[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27863-27864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11114]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC762
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities;
Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to a Wharf Recapitalization Project
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; revision of an incidental harassment authorization.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that we have revised an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) issued to the U.S. Navy (Navy) to
incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, two species of marine
mammals during construction activities associated with a wharf
recapitalization project at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. The project
has been delayed and the effective dates revised accordingly.
DATES: This authorization is now effective from September 1, 2014,
through August 31, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Laws, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On April 4, 2013, we received a request from the Navy for
authorization of the taking, by Level B harassment only, of marine
mammals incidental to pile driving in association with the Wharf C-2
recapitalization project at Naval Station Mayport, Florida (NSM). That
request was modified on May 9 and June 5, 2013, and a final version,
which we deemed adequate and complete, was submitted on August 7, 2013.
We published notice of a proposed IHA and request for comments on
August 22, 2013 (78 FR 52148), and subsequently published final notice
of our issuance of the IHA on November 29, 2013 (78 FR 71566). In-water
work associated with the project was expected to be completed within
the one-year timeframe of the IHA (effective dates originally December
1, 2013 through November 30, 2014). Two species of marine mammal are
expected to be affected by the specified activities: Bottlenose dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus truncatus) and Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella
frontalis). These species may occur year-round in the action area.
Summary of the Activity
Wharf C-2 is a single level, general purpose berthing wharf
constructed in 1960. The wharf is one of NSM's two primary deep-draft
berths and is one of the primary ordnance handling wharfs. The wharf is
a diaphragm steel sheet pile cell structure with a concrete apron,
partial concrete encasement of the piling and an asphalt paved deck.
The wharf is currently in poor condition due to advanced deterioration
of the steel sheeting and lack of corrosion protection, and this
structural deterioration has resulted in the institution of load
restrictions within 60 ft of the wharf face. The purpose of this
project is to complete necessary repairs to Wharf C-2.
Effects to marine mammals from the specified activity are expected
to result from underwater sound produced by vibratory and impact pile
driving. In order to assess project impacts, the Navy used thresholds
recommended by NMFS. The Navy assumed practical spreading loss and used
empirically-measured source levels from representative pile driving
events to estimate potential marine mammal exposures. The calculations
predict that only Level B harassment would occur associated with pile
driving activities, and required mitigation measures further ensure
that no more than Level B harassment would occur.
Findings
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)--As required by the MMPA in
order to issue an IHA, we determined that (1) the required mitigation
measures are sufficient to reduce the effects of the specified
activities to the level of least practicable impact; (2) the authorized
takes will have a negligible impact on the affected marine mammal
species; (3) the authorized takes represent small numbers relative to
the affected stock abundances; and (4) the Navy's activities will not
have an unmitigable adverse impact on taking for subsistence purposes
as no relevant subsistence uses of marine mammals are implicated by
this action.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)--The Navy prepared an
Environmental Assessment analyzing the project. We reviewed the EA and
the public comments received and determined that it was appropriate to
adopt the document in order to assess the impacts to the human
environment of issuance of an IHA to the Navy. We signed a Finding of
No Significant Impact on November 20, 2013.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)--There are no ESA-listed marine
mammals expected to occur in the action area. Therefore, the Navy did
not request authorization of the incidental take of ESA-listed species
and no such authorization was issued; therefore, no consultation under
the ESA was required.
Summary of the Revision
Construction activities have been delayed for the project due to
difficulties in obtaining the necessary construction materials. No in-
water work has occurred, including all aspects of the specified
activity considered in our issuance of the IHA. The IHA, as issued, is
a one-year IHA with no consideration of seasonality in timing any
component of the specified activity. Therefore, shifting the effective
dates of
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the IHA to accommodate the Navy's delayed schedule for this project has
no effect on our analysis of project impacts and does not affect our
findings. No new information is available that would substantively
affect our analyses under the MMPA, NEPA, or ESA. All mitigation,
monitoring, and reporting measures described in our notice of issuance
of the IHA remain in effect. The species for which take was authorized
and the numbers of incidences of take authorized are unchanged.
As a result of the foregoing, we have revised the IHA issued to the
Navy to conduct the specified activities in Naval Station Mayport, FL.
Originally valid for one year, from December 1, 2013, through November
30, 2014, the IHA now becomes effective on September 1, 2014, and is
valid for one year, until August 31, 2015.
Dated: May 7, 2014.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-11114 Filed 5-14-14; 8:45 am]
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