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

What it does

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS promulgates regulations to govern the incidental taking of marine mammals during geophysical survey activity conducted in the Gulf of America (GOA), over the course of 5 years. These regulations, which allow for the issuance of Letters of Authorization (LOA) to survey operators for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and specified timeframe, prescribe the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species or stocks and their habitat, as well as requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

50 CFR 217

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has published 185 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 184 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 0648-BO19 since Jan. 1, 2025.

• Feb. 24, 2026 Proposed rule; request for comments. Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Geophysical Surveys in the Gulf of America

What happens next and when

Effective from April 20, 2026, through April 19, 2031.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Title 50 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register