Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Training Operations Conducted Within the Gulf of Mexico Range Complex
other · gulf of mexico · Published 2011-02-17 · Effective 2011-02-17 · 76 FR 9250
Document
Document number
2011-3629
Federal Register citation
76 FR 9250
Type
Rule
Action
Final rule.
Category
other
Region
gulf of mexico
Publication date
2011-02-17
Effective date
2011-02-17
Abstract
NMFS, upon application from the U.S. Navy (Navy), is issuing regulations to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals incidental to activities conducted by the Navy's Atlantic Fleet within the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) Range Complex for the period of April 2010 through April 2015. The Navy's activities are considered military readiness activities pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (NDAA). These regulations, which allow for the issuance of "Letters of Authorization" (LOAs) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframes, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.