2012 Annual Determination for Sea Turtle Observer Requirement, 474-476 [2011-33852]
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474
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2012 / Notices
expect or request steel threaded rod
with small amounts of chromium
added, other than to circumvent the
order.7 Petitioner argues that the
applicable standard for DA bolts does
not address the chemistry of the steel,
focusing instead on basic dimensions,
zinc coating, and tensile strength, none
of which are affected by the additional
amounts of chromium.8
Use of the Merchandise
Petitioner states that the uses of DA
bolts, i.e., fasteners in the utility
industry, are typical applications of
steel threaded rod.9
Channels of Marketing
Petitioner states that the channels of
marketing for the chromium-added DA
bolts and the subject steel threaded rod
are the same, noting that both products
are marketed through distributors.10
Cost of Modification
Petitioner indicates that the addition
of small amounts of chromium involves
minimal additional cost compared to
the overall costs of the merchandise in
question.11
Circumstances Under Which the
Subject Products Entered the United
States
Petitioner argues that entry summary
information indicates that the additional
chromium was added to deliberately
avoid antidumping duties. Petitioner
points to documents contained in the
entry summary for Gem-Year’s entries of
higher-chromium DA bolts to support
its claim that the chromium content of
the DA bolts was manipulated in an
attempt to circumvent the order.12
Because Gem-Year’s merchandise would
be subject to the PRC-wide deposit rate
of 206.00 percent, Petitioner asserts that
Gem-Year and its customers have a
strong financial incentive to avoid
paying antidumping duties.13
Timing of the Entries
emcdonald on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Petitioner asserts that the addition of
chromium after the issuance of the Steel
Threaded Rod Order and the
Department’s determination in the
related scope request concerning DA
bolts indicates that this addition of
chromium is an attempt to circumvent
the Steel Threaded Rod Order.14
7 Id.
at 17.
8 Id.
9 Id.
at 19.
Dated: December 22, 2011.
Christian Marsh,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011–33768 Filed 1–4–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XA892
2012 Annual Determination for Sea
Turtle Observer Requirement
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is providing
notification that the agency will not
identify additional fisheries to observe
on the Annual Determination (AD) for
SUMMARY:
10 Id.
11 Id.
12 Id.
at 19–20.
at 20.
14 Id. at 20.
13 Id.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
Based on the information provided by
Petitioner, the Department finds there is
sufficient basis to initiate an
antidumping anti-circumvention
inquiry, pursuant to section 781(c) of
the Act, to determine whether the
merchandise subject to the inquiry
(identified in the ‘‘Merchandise Subject
to the Minor Alterations Antidumping
Circumvention Inquiry’’ section above)
involves a minor alteration to subject
merchandise that is so insignificant as
to render the resulting merchandise
subject to the Steel Threaded Rod
Order.
The Department will not order the
suspension of liquidation of entries of
any additional merchandise at this time.
However, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.225(l)(2), if the Department issues a
preliminary affirmative determination,
we will then instruct U.S. Customs and
Border Protection to suspend
liquidation and require a cash deposit of
estimated duties, at the applicable rate,
for each unliquidated entry of the
merchandise at issue, entered or
withdrawn from warehouse for
consumption on or after the date of
initiation of the inquiry.
The Department will, following
consultation with interested parties,
establish a schedule for questionnaires
and comments on the issues. The
Department intends to issue its final
determination within 300 days of the
date of publication of this initiation
notice.
This notice is published in
accordance with sections 781(c) of the
Act and 19 CFR 351.225(i).
14:51 Jan 04, 2012
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Sfmt 4703
2012, pursuant to its authority under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Through
an AD, NMFS identifies fisheries
operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of
Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that will be
required to take observers upon NMFS’
request. The purpose of observing
identified fisheries is to learn more
about sea turtle interactions in a given
fishery, evaluate existing measures to
prevent or reduce prohibited sea turtle
takes, and to determine whether
additional measures to implement the
prohibition against sea turtle takes may
be necessary. Fisheries identified in the
2010 AD (see Table 1) remain on the AD
and are therefore required to carry
observers upon NMFS’ request, until
2014.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for a listing of all Regional
Offices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristy Long, Office of Protected
Resources, (301) 713–2322; Ellen Keane,
Northeast Region, (978) 282–8476;
Dennis Klemm, Southeast Region, (727)
824–5312; Elizabeth Petras, Southwest
Region, (562) 980–3238; Kim Maison,
Pacific Islands Region, (808) 944–2257.
Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the
hearing impaired may call the Federal
Information Relay Service at 1-(800)
877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Eastern time, Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Published Materials
Information regarding the Sea Turtle
Observer Requirement for Fisheries (72
FR 43176, August 3, 2007) may be
obtained at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/
species/turtles/regulations.htm or from
any NMFS Regional Office at the
addresses listed below:
Æ NMFS, Northeast Region, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930–
2298;
Æ NMFS, Southeast Region, 263 13th
Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701;
Æ NMFS, Southwest Region, 501 W.
Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,
CA 90802–4213; or
Æ NMFS, Pacific Islands Region,
Protected Resources, 1601 Kapiolani
Boulevard, Suite 1100, Honolulu, HI
96814–4700.
Purpose of the Sea Turtle Observer
Requirement
Under the ESA, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.,
NMFS has the responsibility to
implement programs to conserve marine
life listed as endangered or threatened.
All sea turtles found in U.S. waters are
listed as either endangered or
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
475
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2012 / Notices
threatened under the ESA. Kemp’s
ridley (Lepidochelys kempii),
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea
turtles are listed as endangered.
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green
(Chelonia mydas), and olive ridley
(Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles are
listed as threatened, except for breeding
colony populations of green turtles in
Florida and on the Pacific coast of
Mexico, and breeding colony
populations of olive ridleys on the
Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed
as endangered. Due to the inability to
distinguish between populations of
green and olive ridley turtles away from
the nesting beach, NMFS considers
these turtles endangered wherever they
occur in U.S. waters. While some sea
turtle populations have shown signs of
recovery, many populations continue to
decline.
Incidental take, or bycatch, in fishing
gear is one of the main sources of sea
turtle injury and mortality nationwide.
Section 9 of the ESA prohibits the take
(including harassing, harming,
pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding,
killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting
or attempting to engage in any such
conduct), including incidental take, of
endangered sea turtles. Pursuant to
section 4(d) of the ESA, NMFS has
issued regulations extending the
prohibition of take, with exceptions, to
threatened sea turtles (50 CFR 223.205
and 223.206). Sections 9 and 11 of the
ESA authorize the issuance of
regulations to enforce the take
prohibitions. NMFS may grant
exceptions to the take prohibitions with
an incidental take statement or an
incidental take permit issued pursuant
to ESA section 7 or 10, respectively. To
do so, NMFS must determine that the
activity that will result in incidental
take is not likely to jeopardize the
continued existence of the affected
listed species. For some Federal
fisheries and most state fisheries, NMFS
has not granted an exception primarily
because we lack information about
fishery-sea turtle interactions.
The most effective way for NMFS to
learn more about sea turtle-fishery
interactions in order to prevent or
minimize take is to place observers
aboard fishing vessels. In 2007, NMFS
issued a regulation (50 CFR 222.402) to
establish procedures through which
each year NMFS will identify, pursuant
to specified criteria and after notice and
opportunity for comment, those
fisheries in which the agency intends to
place observers (72 FR 43176, August 3,
2007). These regulations specify that
NMFS may place observers on U.S.
fishing vessels, either recreational or
commercial, operating in U.S. territorial
waters, the U.S. exclusive economic
zone (EEZ), or on the high seas, or on
vessels that are otherwise subject to the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Failure to
comply with the requirements under
this rule may result in civil or criminal
penalties under the ESA.
NMFS and/or interested cooperating
entities will pay the direct costs for
vessels to carry observers. These include
observer salary and insurance costs.
NMFS may also evaluate other potential
direct costs, should they arise. Once
selected, a fishery will be eligible to be
observed for 5 years without further
action by NMFS. This will enable NMFS
to develop an appropriate sampling
protocol to investigate whether, how,
when, where, and under what
conditions incidental takes are
occurring; to evaluate whether existing
measures are minimizing or preventing
takes; and to determine whether
additional measures are needed to
conserve and recover turtles.
2012 Annual Determination
NMFS is providing notification that
the agency will not identify additional
fisheries to observe for the 2012 AD,
pursuant to its authority under the ESA.
NMFS is not identifying additional
fisheries at this time given lack of
resources to implement new or expand
existing observer programs to focus on
sea turtles (50 CFR 222.402(a)(4)).
Fisheries identified in the 2010 AD (see
Table 1) remain on the AD and are
therefore required to carry observers,
upon NMFS’ request, until 2014. NMFS
did not identify additional fisheries to
observe in the 2011 AD.
TABLE 1—STATE AND FEDERAL COMMERCIAL FISHERIES INCLUDED ON THE ANNUAL DETERMINATION
Years eligible to
carry observers
emcdonald on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Fishery
Trawl Fisheries:
Atlantic shellfish bottom trawl ...............................................................................................................................................
Mid-Atlantic bottom trawl ......................................................................................................................................................
Mid-Atlantic mid-water trawl (including pair trawl) ...............................................................................................................
Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl .....................................................................................................
Gillnet Fisheries:
CA halibut, white seabass and other species set gillnet (>3.5 in mesh) ............................................................................
CA yellowtail, barracuda, and white seabass drift gillnet (mesh size >3.5 in. and <14 in.) ................................................
Chesapeake Bay inshore gillnet ...........................................................................................................................................
Long Island inshore gillnet ...................................................................................................................................................
Mid-Atlantic gillnet ................................................................................................................................................................
North Carolina inshore gillnet ...............................................................................................................................................
Northeast sink gillnet ............................................................................................................................................................
Southeast Atlantic gillnet ......................................................................................................................................................
Trap/Pot Fisheries:
Atlantic blue crab trap/pot ....................................................................................................................................................
Atlantic mixed species trap/pot ............................................................................................................................................
Northeast/mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot .................................................................................................................
Pound Net/Weir/Seine Fisheries:
Mid-Atlantic haul/beach seine ..............................................................................................................................................
Mid-Atlantic menhaden purse seine .....................................................................................................................................
U.S. mid-Atlantic mixed species stop seine/weir/pound net (except the NC roe mullet stop net) ......................................
Virginia pound net ........................................................................................................................................................................
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E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
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2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
2010–2014
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2012 / Notices
Dated: December 29, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
• Via fax: (707) 825–4840. Please
include the following on the cover page
of the fax: ‘‘Attn: Recovery Coordinator/
SONCC Coho Salmon Public Draft
Recovery Plan Comments.’’
[FR Doc. 2011–33852 Filed 1–4–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Weeder ((707) 825–5168), email
julie.weeder@noaa.gov.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
RIN 0648–XA907
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Recovery Plan Southern Oregon/
Northern California Coast Coho
Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces the
availability for public review of the draft
Recovery Plan (Plan) for the Southern
Oregon/Northern California Coast
(SONCC) Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus
kisutch) Evolutionarily Significant Unit
(ESU). NMFS is soliciting review and
comment from the public and all
interested parties on the Plan, and will
consider all substantive comments
received during the review period
before submitting the Plan for final
approval. In addition, public meetings
will be announced as opportunities for
providing comments on the Draft Plan
(dates to be determined).
DATES: Comments must be received no
later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time
on March 5, 2012. NMFS will accept
anonymous comments (enter N/A in the
required fields, if you wish to remain
anonymous). You may submit
attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Via email:
SONCC.Recovery@noaa.gov (No files
larger than 5MB can be accepted).
• Via U.S. Mail: Julie Weeder,
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1655
Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521, Attn:
Recovery Coordinator/SONCC Coho
Salmon Public Draft Recovery Plan
Comments.
• Hand delivered: National Marine
Fisheries Service, 1655 Heindon Road,
Arcata, CA 95521, Attn: Recovery
Coordinator/SONCC Coho Salmon
Public Draft Recovery Plan Comments.
Business hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
SUMMARY:
emcdonald on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Julie
VerDate Mar<15>2010
14:51 Jan 04, 2012
Jkt 226001
NMFS is
charged with the recovery of Pacific
salmon and steelhead species listed
under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA). Recovery means that listed
species and their ecosystems are
restored, and their future secured, so
that the protections of the ESA are no
longer necessary. The ESA specifies that
recovery plans must include: (1) A
description of management actions
necessary to achieve the plan’s goals for
the conservation and survival of the
species; (2) objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result
in the species being removed from the
list; and (3) estimates of time and costs
required to achieve the plan’s goal and
the intermediate steps towards that goal.
Section 4(f) of the ESA, as amended in
1988, requires that public notice and an
opportunity for public review and
comment be provided during recovery
plan development. NMFS is hereby
soliciting relevant information on
SONCC Coho Salmon ESU populations
and their freshwater/marine habitats. In
addition, NMFS is soliciting comment
on the contents of the proposed
recovery plan.
Persons wishing to review the Draft
Plan can obtain an electronic copy (i.e.,
CD ROM) from Ms. Cynthia Anderson
by calling (707) 825–5162 or by
emailing a request to
Cynthia.Anderson@noaa.gov with the
subject line ‘‘CD ROM Request for
SONCC Coho Salmon Draft Recovery
Plan.’’ Electronic copies of the Draft
Plan are also available on line on the
following NMFS Web site: https://
swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery.
Public Meetings
Public meetings are planned.
Information on locations, dates, and
times will be posted on the Web site
listed above.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: December 29, 2011.
Susan Pultz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–33850 Filed 1–4–12; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
Science Advisory Board
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
This notice sets forth the
schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming meeting of the NOAA
Science Advisory Board. The members
will discuss and provide advice on
issues outlined in the section on Matters
to be Considered.
Time and Date: The meeting is
scheduled for: Tuesday, January 31,
2012, from 3–5 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time.
ADDRESSES: Conference call. Public
access is available at: NOAA, SSMC 3,
Room 11836, 1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, Md.
Status: The meeting will be open to
public participation with a 5-minute
public comment period from 4:50–4:55
p.m. The SAB expects that public
statements presented at its meetings will
not be repetitive of previously
submitted verbal or written statements.
In general, each individual or group
making a verbal presentation will be
limited to a total time of one minute.
Written comments should be received in
the SAB Executive Director’s Office by
January 26, 2012 to provide sufficient
time for SAB review. Written comments
received by the SAB Executive Director
after January 26, 2012, will be
distributed to the SAB, but may not be
reviewed prior to the meeting date.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Science Advisory Board (SAB) was
established by a Decision Memorandum
dated September 25, 1997, and is the
only Federal Advisory Committee with
responsibility to advise the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere on strategies for research,
education, and application of science to
operations and information services.
SAB activities and advice provide
necessary input to ensure that National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) science
programs are of the highest quality and
provide optimal support to resource
management.
Matters To Be Considered: The
meeting will include the following
topics: (1) Review of new members for
the Environmental Information Services
Working Group (2) Review of renewal of
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 474-476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33852]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA892
2012 Annual Determination for Sea Turtle Observer Requirement
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is providing
notification that the agency will not identify additional fisheries to
observe on the Annual Determination (AD) for 2012, pursuant to its
authority under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Through an AD, NMFS
identifies fisheries operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico,
and Pacific Ocean that will be required to take observers upon NMFS'
request. The purpose of observing identified fisheries is to learn more
about sea turtle interactions in a given fishery, evaluate existing
measures to prevent or reduce prohibited sea turtle takes, and to
determine whether additional measures to implement the prohibition
against sea turtle takes may be necessary. Fisheries identified in the
2010 AD (see Table 1) remain on the AD and are therefore required to
carry observers upon NMFS' request, until 2014.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a listing of all Regional
Offices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristy Long, Office of Protected
Resources, (301) 713-2322; Ellen Keane, Northeast Region, (978) 282-
8476; Dennis Klemm, Southeast Region, (727) 824-5312; Elizabeth Petras,
Southwest Region, (562) 980-3238; Kim Maison, Pacific Islands Region,
(808) 944-2257. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the
hearing impaired may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
(800) 877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through
Friday, excluding Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Published Materials
Information regarding the Sea Turtle Observer Requirement for
Fisheries (72 FR 43176, August 3, 2007) may be obtained at
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/regulations.htm or from any NMFS
Regional Office at the addresses listed below:
[cir] NMFS, Northeast Region, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester,
MA 01930-2298;
[cir] NMFS, Southeast Region, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701;
[cir] NMFS, Southwest Region, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long
Beach, CA 90802-4213; or
[cir] NMFS, Pacific Islands Region, Protected Resources, 1601
Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1100, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
Purpose of the Sea Turtle Observer Requirement
Under the ESA, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., NMFS has the responsibility
to implement programs to conserve marine life listed as endangered or
threatened. All sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as either
endangered or
[[Page 475]]
threatened under the ESA. Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii),
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys
imbricata) sea turtles are listed as endangered. Loggerhead (Caretta
caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea) sea turtles are listed as threatened, except for breeding
colony populations of green turtles in Florida and on the Pacific coast
of Mexico, and breeding colony populations of olive ridleys on the
Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered. Due to the
inability to distinguish between populations of green and olive ridley
turtles away from the nesting beach, NMFS considers these turtles
endangered wherever they occur in U.S. waters. While some sea turtle
populations have shown signs of recovery, many populations continue to
decline.
Incidental take, or bycatch, in fishing gear is one of the main
sources of sea turtle injury and mortality nationwide. Section 9 of the
ESA prohibits the take (including harassing, harming, pursuing,
hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or
collecting or attempting to engage in any such conduct), including
incidental take, of endangered sea turtles. Pursuant to section 4(d) of
the ESA, NMFS has issued regulations extending the prohibition of take,
with exceptions, to threatened sea turtles (50 CFR 223.205 and
223.206). Sections 9 and 11 of the ESA authorize the issuance of
regulations to enforce the take prohibitions. NMFS may grant exceptions
to the take prohibitions with an incidental take statement or an
incidental take permit issued pursuant to ESA section 7 or 10,
respectively. To do so, NMFS must determine that the activity that will
result in incidental take is not likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of the affected listed species. For some Federal fisheries
and most state fisheries, NMFS has not granted an exception primarily
because we lack information about fishery-sea turtle interactions.
The most effective way for NMFS to learn more about sea turtle-
fishery interactions in order to prevent or minimize take is to place
observers aboard fishing vessels. In 2007, NMFS issued a regulation (50
CFR 222.402) to establish procedures through which each year NMFS will
identify, pursuant to specified criteria and after notice and
opportunity for comment, those fisheries in which the agency intends to
place observers (72 FR 43176, August 3, 2007). These regulations
specify that NMFS may place observers on U.S. fishing vessels, either
recreational or commercial, operating in U.S. territorial waters, the
U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or on the high seas, or on vessels
that are otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Failure to
comply with the requirements under this rule may result in civil or
criminal penalties under the ESA.
NMFS and/or interested cooperating entities will pay the direct
costs for vessels to carry observers. These include observer salary and
insurance costs. NMFS may also evaluate other potential direct costs,
should they arise. Once selected, a fishery will be eligible to be
observed for 5 years without further action by NMFS. This will enable
NMFS to develop an appropriate sampling protocol to investigate
whether, how, when, where, and under what conditions incidental takes
are occurring; to evaluate whether existing measures are minimizing or
preventing takes; and to determine whether additional measures are
needed to conserve and recover turtles.
2012 Annual Determination
NMFS is providing notification that the agency will not identify
additional fisheries to observe for the 2012 AD, pursuant to its
authority under the ESA. NMFS is not identifying additional fisheries
at this time given lack of resources to implement new or expand
existing observer programs to focus on sea turtles (50 CFR
222.402(a)(4)). Fisheries identified in the 2010 AD (see Table 1)
remain on the AD and are therefore required to carry observers, upon
NMFS' request, until 2014. NMFS did not identify additional fisheries
to observe in the 2011 AD.
Table 1--State and Federal Commercial Fisheries Included on the Annual
Determination
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Years eligible to
Fishery carry observers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trawl Fisheries:
Atlantic shellfish bottom trawl................. 2010-2014
Mid-Atlantic bottom trawl....................... 2010-2014
Mid-Atlantic mid-water trawl (including pair 2010-2014
trawl).........................................
Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico 2010-2014
shrimp trawl...................................
Gillnet Fisheries:
CA halibut, white seabass and other species set 2010-2014
gillnet (>3.5 in mesh).........................
CA yellowtail, barracuda, and white seabass 2010-2014
drift gillnet (mesh size >3.5 in. and <14 in.).
Chesapeake Bay inshore gillnet.................. 2010-2014
Long Island inshore gillnet..................... 2010-2014
Mid-Atlantic gillnet............................ 2010-2014
North Carolina inshore gillnet.................. 2010-2014
Northeast sink gillnet.......................... 2010-2014
Southeast Atlantic gillnet...................... 2010-2014
Trap/Pot Fisheries:
Atlantic blue crab trap/pot..................... 2010-2014
Atlantic mixed species trap/pot................. 2010-2014
Northeast/mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot 2010-2014
Pound Net/Weir/Seine Fisheries:
Mid-Atlantic haul/beach seine................... 2010-2014
Mid-Atlantic menhaden purse seine............... 2010-2014
U.S. mid-Atlantic mixed species stop seine/weir/ 2010-2014
pound net (except the NC roe mullet stop net)..
Virginia pound net.................................. 2010-2014
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 476]]
Dated: December 29, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-33852 Filed 1-4-12; 8:45 am]
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