Small Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Low-Energy Seismic Survey in the Southwest Pacific Ocean

Resumen

NMFS has received an application from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, (Scripps), a part of the University of California, for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting oceanographic surveys in the southwestern Pacific Ocean (SWPO). Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to Scripps to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of several species of cetaceans for a limited period of time within the next year.