Regulations Governing the Taking of Marine Mammals

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 216 [Docket No. 240604-0152] RIN 0648-BI58 ( printed page 51600) AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: Following formal rulemaking proceedings including an on-the-record hearing before an administrative law judge, NMFS is waiving the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) moratorium on taking Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whales ( Eschrichtius robustus ) to allow the Makah Indian Tribe to conduct a limited ceremonial and subsistence hunt of up to 25 ENP gray whales over a 10-year period in accordance with the Treaty of Neah Bay of 1855 and the quota first established by the International Whaling Commission in 1997. NMFS is also promulgating regulations to govern the issuance of hunt permits and the hunt itself. DATES: Effective date: This rule is effective June 18, 2024. Waiver period: The 10-year waiver period begins the first day of the first season after issuance of the initial hunt permit. Expiration date: These regulations will expire 10 years after the effective date of the initial hunt permit specified under § 216.113(b), unless extended. ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final Environmental Impacts Statement (FEIS) including the Record of Decision as well as supporting documents are accessible via the internet on the Makah Tribal Whale Hunt Chronology web page at: https://www.fi…