# Federal Register #29925

NOAA Marine-Mammal Authorization and Cetacean Filming Permit Notice

**Buyer:** National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
**Posted:** October 22, 2026
**Respond By:** November 23, 2026
**Identifier:** 29925

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service notice describes marine-mammal authorizations and a requested cetacean filming permit, rather than a government purchase of products or services.
- Government offices: U.S. Department of Commerce; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources.
- Renewal incidental harassment authorization: **TMC** may incidentally take marine mammals during the Seward Cruise Ship Passenger Dock and Terminal Facility project in Seward, Alaska. The authorization is approximately one year.
- Requested filming permit: **Craig O’Connell, Ph.D., of O’Seas Conservation Foundation, Inc.** seeks a two-year permit for a documentary about ecological relationships between sharks and cetaceans and threats to them. The request includes observation, harassment, and filming, including opportunistic filming of sharks feeding on marine mammal carcasses.
  - Proposed annual maximums: 5 humpback whales, 5 minke whales, 100 common dolphins, 100 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and 50 bottlenose dolphins.
  - Proposed methods include vessels, unmanned aircraft systems, and underwater divers.
  - Permit identifier shown: 29925.
- No products, OEMs, or purchase quantities are identified. This notice concerns regulatory authorizations, not a competitive procurement.

### Description

Craig O'Connell, Ph.D., of O'Seas Conservation Foundation, Inc., has applied for a two-year permit to harass and film cetaceans for a documentary about ecological relationships between sharks and cetaceans and the threats they face. The proposed work may involve vessel, unmanned aircraft system, and underwater-diver observation and filming of specified numbers of humpback whales, minke whales, common dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins each year. The notice invites written comments by November 23, 2026; application documents are available by written request to NOAA Fisheries.

[View original listing](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/22/2026-21616/marine-mammals-file-no-29925)