Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Operation of a Low Frequency Sound Source by the North Pacific Acoustic Laboratory

Zusammenfassung

NMFS has received a request from the University of California San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps), for a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to take a small number of marine mammals incidental to the continued operation of a low frequency (LF) sound source previously installed off the north shore of Kauai by the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) project. By this notice, NMFS is proposing regulations to govern that take. In order to grant the exemption and issue the regulations, NMFS must determine that these takings will have no more than a negligible impact on the affected species and stocks of marine mammals. NMFS invites comment on the application and the proposed regulations.