# Marine Mammals and Endangered Species
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice; issuance of permits, including a permit modification.
**SUMMARY:**
Notice is hereby given that permits have been issued under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.
**ADDRESSES:**
The permits and related documents are available for review upon written request via email to *[email protected].*
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Erin Markin, Ph.D. (File No. 28294) and Jennifer Skidmore (File No. 29044); at (301) 427-8401.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The requested permits have been issued under the MMPA of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 *et seq.* ), the regulations governing the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 *et seq.* ), and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), as applicable. Notices were published in the *Federal Register* on the dates listed below that requests had been submitted. To locate the *Federal Register* notice that announced our receipt of the application and a complete description of the activities, go to *https://www.federalregister.gov* and search for the file number provided in table 1 below.
| File No. | Version No. | RTID | Applicant | Previous
notice | Issuance date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 28294 | 01 | 0648-XF207 | Matthew Fisher, Normandeau Associates, Inc., 2233 Spring Street, West Lawn, PA 19609 | 90 FR 55854, December 4, 2025 | March 30, 2026. |
| 29044 | N/A | 0648-XF498 | Amanda Bishop, Ph.D., University of Alaska Anchorage, 3101 Science Circle, Anchorage, AK 99501 | 91 FR 5928, February 10, 2026 | April 1, 2026. |
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 *et seq.* ), a final determination has been made that the activities proposed are categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
As required by the ESA, as applicable, issuance was based on a finding that such permits: (1) were applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA.
Dated: April 21, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.