Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Navy Operations of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar, 48537-48538 [E6-13782]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 161 / Monday, August 21, 2006 / Notices
action. A final version of this EA was
made available to the public on
November 16, 2005 (70 FR 69502).
Based on this evaluation, the Assistant
Administrator for Fisheries made a
Finding of No Significant Impact on
June 13, 2006. In concurrence with this
finding, the NOAA National
Environmental Policy Act Coordinator
determined there was no further need to
prepare an EIS.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 071204C]
RIN 0648–AT11
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries;
Amendment 11
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; withdrawal of Notice of
Intent.
AGENCY:
This notice retracts the Notice
of Intent (NOI) to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
to analyze a range of alternatives for the
annual allocation of the Pacific sardine
harvest guideline proposed action
published on July 19, 2004. Further
scoping subsequent to the publication of
the NOI revealed additional information
indicating that it was unlikely the
proposed action would result in
significant environmental impacts. An
Environmental Assessment (EA) was
completed and a subsequent Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI) was
signed.
SUMMARY:
Copies of the Final
Environmental Assessment /Regulatory
Impact Review may be obtained from
Rodney R. McInnis, Regional
Administrator, Southwest Region,
NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802–4213.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joshua B. Lindsay, Southwest Region,
NMFS, joshua.lindsay@noaa.gov, (562)
980–4034.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
original Notice of Intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)was published July 19, 2004 (69 FR
42968). The determination that the
proposed action would not likely result
in significant environmental impacts
was based on an evaluation of the
criteria listed in NOAA Administrative
Order 216-6, Environmental Review
Procedures for Implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act,
Section 6.01 (Determining the
Significance of NOAA’s Actions) and
6.02 (Specific Guidance on Significance
of Fishery Management Actions). To aid
in this determination, the Pacific
Fisheries Management Council and
NMFS prepared an environmental
assessment (EA) instead of an EIS to
evaluate whether significant impacts
would likely result from the proposed
hsrobinson on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:53 Aug 18, 2006
Jkt 208001
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 15, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–13783 Filed 8–18–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 072606A]
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Navy Operations of
Surveillance Towed Array Sensor
System Low Frequency Active Sonar
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of two Letters
of Authorization.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, and
implementing regulations, notification
is hereby given that NMFS has issued
two 1-year Letters of Authorization
(LOAs) to take marine mammals by
harassment incidental to the U.S. Navy’s
operation of Surveillance Towed Array
Sensor System Low Frequency Active
(SURTASS LFA) sonar operations to the
Chief of Naval Operations, Department
of the Navy, 2000 Navy Pentagon,
Washington, D.C., and persons
operating under his authority.
DATES: Effective from August 16, 2006,
through August 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Navy’s March
31, 2006, application, the LOAs, and the
Navy’s annual report are available by
writing to Michael Payne, Chief,
Permits, Conservation, and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910-3225, by telephoning the contact
listed here (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT), or online at:
https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
48537
incidental.htm#applications.
Documents cited in this notice may be
viewed, by appointment, during regular
business hours, at the aforementioned
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth Hollingshead, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713–
2289 (ext 128).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs the Secretary
of Commerce to allow, upon request, the
incidental, but not intentional taking of
small numbers of marine mammals by
U.S. citizens who engage in a specified
activity (other than commercial fishing)
within a specified geographical region if
certain findings are made and
regulations are issued.
Authorization may be granted for
periods of 5 years or less if NMFS finds
that the taking will have no more than
a negligible impact on the species or
stock(s), and will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses. In addition, NMFS
must prescribe regulations that include
permissible methods of taking and other
means effecting the least practicable
adverse impact on the species and its
habitat, and on the availability of the
species for subsistence uses, paying
particular attention to rookeries, mating
grounds, and areas of similar
significance. The regulations must
include requirements pertaining to the
monitoring and reporting of such taking.
Regulations governing the taking of
marine mammals incidental to the U.S.
Navy’s operation of SURTASS LFA
sonar were published on July 16, 2002
(67 FR 46712), and remain in effect until
August 15, 2007. For detailed
information on this action, please refer
to that document. These regulations
include mitigation, monitoring, and
reporting requirements for the
incidental taking of marine mammals by
the SURTASS LFA sonar system.
Summary of LOA Request
NMFS received an application from
the U.S. Navy for two LOAs, one
covering the R/V Cory Chouest and one
the USNS IMPECCABLE, under the
regulations issued on July 16, 2002 (67
FR 46712). The Navy requested that the
LOAs become effective on August 16,
2006. The application requested
authorization, for a period not to exceed
1 year, to take, by harassment, marine
mammals incidental to employment of
the SURTASS LFA sonar system for
training, testing and routine military
E:\FR\FM\21AUN1.SGM
21AUN1
48538
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 161 / Monday, August 21, 2006 / Notices
operations on the aforementioned ships.
The application’s take estimates are
based on 16 nominal 9-day active sonar
missions (or equivalent shorter
missions) between both vessels,
regardless of which vessel is performing
a specific mission, not to exceed a total
of 432 hours of LFA sonar transmission
time combined for both vessels.
The specified geographic regions
identified in the application are the
following oceanographic provinces
described in Longhurst (1998) and
identified in 50 CFR 216.180(a): the
Archipelagic Deep Basins Province, the
Western Pacific Warm Pool Province,
and the North Pacific Tropical Gyre
West Province, all within the Pacific
Trade Wind Biome; the Kuroshio
Current Province and the Northern
Pacific Transition Zone Province within
the Pacific Westerly Winds Biome; the
North Pacific Epicontinental Sea
Province within the Pacific Polar Biome;
and the China Sea Coastal Province
within the North Pacific Coastal Biome.
The operational areas are portions of the
provinces but do not encompass the
entire area of the provinces. Due to
critical naval warfare requirements, the
U.S. Navy has identified the necessity
for both SURTASS LFA sonar vessels to
be stationed in the North Pacific Ocean
during fiscal year 2006.
hsrobinson on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES
Monitoring and Reporting
In compliance with the two LOAs
issued in 2005, on June 9, 2006, the
Navy submitted an annual report on
SURTASS LFA sonar operations and the
mitigation and monitoring activities
conducted under those LOAs. A copy of
that report (Navy, 2006) can be
downloaded at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental.htm#applications.
Authorization
NMFS has issued two LOAs to the
U.S. Navy, authorizing the incidental
harassment of marine mammals
incidental to operating the two
SURTASS LFA sonar systems for
training, testing and routine military
operations. Issuance of these two LOAs
is based on findings, described in the
preamble to the final rule (67 FR 46712,
July 16, 2002) and supported by
information contained in the Navy’s
required annual report on SURTASS
LFA sonar, that the activities described
under these two LOAs will have no
more than a negligible impact on marine
mammal stocks and will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the affected marine
mammal stocks for subsistence uses.
These LOAs remain valid through
August 15, 2007, provided the Navy
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:53 Aug 18, 2006
Jkt 208001
remains in conformance with the
conditions of the regulations and the
LOAs, and the mitigation, monitoring,
and reporting requirements described in
50 CFR 216.184-216.186 (67 FR 46712,
July 16, 2002) and in the LOAs are
undertaken.
Dated: August 15, 2006.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–13782 Filed 8–18–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 081406B]
Endangered Species; Permit No. 1574
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; Issuance of permit.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a
scientific research permit to take
shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser
brevirostrum) has been issued to Dr.
Frank A. Chapman, Department of
Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, University
of Florida, 7922 NW 71st Street,
Gainesville, Florida 32653.
ADDRESSES: The permit and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the following offices:
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th
Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701;
phone (727)824–5312; fax (727)824–
5309.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Skidmore or Kate Swails at
(301)713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
requested permit has been issued under
the authority of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations
governing the taking, importing, and
exporting of endangered and threatened
species (50 CFR parts 222–226).
On May 10, 2006, notice was
published in the Federal Register (71
FR 27230) that a request for a scientific
research permit to take shortnose
sturgeon had been submitted by Dr.
Frank A. Chapman. Dr. Chapman will
use 187 captive shortnose sturgeon
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
presently held at the University of
Florida to meet the following objectives:
(1) identify physical, chemical, and
biological parameters required to
maintain optimal survival and growth of
larvae and juvenile shortnose sturgeon;
(2) describe embryonic development
and metamorphosis; (3) monitor gonadal
development of domestically raised
shortnose sturgeon; (4) develop
chemical assays to identify the sex and
monitor the sexual development of
shortnose sturgeon; and (5) understand
the physiology of the sperm and egg to
develop short and long-term storage of
sperm as well as optimum fertilization
techniques. The permit has been issued
for five years.
Issuance of this permit, as required by
the ESA, was based on a finding that
such permits (1) were applied for in
good faith, (2) will not operate to the
disadvantage of such endangered or
threatened species, and (3) are
consistent with the purposes and
policies set forth in section 2 of the
ESA.
Dated: August 16, 2006.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–13784 Filed 8–18–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
COMMITTEE FOR THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE
AGREEMENTS
Request for Public Comment on
Commercial Availability Request under
the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA)
August 16, 2006.
The Committee for the
Implementation of Textile Agreements
(CITA).
ACTION: Request for Public Comments
concerning a request for modification of
the NAFTA rules of origin for filament
yarn of cellulose acetate.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: On July 21, 2006 the
Government of the United States
received a request from the Government
of Mexico alleging that filament yarn of
cellulose acetate, classified in heading
5403 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule
of the United States (HTSUS), cannot be
supplied by the Mexican industry in
commercial quantities in a timely
manner and requesting that the
governments of Canada and the United
States consult to consider whether the
North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) rule of origin for woven
fabrics classified under HTSUS heading
E:\FR\FM\21AUN1.SGM
21AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 161 (Monday, August 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48537-48538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13782]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 072606A]
Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Navy Operations of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System
Low Frequency Active Sonar
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of two Letters of Authorization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as
amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given
that NMFS has issued two 1-year Letters of Authorization (LOAs) to take
marine mammals by harassment incidental to the U.S. Navy's operation of
Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS
LFA) sonar operations to the Chief of Naval Operations, Department of
the Navy, 2000 Navy Pentagon, Washington, D.C., and persons operating
under his authority.
DATES: Effective from August 16, 2006, through August 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Navy's March 31, 2006, application, the LOAs,
and the Navy's annual report are available by writing to Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation, and Education Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3225, by telephoning the contact
listed here (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or online at: http:/
/www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm#applications. Documents
cited in this notice may be viewed, by appointment, during regular
business hours, at the aforementioned address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Hollingshead, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2289 (ext 128).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs
the Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the incidental, but
not intentional taking of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S.
citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial
fishing) within a specified geographical region if certain findings are
made and regulations are issued.
Authorization may be granted for periods of 5 years or less if NMFS
finds that the taking will have no more than a negligible impact on the
species or stock(s), and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on
the availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses. In
addition, NMFS must prescribe regulations that include permissible
methods of taking and other means effecting the least practicable
adverse impact on the species and its habitat, and on the availability
of the species for subsistence uses, paying particular attention to
rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of similar significance. The
regulations must include requirements pertaining to the monitoring and
reporting of such taking.
Regulations governing the taking of marine mammals incidental to
the U.S. Navy's operation of SURTASS LFA sonar were published on July
16, 2002 (67 FR 46712), and remain in effect until August 15, 2007. For
detailed information on this action, please refer to that document.
These regulations include mitigation, monitoring, and reporting
requirements for the incidental taking of marine mammals by the SURTASS
LFA sonar system.
Summary of LOA Request
NMFS received an application from the U.S. Navy for two LOAs, one
covering the R/V Cory Chouest and one the USNS IMPECCABLE, under the
regulations issued on July 16, 2002 (67 FR 46712). The Navy requested
that the LOAs become effective on August 16, 2006. The application
requested authorization, for a period not to exceed 1 year, to take, by
harassment, marine mammals incidental to employment of the SURTASS LFA
sonar system for training, testing and routine military
[[Page 48538]]
operations on the aforementioned ships. The application's take
estimates are based on 16 nominal 9-day active sonar missions (or
equivalent shorter missions) between both vessels, regardless of which
vessel is performing a specific mission, not to exceed a total of 432
hours of LFA sonar transmission time combined for both vessels.
The specified geographic regions identified in the application are
the following oceanographic provinces described in Longhurst (1998) and
identified in 50 CFR 216.180(a): the Archipelagic Deep Basins Province,
the Western Pacific Warm Pool Province, and the North Pacific Tropical
Gyre West Province, all within the Pacific Trade Wind Biome; the
Kuroshio Current Province and the Northern Pacific Transition Zone
Province within the Pacific Westerly Winds Biome; the North Pacific
Epicontinental Sea Province within the Pacific Polar Biome; and the
China Sea Coastal Province within the North Pacific Coastal Biome. The
operational areas are portions of the provinces but do not encompass
the entire area of the provinces. Due to critical naval warfare
requirements, the U.S. Navy has identified the necessity for both
SURTASS LFA sonar vessels to be stationed in the North Pacific Ocean
during fiscal year 2006.
Monitoring and Reporting
In compliance with the two LOAs issued in 2005, on June 9, 2006,
the Navy submitted an annual report on SURTASS LFA sonar operations and
the mitigation and monitoring activities conducted under those LOAs. A
copy of that report (Navy, 2006) can be downloaded at: https://
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm#applications.
Authorization
NMFS has issued two LOAs to the U.S. Navy, authorizing the
incidental harassment of marine mammals incidental to operating the two
SURTASS LFA sonar systems for training, testing and routine military
operations. Issuance of these two LOAs is based on findings, described
in the preamble to the final rule (67 FR 46712, July 16, 2002) and
supported by information contained in the Navy's required annual report
on SURTASS LFA sonar, that the activities described under these two
LOAs will have no more than a negligible impact on marine mammal stocks
and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of
the affected marine mammal stocks for subsistence uses.
These LOAs remain valid through August 15, 2007, provided the Navy
remains in conformance with the conditions of the regulations and the
LOAs, and the mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements
described in 50 CFR 216.184-216.186 (67 FR 46712, July 16, 2002) and in
the LOAs are undertaken.
Dated: August 15, 2006.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-13782 Filed 8-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
