Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Scoping Process; Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings, 3401-3402 [2013-00808]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 16, 2013 / Notices
0.96); Nmin changed from 966 to 935;
and PBR changed from 9.7 to 9.4.
The abundance estimate for
Sowerby’s beaked whale, western North
Atlantic stock, in the draft 2012 SAR (77
FR 47043, August 7, 2012) has changed
from 3,748 (CV = 0.86) to 3,653 (CV =
0.69); Nmin increased from 2,008 to
2,160; and PBR increased from 20 to 22.
The abundance estimate for Risso’s
dolphin, western North Atlantic stock,
in the draft 2012 SAR (77 FR 47043,
August 7, 2012) has changed from
17,734 (CV = 0.42) to 15,197 (CV =
0.55); Nmin decreased from 12,630 to
9,857; and PBR changed from 121 to 95.
The abundance estimate for Atlantic
white-sided dolphin, western North
Atlantic stock, in the draft 2012 SAR (77
FR 47043, August 7, 2012) has changed
from 45,592 (CV = 0.54) to 48,819 (CV
= 0.61); Nmin increased from 29,806 to
30,403; and PBR increased from 298 to
304. Total annual estimated average
fishery-related mortality or serious
injury to this stock during 2006–2010
changed from 213 to 212. Average
annual estimated fishery-related
mortality attributed to the Northeast
sink gillnet fishery during 2006–2010
decreased from 39 to 38 white-sided
dolphins per year.
The abundance estimate for harbor
porpoise, Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy
stock, in the draft 2012 SAR (77 FR
47043, August 7, 2012) has changed
from 61,959 (CV = 0.32) to 79,833 (CV
= 0.32); Nmin increased from 47,635 to
61,415; and PBR changed from 548 to
706. The total annual estimated average
human-caused mortality changed from
840 to 835 harbor porpoises per year;
791 attributed to U.S. fisheries (changed
from 796). The average annual harbor
porpoise mortality and serious injury
attributed to the Northeast sink gillnet
fishery from 2006 to 2010 changed from
515 to 511 (CV = 0.17).
The average annual harbor porpoise
mortality and serious injury attributed
to the mid-Atlantic gillnet fishery listed
in the draft 2012 SAR (77 FR 47043,
August 7, 2012) from 2006 to 2010 has
changed from 276 to 275 (CV = 0.35).
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
Dated: January 10, 2013.
Helen M. Golde,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–00705 Filed 1–15–13; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC434
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish Fisheries; Scoping Process;
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council; Public Hearings
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Mid-Atlantic
Council) announces its intention to
prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an
EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act to assess
potential effects on the human
environment of alternative measures to
protect deep-sea corals in the MidAtlantic region.
This notice announces a public
process for determining the scope of
issues to be addressed, and for
identifying the significant issues related
to deep-sea coral protections in the MidAtlantic. This notice is to alert the
interested public of the scoping process,
the development of the Draft EIS, and to
provide for public participation in that
process. If, during development of the
Draft EIS, it can be determined that the
alternatives are not expected to have
significant impacts on the human
environment, an Environmental
Assessment (EA) may be prepared in
place of an EIS. This determination will
depend on the scope of issues raised
and the alternatives developed.
Information obtained during the scoping
process will be used to develop either
an EIS or an EA as appropriate. This
action is necessary to provide analytical
support for an amendment (Amendment
16) to the Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) for Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and
Butterfish (MSB), which addresses
protections of deep-sea corals from the
impacts of fishing gear.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before 11:59 p.m., EST,
on February 15, 2013. Two public
scoping meetings will be held during
this comment period. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates,
times, and locations.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
sent by any of the following methods:
• Email to the following address:
nmfs.ner.msbam16@noaa.gov;
• Mail or hand deliver to Dr.
Christopher M. Moore, Executive
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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3401
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, 800 North State
Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901.
Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Deep
Sea Corals Amendment Scoping
Comments’’; or
• Fax to (302) 674–5399.
The scoping document may also be
obtained from the Mid-Atlantic Council
office at the previously provided
address, or by request to the MidAtlantic Council by telephone (302)
674–2331, or via the Internet at https://
www.mafmc.org/fmp/msb.htm.
Comments may also be provided
verbally at either of the two public
scoping meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for dates, times, and
locations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Christopher M. Moore, Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 800 North
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901,
(telephone 302–674–2331).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Mid-Atlantic Council has
initiated this amendment to minimize
the impacts of fishing gear on deep-sea
corals within the Council’s jurisdiction.
The Mid-Atlantic Council and the New
England Fishery Management Council
(New England Council) have developed
a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) identifying areas of consensus
and common strategy related to
conservation of corals and mitigation of
the negative impacts of fishery/coral
interactions. The terms of the MOU
include defined areas of jurisdiction for
deep-sea coral protection measures,
aligning with the Mid-Atlantic and New
England Council region boundaries as
defined in 50 CFR 600.105.
The New England Council began
developing alternatives for deep-sea
coral protections as part of their
Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Omnibus
Amendment 2, and at their September
2012 meeting, voted to split the range of
alternatives pertaining to deep sea
corals into a separate omnibus
amendment. The Mid-Atlantic Council
will develop alternatives applicable to
areas south of the inter-council
boundary with the New England
Council, with the understanding that
the New England Council will
implement coral-related measures north
of this boundary.
At this time, the Mid-Atlantic Council
is expected to consider several types of
management measures, including, but
not limited to:
• No action; no additional measures
would be adopted.
• Designation of deep-sea coral
protection zones, under the
E:\FR\FM\16JAN1.SGM
16JAN1
3402
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 16, 2013 / Notices
discretionary authority described in
section 303(b)(2)(B) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (MSA), where fishing
may be restricted in order to protect
deep-sea corals from physical damage
caused by fishing gear. Such zones
would be located within the
geographical range of the MSB fishery,
as described in the FMP. However,
management measures may apply to any
MSA-regulated fishing activity within
this range. Therefore, any measures
pursued under this authority would
likely apply to all federally managed
fisheries within the geographic range of
the MSB fisheries. The geographical
range of this fishery includes the coastal
and EEZ waters of the U.S. East Coast,
with a core fishery management area
from North Carolina to Maine.
• Designation of deep-sea corals as a
component of EFH or as Habitat Areas
of Particular Concern (HAPCs).
• Measures to minimize bycatch of
deep-sea coral species.
• Special access programs to provide
for continued fishing in or near deep-sea
coral areas for specific fisheries or gear
types.
• Exploratory fishing programs to
allow for future development of new
fisheries in a way that protects deep-sea
corals.
The Mid-Atlantic Council is seeking
comments on the scope of alternatives
to be considered in this amendment, as
well as general comments or concerns
relating to deep-sea coral protections in
the mid-Atlantic.
Scoping Meetings
Two scoping meetings to facilitate
public comment will be held on the
following dates and locations:
1. February 5, 2013, 7–9 p.m., via
webinar; connection information to be
available at https://www.mafmc.org/
meetings/meetings.htm or by contacting
the Mid-Atlantic Council (see
ADDRESSES);
2. February 13, 2013, 4 p.m., Embassy
Suites Hampton Roads, 1700 Coliseum
Drive, Hampton, VA 23666.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with
Special Accommodations
The scoping meetings are accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aid should be directed to M.
Jan Saunders (302–674–2331 ext. 18) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:01 Jan 15, 2013
Jkt 229001
Dated: January 9, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[FR Doc. 2013–00808 Filed 1–15–13; 8:45 am]
RIN 0648–XB173
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
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Marine Mammals; File No. 16919
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC443
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
Notice of open public meeting.
This notice sets forth the
schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming meeting of the Marine
Fisheries Advisory Committee
(MAFAC). The members will discuss
and provide advice on issues outlined
in the agenda below.
SUMMARY:
The meeting is scheduled for
January 30, 2013, 3–4 p.m., Eastern
Daylight Time.
DATES:
Conference call. Public
access is available at 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Holliday, (301) 427–8004; email:
Mark.Holliday@noaa.gov.
The
MAFAC was established by the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), and,
since 1971, advises the Secretary on all
living marine resource matters that are
the responsibility of the Department of
Commerce. The complete charter and
other information are located online at
https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/mafac/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Matters To Be Considered
The Committee is convening to
recommend a list of new members to
participate on the Recreational Fisheries
Working Group for submission to the
NOAA Fisheries Assistant
Administrator. This agenda is subject to
change.
Dated: January 10, 2013.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Regulatory Programs, performing the
functions and duties of the Assistant
Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–00757 Filed 1–15–13; 8:45 am]
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Notice is hereby given that a
permit has been issued to Eye of the
Whale (Olga von Ziegesar, Responsible
Party and Principal Investigator), P.O.
Box 15191, Fitz Creek, AK 99603 to
conduct research on humpback whales
(Megaptera novaeangliae).
ADDRESSES: The permit and related
documents are available for review
upon written request or by appointment
in the following offices:
Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)427–8401; fax (301)713–0376; and
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box
21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone
(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Hapeman or Carrie Hubard,
(301)427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May
11, 2012, notice was published in the
Federal Register (77 FR 27717) that a
request for a permit to conduct research
on humpback whales had been
submitted by the above-named
applicant. The requested permit has
been issued under the authority of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the
regulations governing the taking and
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR
part 216), 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).
The Permit Holder has been issued a
five-year scientific research permit to
continue a long-term census of
humpback whales in Prince William
Sound and adjacent waters of Alaska.
Researchers are authorized 200 takes
annually to closely approach whales by
vessel for counts, photo-identification
and behavioral observation. The
purpose of the work is to better define
whale abundance, distribution,
reoccurrence of old individuals vs. new
individuals, feeding habits, vital rates,
associations between animals, and sex
of individual whales.
SUMMARY:
Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee
ACTION:
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.
AGENCY:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3401-3402]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00808]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC434
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel,
Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Scoping Process; Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council; Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Mid-Atlantic
Council) announces its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS,
an EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to
assess potential effects on the human environment of alternative
measures to protect deep-sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic region.
This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of
issues to be addressed, and for identifying the significant issues
related to deep-sea coral protections in the Mid-Atlantic. This notice
is to alert the interested public of the scoping process, the
development of the Draft EIS, and to provide for public participation
in that process. If, during development of the Draft EIS, it can be
determined that the alternatives are not expected to have significant
impacts on the human environment, an Environmental Assessment (EA) may
be prepared in place of an EIS. This determination will depend on the
scope of issues raised and the alternatives developed. Information
obtained during the scoping process will be used to develop either an
EIS or an EA as appropriate. This action is necessary to provide
analytical support for an amendment (Amendment 16) to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
(MSB), which addresses protections of deep-sea corals from the impacts
of fishing gear.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m., EST,
on February 15, 2013. Two public scoping meetings will be held during
this comment period. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times,
and locations.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following
methods:
Email to the following address: nmfs.ner.msbam16@noaa.gov;
Mail or hand deliver to Dr. Christopher M. Moore,
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the
envelope ``Deep Sea Corals Amendment Scoping Comments''; or
Fax to (302) 674-5399.
The scoping document may also be obtained from the Mid-Atlantic
Council office at the previously provided address, or by request to the
Mid-Atlantic Council by telephone (302) 674-2331, or via the Internet
at https://www.mafmc.org/fmp/msb.htm.
Comments may also be provided verbally at either of the two public
scoping meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and
locations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover,
DE 19901, (telephone 302-674-2331).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Mid-Atlantic Council has initiated this amendment to minimize
the impacts of fishing gear on deep-sea corals within the Council's
jurisdiction. The Mid-Atlantic Council and the New England Fishery
Management Council (New England Council) have developed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) identifying areas of consensus and common strategy
related to conservation of corals and mitigation of the negative
impacts of fishery/coral interactions. The terms of the MOU include
defined areas of jurisdiction for deep-sea coral protection measures,
aligning with the Mid-Atlantic and New England Council region
boundaries as defined in 50 CFR 600.105.
The New England Council began developing alternatives for deep-sea
coral protections as part of their Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Omnibus
Amendment 2, and at their September 2012 meeting, voted to split the
range of alternatives pertaining to deep sea corals into a separate
omnibus amendment. The Mid-Atlantic Council will develop alternatives
applicable to areas south of the inter-council boundary with the New
England Council, with the understanding that the New England Council
will implement coral-related measures north of this boundary.
At this time, the Mid-Atlantic Council is expected to consider
several types of management measures, including, but not limited to:
No action; no additional measures would be adopted.
Designation of deep-sea coral protection zones, under the
[[Page 3402]]
discretionary authority described in section 303(b)(2)(B) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), where
fishing may be restricted in order to protect deep-sea corals from
physical damage caused by fishing gear. Such zones would be located
within the geographical range of the MSB fishery, as described in the
FMP. However, management measures may apply to any MSA-regulated
fishing activity within this range. Therefore, any measures pursued
under this authority would likely apply to all federally managed
fisheries within the geographic range of the MSB fisheries. The
geographical range of this fishery includes the coastal and EEZ waters
of the U.S. East Coast, with a core fishery management area from North
Carolina to Maine.
Designation of deep-sea corals as a component of EFH or as
Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs).
Measures to minimize bycatch of deep-sea coral species.
Special access programs to provide for continued fishing
in or near deep-sea coral areas for specific fisheries or gear types.
Exploratory fishing programs to allow for future
development of new fisheries in a way that protects deep-sea corals.
The Mid-Atlantic Council is seeking comments on the scope of
alternatives to be considered in this amendment, as well as general
comments or concerns relating to deep-sea coral protections in the mid-
Atlantic.
Scoping Meetings
Two scoping meetings to facilitate public comment will be held on
the following dates and locations:
1. February 5, 2013, 7-9 p.m., via webinar; connection information
to be available at https://www.mafmc.org/meetings/meetings.htm or by
contacting the Mid-Atlantic Council (see ADDRESSES);
2. February 13, 2013, 4 p.m., Embassy Suites Hampton Roads, 1700
Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666.
Special Accommodations
The scoping meetings are accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should
be directed to M. Jan Saunders (302-674-2331 ext. 18) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 9, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-00808 Filed 1-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P