Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission’s Marine Facilities Replacement Program in North Puget Sound, Washington

NMFS has received a request from the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to their Marine Facilities Replacement Program in North Puget Sound in Western Washington over the course of 5 years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing regulations setting forth permissible methods of taking. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the promulgation of the requested MMPA regulations, and NMFS’ responses to public comments will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.