Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS, upon request from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), is promulgating regulations to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to fisheries research in the coastal bays of Texas over the course of 5 years. These regulations, which allow for the issuance of a Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the specified activities in the specified geographical region during the effective dates of the regulations, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.
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 217 [Docket No. 260715-0170] RIN 0648-BN58 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule; notification of issuance of Letter of Authorization (LOA). SUMMARY: NMFS, upon request from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), is promulgating regulations to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to fisheries research in the coastal bays of Texas over the course of 5 years. These regulations, which allow for the issuance of a Letter of Authorization (LOA) for the incidental take of marine mammals during the specified activities in the specified geographical region during the effective dates of the regulations, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking. DATES: Effective from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2031. ADDRESSES: A copy of the TPWD's application and any supporting documents, as well as a list of the references cited in this document, may be obtained online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​action/​incidental-take-authorization-texas-parks-and-wildlife-departments-independent-fisheries . In case of problems accessing these documents, please call the contact listed below. FOR FURT…
Citation: 91 FR 45207
