Data / Federal rules / 2024-08257

Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Gulf of Mexico

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024. It took effect on May 24, 2024.

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What the agency says

NMFS has reassessed the statutorily mandated findings supporting its January 19, 2021 final rule, "Regulations Governing Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Survey Activities in the Gulf of Mexico," issued pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as the estimates of incidental take of marine mammals anticipated from the activities analyzed for the 2021 final rule were erroneous. NMFS has corrected this error and considered and incorporated other newly available and pertinent information relevant to the analyses supporting some of the findings in the 2021 final rule and the taking allowable under the regulations. There are no changes to the specified activities or the specified geographical region in which those activities would be conducted, nor to the original 5-year period of effectiveness. In light of the new information, NMFS presents new analyses supporting our affirmance of the negligible impact determinations for all species, and affirms that the existing regulations, which contain mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements, are consistent with the "least practicable adverse impact (LPAI) standard" of the MMPA.

Key facts

Document number: 2024-08257
Type: Final rule
Action: Final rule
Agency: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: April 24, 2024
Takes effect: May 24, 2024
Dates: Effective from May 24, 2024 through April 19, 2026.
Docket: Docket No. 240410-0195
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BL68
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 217
Topics: Exports; Fish; Imports; Indians; Labeling; Marine mammals; Penalties; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Seafood; Transportation
Significant: Yes, under Executive Order 12866
Pages: 54

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Everything from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Rules on exports · Rules on fish · Rules on imports · Published in April 2024

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.