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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 25, 2018 / Notices
Division, Office of Protected Resources
and the NMFS West Coast Regional
Stranding Coordinators. The report must
include the following information:
(i) Time, date, and location (latitude
and longitude) of the incident;
(ii) Description of the incident;
(iii) Status of all sound sources used
in the 24 hours preceding the incident;
(iv) Environmental conditions (wind
speed, wind direction, sea state, cloud
cover, visibility, water depth);
(v) Description of the marine mammal
observations in the 24 hours preceding
the incident;
(vi) Species identification or
description of the animal(s) involved;
(vii) The fate of the animal(s); and
(viii) Photographs or video footage of
the animal(s), if equipment is available.
(d) Activities shall not resume until
NMFS is able to review the
circumstances of the prohibited take.
NMFS shall work with POK to
determine what is necessary to
minimize the likelihood of further
prohibited take and ensure MMPA
compliance. POK may not resume their
activities until notified by NMFS via
letter, email, or telephone.
(e) In the event that POK discovers an
injured or dead marine mammal, and
the marine mammal observer
determines that the cause of injury or
death is unknown and the death is
relatively recent (less than a moderate
state of decomposition), POK shall
immediately report the incident to the
NMFS Chief of Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, and the NMFS
West Coast Regional Stranding
Coordinator. The report must include
the same information identified above.
Activities may continue while NMFS
reviews the circumstances of the
incident. NMFS shall work with POK to
determine whether modifications in the
activities are appropriate
(f) In the event that POK discovers an
injured or dead marine mammal, and
the marine mammal observer
determines that the injury or death is
not associated with or related to the
activities authorized in the IHA
(previously wounded animal, carcass
with moderate to advanced
decomposition, or scavenger damage),
POK shall report the incident to the
NMFS Chief of Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, and the NMFS
West Coast Regional Stranding
Coordinator within 24 hours of the
discovery. POK shall provide
photographs or video footage (if
available) or other documentation of the
stranded animal(s) to NMFS and the
Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

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POK may continue its operations under
such a case.
10. This Authorization may be
modified, suspended, or withdrawn if
the holder fails to abide by the
conditions prescribed herein or if NMFS
determines that the authorized taking is
having more than a negligible impact on
the species or stock of affected marine
mammals.
Request for Public Comments
We request comment on our analyses,
the draft authorization, and any other
aspect of this Notice of Proposed IHA
for the proposed POK construction
activities. Please include with your
comments any supporting data or
literature citations to help inform our
final decision on the request for MMPA
authorization.
On a case-by-case basis, NMFS may
issue a one-year renewal IHA without
additional notice when (1) another year
of identical or nearly identical activities
as described in the Specified Activities
section is planned, or (2) the activities
would not be completed by the time the
IHA expires and renewal would allow
completion of the activities beyond that
described in the Dates and Duration
section, provided all of the following
conditions are met:
• A request for renewal is received no
later than 60 days prior to expiration of
the current IHA;
• The request for renewal must
include the following:
(1) An explanation that the activities
to be conducted beyond the initial dates
either are identical to the previously
analyzed activities or include changes
so minor (e.g., reduction in pile size)
that the changes do not affect the
previous analyses, take estimates, or
mitigation and monitoring
requirements; and
(2) A preliminary monitoring report
showing the results of the required
monitoring to date and an explanation
showing that the monitoring results do
not indicate impacts of a scale or nature
not previously analyzed or authorized;
• Upon review of the request for
renewal, the status of the affected
species or stocks, and any other
pertinent information, NMFS
determines that there are no more than
minor changes in the activities, the
mitigation and monitoring measures
remain the same and appropriate, and
the original findings remain valid.
Dated: July 19, 2018.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–15837 Filed 7–24–18; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Title: Scientific Research, Exempted
Fishing, and Exempted Educational
Activity Submissions.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0309.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular (revision
and extension of a currently approved
information collection).
Number of Respondents: 121.
Average Hours per Response:
Scientific research plans, 13 hours;
scientific research reports, 6 hours;
exempted fishing permit requests; 10
hours, exempted fishing permit reports,
4.5 hours; exempted educational
requests, 5 hours; exempted educational
reports, 2.5 hours.
Burden Hours: 2,141.
Needs and Uses: This request is for
revision and extension of a currently
approved information collection.
Research permits already covered under
other OMB Control Numbers have been
removed.
Fishery regulations do not generally
affect scientific research activities
conducted by a scientific research
vessel. Persons planning to conduct
such research are encouraged to submit
a scientific research plan to ensure that
the activities are considered research
and not fishing. The researchers are
requested to submit reports of their
scientific research activity after its
completion. Eligible researchers on
board federally permitted fishing vessels
that plan to temporarily possess fish in
a manner not compliant with applicable
fishing regulations for the purpose of
collecting scientific data on catch may
submit a request for a temporary
possession letter of authorization. The
researchers are requested to submit
reports of their scientific research
activity after its completion. The
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) may also grant exemptions from
fishery regulations for educational or
other activities (e.g., using nonregulation gear). The applications for
these exemptions must be submitted, as
well as reports on activities.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; not-for-profit

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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 25, 2018 / Notices

institutions; state, local or tribal
governments; individuals or
households; federal government.
Frequency: Annually and on occasion.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
This information collection request
may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow
the instructions to view Department of
Commerce collections currently under
review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to OIRA_Submission@
omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806.
Dated: July 20, 2018.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018–15873 Filed 7–24–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XG219

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Seattle
Multimodal Project in Seattle,
Washington
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental
harassment authorization.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given
that we have issued an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) to
Washington State Department of
Transportation (WSDOT) to take small
numbers of marine mammals, by
harassment, incidental to Seattle
Multimodal Project at Colman Dock in
Seattle, Washington.
DATES: This authorization is effective
from August 1, 2018, through July 31,
2019.
SUMMARY:

daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shane Guan, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
Electronic copies of the application and
supporting documents, as well as the
issued IHA, may be obtained online at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
national/marine-mammal-protection/
incidental-take-authorizationsconstruction-activities. In case of

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problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce (as delegated
to NMFS) to allow, upon request, the
incidental, but not intentional, taking 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 either
regulations are issued or, if the taking is
limited to harassment, a notice of a
proposed authorization is provided to
the public for review.
An authorization for incidental
takings shall be granted if NMFS finds
that the taking will have a negligible
impact on the species or stock(s), will
not have an unmitigable adverse impact
on the availability of the species or
stock(s) for subsistence uses (where
relevant), and if the permissible
methods of taking and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of such takings are set
forth.
NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible
impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact
resulting from the specified activity that
cannot be reasonably expected to, and is
not reasonably likely to, adversely affect
the species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.
The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’
means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or
attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill
any marine mammal.
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as any act of
pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i)
has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has
the potential to disturb a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild by causing disruption of behavioral
patterns, including, but not limited to,
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding,
feeding, or sheltering (Level B
harassment).
Summary of Request
On November 21, 2017, WSDOT
submitted a request to NMFS requesting
an IHA for the possible harassment of
small numbers of marine mammal
species incidental to Seattle Multimodal
Project at Colman Dock in Seattle,
Washington, from August 1, 2018 to July
31, 2019. After receiving the revised
project description and the revised IHA
application, NMFS determined that the
IHA application was adequate and

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complete on April 4, 2018. NMFS is
authorizing the take by Level A and
Level B harassment of the following
marine mammal species: Harbor seal
(Phoca vitulina); northern elephant seal
(Mirounga angustirostris); California sea
lion (Zalophus californianus); Steller
sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus); killer
whale (Orcinus orca); long-beaked
common dolphin (Delphinus delphis),
bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus),
gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus);
humpback whale (Megaptera
novaeangliae), minke whale
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata); harbor
porpoise (Phocoena phocoena); and
Dall’s porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli).
Neither WSDOT nor NMFS expect
mortality to result from this activity
and, therefore, an IHA is appropriate.
NMFS previously issued an IHA to
WSDOT for the first year of this project
(FR 21579; July 7, 2017). WSDOT
complied with all the requirements (e.g.,
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting) of
the previous IHA and information
regarding their monitoring results may
be found in the Estimated Take section.
Description of Specified Activity
Overview
The purpose of the Seattle
Multimodal Project at Colman Dock is to
preserve the transportation function of
an aging, deteriorating and seismically
deficient facility to continue providing
safe and reliable service. The project
will also address existing safety
concerns related to conflicts between
vehicles and pedestrian traffic and
operational inefficiencies.
Dates and Duration
Due to NMFS and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) in-water
work timing restrictions to protect
Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed
salmonids, planned WSDOT in-water
construction is limited each year to July
16 through February 15.
Specific Geographic Region
The Seattle Ferry Terminal at Colman
Dock is located on the downtown
Seattle waterfront, in King County,
Washington. The terminal services
vessels from the Bainbridge Island and
Bremerton routes, and is the most
heavily used terminal in the
Washington State Ferry system. The
Seattle terminal is located in Section 6,
Township 24 North, Range 4 East, and
is adjacent to Elliott Bay, tributary to
Puget Sound (Figure 1–2 of the IHA
application). Land use in the area is
highly urban, and includes business,
industrial, the Port of Seattle container

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