Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Notices 103853 

Dated: December 10, 2024. 

Samantha L. Deshommes, 

Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, 

Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship 

and Immigration Services, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29494 Filed 12–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–97–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R7–ES–2024–0148; 

FXES111607MRG01–245–FF07CAMM00] 

Marine Mammal Protection Act; Permit 

Applications and Issuances 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit 

applications; notice of issuance of 

permits. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (FWS), invite public 

comment on applications for permits to 

conduct certain activities involving 

marine mammals for which the FWS 

has jurisdiction under the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act. In addition, we 

announce permits that we have issued 

recently in response to prior 

applications. 

DATES: We must receive any comments 

on the new permit applications by 

January 21, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: 

Obtaining Documents: 

• Application Materials: The 

applications, application supporting 

materials, and any comments and other 

materials that we receive are available 

for public inspection at https://

www.regulations.gov in FWS–R7–ES– 

2024–0148. 

• Issued Permits: To access materials 

pertaining to the permits we have 

issued, see Permits Issued by the 

Service under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

Submitting Comments on the 

Applications: You may submit 

comments containing written data or 

views concerning the taking or 

importation proposed in each 

application by one of the following 

methods: 

• Internet: https://

www.regulations.gov. Search for and 

submit comments on Docket No. FWS– 

R7–ES–2024–0148. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7– 

ES–2024–0148; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 

5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 

22041–3803. 

For more information, see Public 

Comment Procedures under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Charles Hamilton, via email at 

r7mmmregulatory@fws.gov or by 

telephone at 9072012;7862012;3800. 

Individuals in the United States who are 

deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 

a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

With some exceptions, the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as 

amended (MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.), prohibits the take and importation 

of marine mammals and marine 

mammal products absent Federal 

authorization. In carrying out our 

responsibilities under the MMPA, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(FWS), may authorize such activities via 

permits after receipt of an application 

and verification that MMPA statutory 

and regulatory requirements are met. 

Section 104(c) of the MMPA specifies 

the conditions for authorizing the taking 

or importation of a marine mammal for 

purposes of scientific research, public 

display, photography, or enhancing the 

survival or recovery of a species or stock 

under the MMPA. 

This notice provides information 

about two aspects of the MMPA 

permitting process: application and 

issuance. At section II, we provide the 

public with notice of and the 

opportunity to comment on applications 

that we have received from entities or 

individuals to conduct certain activities 

with marine mammals for which the 

FWS has jurisdiction under the MMPA. 

At section III, we announce recently 

issued MMPA permits to entities or 

individuals in response to prior 

applications. 

II. Applications Available for Public 

Review 

To help us carry out our conservation 

responsibilities for affected species, and 

in consideration of section 104(c) of the 

MMPA, we invite the public and local, 

State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to 

comment on the applications listed 

below before final action is taken. 

Concurrent with publishing this notice 

in the Federal Register, we are 

forwarding copies of these marine 

mammal applications to the Marine 

Mammal Commission and the 

Committee of Scientific Advisors for 

their review. 

A. Permit Applications Received 

We invite comments on the following 

applications: 

Applicant: Seattle Aquarium Society, 

Seattle, WA; Permit No. PER12241375 

The applicant requests a scientific 

research permit to conduct surveys of 

northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris 

kenyoni) off the coast of Washington 

State using a camera- mounted 

unmanned aircraft system. This 

information will increase the accuracy 

of population estimates and allow better 

understanding of the temporal and 

spatial distribution of otters in the area. 

This notification covers activities to be 

conducted by the applicant over a 5- 

year period. 

Applicant: Ben Hamilton, Windfall 

Films, San Antonio, TX; Permit No. 

PER12101045 

The applicant requests a permit to 

conduct commercial photography and 

filming of northern sea otters (Enhydra 

lutris kenyoni) in the wild. This 

notification covers activities to be 

conducted in the Sitka Sound area of 

southeast Alaska by the applicant 

between 2024 and 2026. 

B. Public Comment Procedures 

1. How Do I Comment on Permit 

Applications? 

Before issuing any requested permit, 

we will take into consideration any 

information that we receive during the 

public comment period. 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods in 

ADDRESSES. We will not consider 

comments sent by email, or to an 

address not in ADDRESSES. We will not 

consider or include in our 

administrative record comments that we 

receive after the close of the comment 

period (see DATES). 

When submitting comments, please 

specify the name of the applicant and 

the permit number at the beginning of 

your comment. Provide sufficient 

information to allow us to authenticate 

any scientific or commercial data you 

include. The comments and 

recommendations that will be most 

useful and likely to influence agency 

decisions are: (a) Those supported by 

quantitative information or studies; and 

(b) those that include citations to, and 

analyses of, the applicable laws and 

regulations. 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
103854 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2024 / Notices 

2. May I review comments submitted by 

others? 

You may view public comments at 

https://www.regulations.gov unless our 

allowing so would violate the Privacy 

Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or other Federal law. 

3. Who will see my comments? 

If you submit a comment at https://

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

comment, including any personal 

identifying information, will be posted 

on the website. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, such 

as your address, phone number, or 

email address, you may request at the 

top of your document that we withhold 

this information from public review. 

However, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. Moreover, all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. 

C. Next Steps for Submitted 

Applications 

After the comment period closes, we 

will make decisions regarding permit 

issuance. If we issue permits to any of 

the applicants listed above in this 

notice, we will publish a subsequent 

notice in the Federal Register. You may 

locate the notice announcing the permit 

issuance by searching https://

www.regulations.gov for the permit 

number listed above in this document. 

For example, to find information about 

the potential issuance of Permit No. 

12345A, you would go to https://

www.regulations.gov and search for 

‘‘12345A’’. 

III. Permits Issued by the Service 

We have issued permits to conduct 

certain activities involving marine 

mammals and marine mammal products 

in response to prior permit applications 

that we received. This notice informs 

the public that the FWS has issued the 

permits listed in table 1. 

The permittees’ original permit 

application materials, along with public 

comments we received during public 

comment periods for the applications, 

are available for review. To locate the 

application materials and received 

comments, go to https://

www.regulations.gov and search for the 

appropriate permit number (e.g., 

PER12345) or docket number (e.g., 

FWS–R7–ES–2020–0004) provided in 

table 1. 

TABLE 1—PERMITS ISSUED UNDER THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT

Permit No. Applicant Permit 

issuance date Docket No. 

PER6413229 ....................................... Matson’s Laboratory ......................................................... 6/20/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

14762C ................................................ National Park Service, Juneau ......................................... 6/20/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

9061181 .............................................. Windfall Films Limited ....................................................... 6/20/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

041309 ................................................ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Marine Mammals 

Management Office.

6/20/24 FWS–HQ–IA–2023–0022. 

0046206 .............................................. North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management.6/21/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

5955318 .............................................. Jason Roehrig, MeatEater Films ...................................... 7/11/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

MA82088B ........................................... U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management Polar Bear Program.7/11/24 FWS–R7–ES–2024–0004. 

IV. Authority 

We issue this notice under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and its 

implementing regulations. 

Peter Fasbender, 

Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries and 

Ecological Services, Alaska Region. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30297 Filed 12–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2023–0148; 

FF09E42000–FXES111609BFEDR–245] 

John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier 

Resources System; Availability of Final 

Revised Maps for Florida, Georgia, 

Louisiana, Maine, and New York 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Coastal Barrier Resources 

Act requires the Secretary of the Interior 

to review the maps of the John H. 

Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System 

(CBRS) at least once every 5 years and 

make any minor and technical 

modifications to the boundaries of the 

CBRS to reflect changes in the size or 

location of any unit as a result of natural 

forces since the unit was last mapped. 

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

have conducted this review for CBRS 

units in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, 

Maine, and the Great Lakes region of 

New York. This notice announces the 

findings of our review and the 

availability of final revised maps for 89 

CBRS units in these five States. 

DATES: Changes to the CBRS depicted on 

the final revised maps, dated December 

29, 2023, become effective on December 

19, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: For information about how 

to get copies of the maps or where to go 

to view them, see Availability of Final 

Maps and Related Information, below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers 

Coordinator, via telephone at 703–358– 

2071 or email at CBRA@fws.gov. 

Individuals in the United States who are 

deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 

a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background and Methodology 

Background information on the 

Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA; 16 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and the John H. 

Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System 

(CBRS), as well as information on the 5- 

year review effort and the methodology 

we used to produce the revised maps, 

can be found in a notice we published 

in the Federal Register on November 22, 

2022 (87 FR 71352). 

Announced Map Modifications 

This notice announces modifications 

we made to the maps for several CBRS 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1