Final programmatic environmental impact statement

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has the authority, delegated from the Secretary of Commerce, to take stranded marine mammals under Section 109(h) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (16 U.S.C. 1379) and to establish and manage the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) under Title IV of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.). The MMHSRP includes: the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network; the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Program; the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank and Quality Assurance Program; marine mammal health biomonitoring, research, and development; the Marine Mammal Disentanglement Network; the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program; and information management and dissemination. This Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) analyzes the potential environmental impacts of implementing the MMSHRP activities contained in the proposed action and alternatives. Responsible Official: James H. Lecky, Director, Office of Protected Resources For Further Information Contact: Office of Protected Resources National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 713-2322 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AAZV American Association of Zoo Veterinarians ABR Auditory Brainstem Response ADFG Alaska Department of Fish and Game AEP Auditory Evoked Potential APHIS Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ASHPO American Samoa Historic Preservation Office AVMA American Veterinary Medical Association BLM Bureau of Land Management CDFG California Department of Fish and Game CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations