoring, research, and enforcement activities within the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Massachusetts.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities in association with modification of a dry dock and berths in Kittery, Maine.
Request for renewal of application from Equinor Wind US LLC (formerly Statoil Wind US LLC) to take marine mammals incidental to site characterization surveys off New York.
Application from Hilcorp Alaska, Harvest Alaska, and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, to take northern sea otters incidental to conduction various oil and gas-related activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement to conduct training and research, development, testing, and evaluation activities within the Northwest Training and Testing study area.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training, testing, and routine military operations that use Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active sonar.
Application from Hilcorp Alaska, LLC, Harvest Alaska, LLC, and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to take sea otters incidental to conducting oil and gas exploration, development, production, and transportation activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Application from the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society to take pinnipeds incidental to aircraft operations and restoration and maintenance activities at the St. George Reef Light Station on Northwest Seal Rock off the coast of Crescent City, California.
Application from the Partnership for the Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocky intertidal monitoring activities along the California and Oregon coasts.
Applications from Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to take marine mammals incidental to conducting fisheries research surveys.
Application from the National Wildlife Health Center to possess, receive and/or export samples from northern sea otters, walruses, polar bears, and West Indian manatees.
Application from U.S. Air Force to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocket and missile launch activities, rocket recovery activities, and overflight operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for conducting training and research, development, testing, and evaluation activities conducted in the Mariana Islands Training and Testing study area.
Application from White Pass and Yukon Route to take marine mammals, incidental to conducting construction activities at the Railroad Dock in Skagway, Alaska.
2018 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Application from National Park Service to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird surveys and climate monitoring activities in Alaska.
Application from National Wildlife Health Center to possess, receive, and/or export samples from northern sea otters, walruses, polar bears, and manatees.
Application from Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Research Program to incidentally harass and import, receive, possess, transfer, export, analyze, and archive samples from manatees, polar bears, walruses, and sea otters.
Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed oil and gas lease sale in the Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf planning area.
Application from Space Explorations Technology Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocket recovery activities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to reconstruction of the ferry terminal in Gustavus, Alaska.
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active sonar training and testing activities in the central and western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean.
Application from Port of Kalama to take marine mammals incidental to constructing the Kalama Manufacturing and Marine Export Facility on the Columbia River in Washington.
Application from Alaska Fisheries Science Center to take marine mammals incidental to conducting fisheries research surveys in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean, and off the U.S. west coast.
Application from Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to take marine mammals incidental to industry operators conducting geophysical surveys in the Gulf of Mexico.
Application from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to take marine mammals incidental to conducting two marine geophysical surveys in the North Pacific Ocean.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to construction of a new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal in Mukilteo, Washington.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and testing activities in the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing study area.
Application from Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a/ Dominion Energy Virginia to take marine mammals incidental to conducting unexploded ordnance investigation surveys off the coast of Virginia.
Application from Orsted LLC/Bay State Wind LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting marine site characterization surveys off the coast of Massachusetts.
Application from Venoco, LLC, to transfer to Chevron USA, Inc., an authorization to take marine mammals incidental to conducting pile replacement at the Casitas Pier in Carpinteria, California.
Application from Kitsap Transit to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at the Annapolis Ferry Terminal in Port Orchard, Washington.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to reconfiguring the Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock in Washington.
Application from Deepwater Wind New England, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting marine site characterization surveys off the coast of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
Application from Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities for the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Bridge Project in Virginia.
Application from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a marine geophysical survey in the north Atlantic Ocean.
Application from San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to take marine mammals incidental to ferry terminal expansion and renovations in San Francisco, California.
Application from Chevron to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at its Richmond Refinery Long Wharf in Richmond, California.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting pier construction activities at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.
Application from California Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to demolition and reuse activities associated with replacement of the east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California.
Alabama Trustee Implementation Group’s Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; Nutrient Reduction; Sea Turtles; Marine Mammals; Birds; and Oysters.
Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (c/o U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Not yet available.
Application from Garden State Offshore Energy, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to marine site characterization surveys off the coast of Delaware as part of the Skipjack Wind Project.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to conducting construction activities at Bremerton and Edmonds ferry terminals in Washington.
Request for information for the 5-year status reviews of fin and sei whales, and the Western North Pacific gray whale Discrete Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities within the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing study area.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to replacing a dock and ferry terminal in Tenakee Springs, Alaska.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting marine structure maintenance and pile replacement activities at multiple facilities in Washington.
Application from Statoil Wind U.S. LLC to take marine mammals incidental to site characterization surveys off New York as part of the Empire Wind Project.
Application from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take pinnipeds incidental to conducting seabird, shorebird, and other monitoring and research activities within the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Additional consultation under section 103 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act concerning a proposed waiver of the Act’s taking moratorium to authorize the Makah Tribe to hunt gray whales.
Issuance of a waiver of the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s taking moratorium for three wetland restoration projects in Louisiana as directed by Public Law 115-123.
Application from St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society to take pinnipeds incidental to aircraft operations and restoration and maintenance activities at the St. George Reef Light Station off the coast of Crescent City, California.
Draft Strategic Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #3: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana
Application from Partnership for the Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocky intertidal monitoring activities along the California and Oregon coasts.
Application from U.S. Air Force to take marine mammals incidental to conducting testing and training activities at Eglin Air Force Base in the Gulf of Mexico.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities in association with a waterfront restoration project at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
2017 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Applications from Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Bruce Mate, Dan Engelhaupt, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Iain Kerr to amend their permits to authorize the taking of Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whales based on the Service’s proposed rule to list the subspecies as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Draft national procedural directive clarifying the process for eligible permit applicants to obtain releasable marine mammals for public display purposes under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Proposed regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act to implement provisions included in the Resolution C-17-02 which was adopted at the 92nd Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tina Convention in July 2017.
Application from Glacier Bay National Park to take marine mammals incidental to seabird surveys and climate monitoring activities in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Application from Space Explorations Technology Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocket recovery activities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities conducted within the Hawaii-Southern California Fleet Training and Testing study area.
Application from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to construction at the Haines Ferry Terminal in Alaska
Applications for 27 new exempted fishing permits to allow the West Coast highly migratory species fisheries to test effects and efficacy of deep-set and linked buoy gear.
Petition to ban importation of commercial fish or products that have been caught with commercial fishing technology that results in incidental mortality or serious injury of vaquita.
Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the establishment of annual catch limits for the harvest of bowhead whales by Alaska Natives
Application from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to take marine mammals incidental to a marine geophysical survey in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Application from Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program to amend its permit to (1) respond to, rescue, transport, rehabilitate, and release threatened and endangered marine mammals and disentangle marine mammals; (2) conduct research on marine mammals; and (3) collect, salvage, receive, possess, transfer, import, export, analyze, and curate samples from marine mammals under NMFS’s jurisdiction.
National Marine Fisheries Service’s request for comments on the proposed rule (82 Fed. Reg. 28802) to list the Taiwanese humpback dolphin endangered under the ESA.
Request for information regarding the endangered baiji/Chinese river dolphin/Yangtze River dolphin and endangered Saimaa subspecies of ringed seal for use in five-year status review under the ESA.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to pile driving and removal in association with a pier replacement project in San Diego Bay, California.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for training and research, development, test, and evaluation activities conducted within the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing study area.
Application from San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to take marine mammals incidental to construction of its new Operations and Maintenance Facility in Alameda, California.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to construction of a new dock in Sand Point, Alaska.
Final technical guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal hearing: Underwater acoustic thresholds for onset of permanent and temporary threshold shifts.
Consultation under section 103 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act concerning a proposed waiver of the Act’s taking moratorium to authorize the Makah Tribe to hunt gray whales.
Application from Spectrum Geo Inc., TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company, ION GeoVentures, WesternGeco LLL, and CGG to take marine mammals incidental to conducting geophysical (seismic) surveys in the Atlantic Ocean.
Review of certain regulations under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, including regulations to implement the Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan.
Application from California Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting demolition activities associated with replacement of the east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California.
Application from Quintillion Subsea Operations, LLC, to take walruses and polar bears incidental to conducting subsea cable-laying activities in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska.
Application from Deepwater Wind, LLC, to take marine mammals incidental to geophysical and geotechnical surveys off the coast of New York and Rhode Island.
Application from U.S. Navy to take marine mammals incidental to conducting training, testing, and routine military operations that use Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active sonar.
Application from Point Blue Conservation Science to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird research activities on Southeast Farallon Island, Año Nuevo Island, and Point Reyes National Seashore in California.
Application from Quintillion Subsea Operations, LLC, to take marine mammals incidental to conducting subsea cable-laying activities in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska.
Application from U.S. Air Force to take marine mammals incidental to conducting long range strike weapon systems evaluation program activities at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kauai, Hawaii.
Application from Washington Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to construction of a new Mukilteo Ferry Terminal in Mukilteo, Washington.
Application from San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to take marine mammals incidental to ferry terminal expansion and renovations in San Francisco, California.
Commenting to the U.S. Coast Guard on possible designation of new sea lanes for vessels transiting the Bering and Chukchi Seas and possible effects on North Pacific right whales and Alaska native subsistence hunting.
Application from Marine Mammal Laboratory to conduct research on cetaceans in the North Pacific Ocean, Bering, Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, and Gulf of Maine.
Application from Chevron to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Long Wharf in Richmond, California.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to take marine mammals incidental to reconfiguring the Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock in Washington.
Petition to designate a protection zone for southern resident killer whales to protect them from vessel-related impacts in an important feeding habitat.
Application from Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to take marine mammals incidental to permitting commercial firework displays within Sanctuary waters in California.
Information on foreign commercial fishing operations that export fish and fish products to the U.S. and the level of incidental and intentional mortality and serious injury to marine mammals in those fisheries.
Application from Alaska Aerospace Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting launch activities at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska.
Proposed negligible impact determination for the west coast drift gillnet and sablepot fisheries that interact with Endangered Species Act-listed humpback and sperm whales.
Application from U.S. Navy to take bottlenose dolphins incidental to conducting waterfront construction activities at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia.
Application from California Department of Fish and Wildlife-Central Region to take southern sea otters incidental to construction activities in association with a tidal marsh restoration project in Elkhorn Slough, California.
Application from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take marine mammals incidental to conducting seabird, shorebird, and other monitoring and research activities in Massachusetts.
Application from the Partnership for the Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocky intertidal monitoring activities along the California and Oregon coasts.
Application from the Sonoma County Water Agency to take marine mammals incidental to construction, maintenance, and monitoring activities in association with estuary management activities at the Russian River near Jenner, California.
2016 Commission letters and agency responses are provided as PDF files below. Download times of large PDFs will vary based on connection speed. Additional information on PDFs.
Application from the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society to take marine mammals incidental to aircraft operations, restoration and maintenance activities, and tour operations at the St. George Reef Light Station on Northwest Seal Rock off the coast of Crescent City, California.
Proposed creation of hard caps on the take of sperm, fin, humpback, and short-finned pilot whales, and bottlenose dolphins in the CA/OR Drift Gillnet Fishery.
Application from Excelerate Energy, L.P. and TetraTech, Inc. on behalf of Northeast Gateway Energy Bridge, L.P. and Algonquin Gas Transmission L.L.C. to take marine mammals incidental to operation, maintenance, and repair of the Northeast Gateway liquefied natural gas port and the Algonquin Pipeline Lateral facilities in Massachusetts Bay.
Application from the U.S. Air Force to take marine mammals incidental to conducting maritime weapon systems evaluation program activities at Eglin Air Force Base off Florida.
Proposal to list the North Island subspecies of Hector’s dolphin (the Māui dolphin) as endangered and the South Island subspecies of Hector’s dolphin as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Draft programmatic environmental impact statement regarding proposed geological and geophysical activities on the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf.
Application from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District to take marine mammals incidental to rehabilitation of a jetty system in Oregon and Washington.
Commenting on a Canadian Action Plan to reduce entanglements of North Atlantic right whales and possible useful measures to mitigate right whale deaths and injuries from fishery interactions.
Application from California Department of Fish and Wildlife-Central Region to take marine mammals incidental to construction activities in association with a tidal marsh restoration project in Elkhorn Slough, California.
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active sonar.
Application from Neptune LNG LLC to take marine mammals incidental to maintenance, repair, and decommissioning activities at its liquefied natural gas Deepwater port off the coast of Massachusetts.
Application from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to take marine mammals incidental to reconstruction of the ferry terminal in Gustavus, Alaska.
Application from California Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting dismantling and demolition activities associated with replacement of the east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California.
Application from U.S. Air Force to take marine mammals incidental to conducting long range strike weapon systems evaluation program activities at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kauai, Hawaii.
Application from BlueCrest Alaska Operating, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to conducting oil and gas exploration activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Application from Alaska Oil and Gas Association seeking authorization to take polar bears and walruses incidental to oil and gas operations in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska.
Application from the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority to take marine mammals incidental to ferry terminal expansion and renovations in San Francisco, California.
Application from BlueCrest Alaska Operating, LLC to take northern sea otters incidental to conducting oil and gas exploration activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Application from Deepwater Wind Block Island, LLC to take marine mammals incidental to cable-laying operations for the Block Island Wind farm off Rhode Island.
Application from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to take marine mammals incidental to conducting three marine geophysical surveys in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Application from Space Explorations Technology Corporation to take marine mammals incidental to conducting rocket recovery activities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Application from Port of Kalama to take marine mammals incidental to construction of the Kalama Manufacturing and Marine Export Facility on the Columbia River in Washington.
Draft monitoring plan for nine distinct population segments of the humpback whale not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Application from the City of San Diego to take marine mammals incidental to conducting a sand quality survey at the Children’s Pool in La Jolla, California.
A revision to the revised draft guidance regarding the acoustic thresholds for activities causing an onset permanent threshold shift and temporary threshold shift for marine mammal species under the Service’s jurisdiction.
Marine Stewardship Council’s Public Comment Draft Report addressing Certification Requirements for the Northeastern Tropical Pacific purse seine tuna fishery of Mexico.
Application from the Navy to take marine mammals incidental to training activities to be conducted within the Temporary Maritime Activities Area in the Gulf of Alaska.
Application from Sonoma County Water Authority to take marine mammals incidental to construction and maintenance activities in association with estuary management activities at the Russian River near Jenner, California.
Application from Washington State Department of Transportation to take marine mammals incidental to upgrading the Coupeville Ferry Terminal on Whidbey Island, Washington.
Proposed resolutions, decisions, and agenda items being considered for the Conference of Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment and call for information and nominations for commercial wind leasing and site assessment activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore South Carolina.
Request for comments on the incidental taking of five endangered or threatened populations of marine mammals in various Bering Sea and Aleutian Island trawl and longline fisheries in Alaska.
