The National Marine Fisheries Service issued a letter of authorization (LOA) to Anadarko Petroleum Company, authorizing it to harm and harass up to sixteen cetacean species during oil exploration activity in the Gulf of Mexico between January 15, 2022, through July 15, 2022. The affected species include, Rice’s whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, rough-toothed dolphins, bottle nosed dolphins, Clymene dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, spinner dolphins, striped dolphins, Fraser’s dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, melon-headed whales, pygmy killer whales, killer whales, short-finned pilot whales, and Kogia pygmy sperm whales.
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