International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; Well Volume in the Regional Vessel Register of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 72783-72784 [2016-25540]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 204 / Friday, October 21, 2016 / Notices IMPECCABLE and the USNS VICTORIOUS) in certain areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Nominal at-sea missions for each vessel using SURTASS LFA sonar would last up to 294 days, with 240 days of active sonar transmissions and 54 days of transit. The maximum number of actual transmission hours per vessel would not exceed 255 hours annually under the Preferred Alternative. The application describes the activity types, the equipment and platforms involved, and the duration and potential locations of the specified activities. A suite of proposed mitigation measures for marine mammals that could potentially be affected during SURTASS LFA sonar operations includes restricting the use of SURTASS LFA sonar such that it will not operate in Arctic and Antarctic waters; sound pressure levels (SPL) will not exceed 180 decibels (dB) re 1 mPa (rms) within 12 nautical miles of any emerged features of any coastline, or within designated offshore biologically important areas (OBIAs) for marine mammals; and the Navy will minimize exposure of marine mammals to SURTASS LFA sonar signal received levels of 180 dB re 1 mPa (rms) by monitoring for their presence and suspending transmission when animals enter the mitigation zone. Information Solicited Interested persons may submit information, suggestions, and comments concerning the Navy’s request (see ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all information, suggestions, and comments related to the Navy’s request and NMFS’ potential development and implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals by the Navy’s SURTASS LFA sonar activities. Dated: October 4, 2016. Donna S. Wieting, Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–25532 Filed 10–20–16; 8:45 am] asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:06 Oct 20, 2016 Jkt 241001 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE901 International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; Well Volume in the Regional Vessel Register of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice to the U.S. purse seine fleet fishing for tuna and tuna-like species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. AGENCY: The intent of this notice is to inform the U.S. purse seine fleet fishing for tuna or tuna-like species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) about InterAmerican Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C–15–02 (Resolution on the Deadline Applicable to Revisions of Well Volume in Paragraph 6 of Resolution C–02–03). DATES: IATTC Resolution C–15–02 will become effective January 1, 2017. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Fanning, West Coast Region, NMFS, at Chris.Fanning@noaa.gov, or at (562) 980–4198. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Background on the IATTC The United States is a member of the IATTC, which was established under the 1949 Convention for the Establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. In 2003, the IATTC adopted the Convention for the Strengthening of the IATTC Established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (Antigua Convention), which entered into force in 2010. The United States acceded to the Antigua Convention on February 24, 2016. The full text of the Antigua Convention is available at: https:// www.iattc.org/PDFFiles2/Antigua_ Convention_Jun_2003.pdf. The IATTC consists of 21 member nations and four cooperating nonmember nations and facilitates scientific research into, as well as the conservation and management of, highly migratory species of fish in the IATTC Convention Area. The IATTC Convention Area is defined as the waters of the EPO within the area bounded by the west coast of the Americas and by 50° N. latitude, 150° W. longitude, and 50° S. latitude. The IATTC has maintained a scientific research and fishery monitoring PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 72783 program for many years, which includes a Regional Vessel Register (Register) to maintain a record of vessels that are authorized to fish for tuna and tuna-like species in the Convention Area. International Obligations of the United States Under the Convention As a member of the IATTC, the United States is legally bound to implement decisions of the IATTC. The Tuna Conventions Act (16 U.S.C. 951– 962) provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State and, with respect to enforcement measures, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, may promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the United States’ international obligations under the Convention, including recommendations and decisions adopted by the IATTC. The Secretary’s authority to promulgate such regulations has been delegated to NMFS. IATTC Resolution C–15–02 Resolution C–02–03 was agreed to at the 69th meeting of the IATTC in Manzanillo, Mexico in 2002. Among other things, the Resolution stated that, ‘‘the well volume of each purse-seine vessel, once confirmed. . ., shall be reflected in the Register.’’ This Resolution was implemented domestically through regulations at 50 CFR 300.22(b). At the 89th meeting of the IATTC in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2015, Resolution C–02–03 was amended to Resolution C–15–02. This Resolution required that a deadline be set for all purse seine well volumes (identified as ‘‘Fish Hold Volume (m3)’’ in the Register) to be confirmed. Resolution C– 15–02 states that on January 1, 2017, all purse seine well volumes in the Register will be considered confirmed, and the well volume of any new purse seine vessel added to the Register after that date will be considered confirmed at the time they are added to the Register. Impact on the U.S. Purse Seine Fleet For purse seine vessels currently listed on the Register, the well volume listed in the Register on January 1, 2017, will be considered confirmed, even if documentation (e.g., blueprints, marine survey) verifying well volume has never been submitted. Additionally, if a new purse seine vessel is added to the Register, the well volume submitted at the time it is added will be considered confirmed whether or not it is accompanied by documentation. If the owner of a vessel currently listed on the Register would like to submit documentation to verify the E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM 21OCN1 72784 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 204 / Friday, October 21, 2016 / Notices vessel’s well volume and update it before January 1, 2017, please submit any such documentation no later than December 15, 2016 (See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq. Dated: October 18, 2016. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–25540 Filed 10–20–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region Gear Identification National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 20, 2016. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at JJessup@doc.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Patsy A. Bearden, telephone 907–586–7008, or Patsy.Bearden@ noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: I. Abstract Regulations specify that all hook-andline, longline pot, and pot-and-line marker buoys carried on board or used by any vessel must be marked with Federal Fisheries Permit number or State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game vessel registration number. Regulations that marker buoys be marked with identification information are essential to facilitate fisheries enforcement and actions concerning VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:06 Oct 20, 2016 Jkt 241001 damage, loss, and civil proceedings. The ability to link fishing gear to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to enforcement of regulations. This collection also provides a voluntary opportunity for Gulf of Alaska (GOA) individual fishing quota (IFQ) sablefish fishermen to use a gear that physically protects caught sablefish from depredation by whales. That option, the use of pot longline gear, currently exists in sablefish IFQ fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management areas. Potential benefits of pot longline gear for sablefish fishing include: Mitigation of whale interaction with fishing gear, reduced mortality of seabirds, reduced bycatch of non-target fish species, reduced overall halibut mortality when targeting sablefish, and better accounting of total sablefish fishing mortality. Whales are able to strip hooked fish from hook-and-line gear, which reduces the amount of sablefish caught by fishermen. As such, whale depredation represents undocumented fishing mortality. Many seabird species are attracted to fishing vessels in order to forage on bait, offal, discards, and other prey made available by fishing operations. These interactions can result in direct mortality for seabirds if they become entangled in fishing gear or strike the vessel or fishing gear while flying. Each vessel must use mandatory logbooks (see OMB Control No. 0648– 0213 and 0648–0515) when participating in a longline pot fishery. When the number of pots deployed by a vessel is self-reported through logbooks, the use of pot tags provides an additional enforcement tool to ensure that the pot limits are not exceeded. The use of pot tags requires a uniquely identified tag to be securely affixed to each pot. This allows at-sea enforcement and post-trip verification of the number of pots fished. II. Method of Collection Information will be collected using paper or electronic logbooks. Marker buoys are marked with identification information. III. Data OMB Control Number: 0648–0353. Form Number(s): None. Type of Review: Extension of a current information collection. Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-profit organizations. Estimated Number of Respondents: 990. Estimated Time per Response: 15 minutes each for Request for IFQ PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Sablefish Pot Gear Tags, Request for Replacement of IFQ Sablefish Pot Gear Tags or Lost Gear, Marking of longline pot gear; and Groundfish Hook-and-line marker buoys. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1800 hr. Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $ 11,310. IV. Request for Comments Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record. Dated: October 17, 2016. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2016–25452 Filed 10–20–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Procurement List; Proposed Deletions Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Proposed deletions from the Procurement List. AGENCY: The Committee is proposing to delete products previously furnished by the nonprofit agency employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities. DATES: Comments must be received on or before: November 20, 2016. ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, 1401 S. Clark Street, Suite 715, Arlington, Virginia, 22202–4149. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to submit comments contact: Barry S. Lineback, Telephone: (703) 603–7740, Fax: (703) SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM 21OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 204 (Friday, October 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72783-72784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25540]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE901


International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; Well Volume in 
the Regional Vessel Register of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna 
Commission

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice to the U.S. purse seine fleet fishing for tuna and tuna-
like species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The intent of this notice is to inform the U.S. purse seine 
fleet fishing for tuna or tuna-like species in the Eastern Pacific 
Ocean (EPO) about Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) 
Resolution C-15-02 (Resolution on the Deadline Applicable to Revisions 
of Well Volume in Paragraph 6 of Resolution C-02-03).

DATES: IATTC Resolution C-15-02 will become effective January 1, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Fanning, West Coast Region, 
NMFS, at Chris.Fanning@noaa.gov, or at (562) 980-4198.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background on the IATTC

    The United States is a member of the IATTC, which was established 
under the 1949 Convention for the Establishment of an Inter-American 
Tropical Tuna Commission. In 2003, the IATTC adopted the Convention for 
the Strengthening of the IATTC Established by the 1949 Convention 
between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica 
(Antigua Convention), which entered into force in 2010. The United 
States acceded to the Antigua Convention on February 24, 2016. The full 
text of the Antigua Convention is available at: https://www.iattc.org/PDFFiles2/Antigua_Convention_Jun_2003.pdf.
    The IATTC consists of 21 member nations and four cooperating non-
member nations and facilitates scientific research into, as well as the 
conservation and management of, highly migratory species of fish in the 
IATTC Convention Area. The IATTC Convention Area is defined as the 
waters of the EPO within the area bounded by the west coast of the 
Americas and by 50[deg] N. latitude, 150[deg] W. longitude, and 50[deg] 
S. latitude. The IATTC has maintained a scientific research and fishery 
monitoring program for many years, which includes a Regional Vessel 
Register (Register) to maintain a record of vessels that are authorized 
to fish for tuna and tuna-like species in the Convention Area.

International Obligations of the United States Under the Convention

    As a member of the IATTC, the United States is legally bound to 
implement decisions of the IATTC. The Tuna Conventions Act (16 U.S.C. 
951-962) provides that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
the Secretary of State and, with respect to enforcement measures, the 
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, may promulgate such 
regulations as may be necessary to carry out the United States' 
international obligations under the Convention, including 
recommendations and decisions adopted by the IATTC. The Secretary's 
authority to promulgate such regulations has been delegated to NMFS.

IATTC Resolution C-15-02

    Resolution C-02-03 was agreed to at the 69th meeting of the IATTC 
in Manzanillo, Mexico in 2002. Among other things, the Resolution 
stated that, ``the well volume of each purse-seine vessel, once 
confirmed. . ., shall be reflected in the Register.'' This Resolution 
was implemented domestically through regulations at 50 CFR 300.22(b). 
At the 89th meeting of the IATTC in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2015, 
Resolution C-02-03 was amended to Resolution C-15-02. This Resolution 
required that a deadline be set for all purse seine well volumes 
(identified as ``Fish Hold Volume (m\3\)'' in the Register) to be 
confirmed. Resolution C-15-02 states that on January 1, 2017, all purse 
seine well volumes in the Register will be considered confirmed, and 
the well volume of any new purse seine vessel added to the Register 
after that date will be considered confirmed at the time they are added 
to the Register.

Impact on the U.S. Purse Seine Fleet

    For purse seine vessels currently listed on the Register, the well 
volume listed in the Register on January 1, 2017, will be considered 
confirmed, even if documentation (e.g., blueprints, marine survey) 
verifying well volume has never been submitted. Additionally, if a new 
purse seine vessel is added to the Register, the well volume submitted 
at the time it is added will be considered confirmed whether or not it 
is accompanied by documentation.
    If the owner of a vessel currently listed on the Register would 
like to submit documentation to verify the

[[Page 72784]]

vessel's well volume and update it before January 1, 2017, please 
submit any such documentation no later than December 15, 2016 (See FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq.

    Dated: October 18, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-25540 Filed 10-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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