The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to issue the U.S. Marine Corps an authorization to take marine mammals, specifically bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), by harassment, incidental to training operations at the Marine Corps’ Cherry Point Range Complex, North Carolina from September 2014 to September 2019. In this action, NMFS proposes to amend the regulations to establish a framework for authorizing the take of marine mammals incidental to the Marine Corps’ military training operations, and to issue a subsequent Letter of Authorization to the Marine Corps, which would contain mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements. Per the Marine Mammal Protection Act , NMFS requests comments on its proposal to issue regulations and a subsequent Letter of Authorization to the Marine Corps. NMFS must receive comments on or before August 14, 2014.
Click here to read NMFS’ Federal Register notice of this proposed IHA.
