Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit, 49258-49259 [2013-19607]
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49258
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 13, 2013 / Notices
order to prepare a management plan and
environmental impact statement.
Designated reserves apply annually for
operations funds by submitting a work
plan; subsequently progress reports are
required every six months for the
duration of the award. Each reserve
compiles an ecological characterization
or site profile to describe the biological
and physical environment of the
reserve, research to date and research
gaps. Reserves revise their management
plans every five years. This information
is required to ensure that reserves are
adhering to regulations and that the
reserves are in keeping with the purpose
for which they were designated.
II. Method of Collection
Respondents have a choice of either
electronic or paper submissions.
Methods of submittal include email of
electronic forms, and mail and facsimile
transmission of paper forms.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0121.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Non-profit
institutions; state, local, or tribal
government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
75.
Estimated Time per Response:
Management plan, 1800 hours; site
profile, 1800 hours; award application,
8 hours; award reports, 5 hours;
designations, 2000 hours; NEPA
documentation, 40 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 8,216.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $1,000 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:31 Aug 12, 2013
Jkt 229001
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: August 8, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013–19559 Filed 8–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC791
Fisheries in the Western Pacific;
Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing
Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
environmental assessment; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS proposes to issue a
Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing
Permit that would authorize Kampachi
Farms, LLC, to culture and harvest a
coral reef ecosystem management unit
fish species in a floating pen moored
about 5.5 nm off the west coast of the
Island of Hawaii in about 6,000 ft of
water. This notice informs the public
that NMFS prepared a draft
environmental assessment (EA) of the
potential impacts of the proposed
activity.
SUMMARY:
Comments on the draft EA must
be received by September 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2013–0125, by either of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130125, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Send written comments to
Michael D. Tosatto, Regional
Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands
Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani Blvd.,
Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814–4700.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous), and will accept
attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
NMFS prepared a draft EA that
describe the potential impacts on the
human environment that would result
from the proposed activity. The draft EA
is available from www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Phyllis Ha, Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS
PIR, tel 808–944–2265.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef
Ecosystem Fishing Permit to Kampachi
Farms, LLC, consistent with Federal
regulations for Hawaii fisheries at 50
CFR 665.224, pertaining to management
of coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and in
accordance with the Fishery Ecosystem
Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago (FEP).
NMFS would authorize Kampachi
Farms to culture and harvest the native
coral reef ecosystem management unit
fish species kampachi (Seriola rivoliana,
marketed as Kona Kampachi®) using a
132 m∧3 (approximately 21 feet in
diameter) brass-link mesh aquapod
(CuPod) tethered to a moored, 28-ft feed
vessel. The feed vessel would be
connected to a single-point mooring
established at around 6,000 feet deep
approximately 5.5 nm west of Keauhou
Bay, Hawaii. The Velella array (the
name for the combined CuPod and
vessel) would be located in Federal
waters with the exact position
depending on wind and currents. It
would not be closer than 3 nm to shore.
A special permit is required because
the gear proposed for harvesting a coral
reef ecosystem management unit species
is not currently identified as an
approved gear type under the FEP and
fishing regulations. If NMFS permits the
activity, the applicant would use the
Velella array to grow and harvest 2,000
kampachi fingerlings and juveniles. The
stock would be first generation offspring
of fish obtained from a local hatchery.
If approved, NMFS would authorize the
activity for one year.
In this draft EA, information indicates
that the low rearing density of fishes,
established procedures for application
of feed, passive flushing and near
constant movement in offshore waters
are expected to minimize impacts on
water quality. The strong brass mesh net
E:\FR\FM\13AUN1.SGM
13AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 13, 2013 / Notices
material is resistant to biofouling and
leaching and the CuPod design includes
mesh entry panels that prevent fish
escapes.
The array’s CuPod and vessel would
each have a GPS navigation unit to
provide location information in the
unlikely case of separation from the
mooring. In addition to the applicant’s
monitoring of the array and surrounding
waters, the conditions of the NMFS
permit would include requirements for
avoiding and reporting protected
resources interactions, preventing fish
escapes and methods of discarding of
dead fish, filing harvest and
transshipment reports, and
accommodating an observer upon
request. These operational features,
together with the limited scale and
duration of the project, resulted in a
preliminary determination that the
project would have a very limited
impact on the environment.
NMFS expects that the array will
aggregate pelagic fish. Fishermen would
be able to fish around the array. The
small size of the array is not expected
to have a large adverse impact on
catches by other fishermen in the ocean
in west Hawaii.
Kampachi Farms must also obtain a
Department of the Army permit from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the
proposed mooring. NMFS prepared this
draft EA with input and review by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When
finalized, the EA will serve as the basis
for NMFS to determine whether or not
the activity would be a major federal
action with the potential for significant
environmental impacts. If determined to
have major impacts, NMFS would need
to prepare an environmental impact
statement. The EA will also inform
NMFS in its decision about whether to
issue the special permit. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers will use this EA to
inform the preparation of its own
environmental evaluation in accordance
with its internal procedures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 8, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
ehiers on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
[FR Doc. 2013–19607 Filed 8–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC804
RIN 0648–XC805
Pacific Fishery Management Council;
Public Meeting
Pacific Fishery Management Council;
Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
AGENCY:
The Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Pacific Council)
will convene a conference call of its ad
hoc Ecosystem Work Group (EWG). A
listening station will be available at the
Pacific Council offices for interested
members of the public.
DATES: The conference call will be held
Thursday, August 29, 2013, from 12
p.m. to 3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via conference call, with a public
listening station available at the Pacific
Council office: 7700 NE Ambassador
Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Gilden, Staff Officer; telephone:
(503) 820–2280.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
primary purpose of the conference call
is to consider next steps in protecting
unmanaged forage fish, finalize
recommendations to the Pacific Council
on the Federal list of authorized West
Coast Exclusive Economic Zone
fisheries, and other items related to the
September 2013 Council meeting.
Action will be restricted to those
issues specifically listed in this notice
and any issues arising after publication
of this notice that require emergency
action under Section 305(c) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the EWG’s intent to take final action to
address the emergency.
SUMMARY:
Special Accommodations
This listening station is physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Mr. Kris
Kleinschmidt, at (503) 820–2280, at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: August 8, 2013.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–19566 Filed 8–12–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:31 Aug 12, 2013
Jkt 229001
49259
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Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
The Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Pacific Council)
will convene a meeting of the Salmon
Technical Team (STT), the Salmon
Advisory Subpanel (SAS), and the
Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) by
telephone conference that is open to the
public.
DATES: The teleconference will be held
on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 from 3
p.m. to 5 p.m., or when business for the
call is completed.
ADDRESSES: A public listening station
will be available at the Pacific Council
Office, Small Conference Room, 7700
NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101,
Portland, OR 97220–1384; telephone:
(503) 820–2280.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Burner, Staff Officer; telephone:
(503) 820–2280.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please
note, this is not a public hearing; it is
a work session for the purpose of
drafting reports and recommendations
for the September 12–17, 2013 Council
meeting in Boise, ID. The primary
purpose of the meeting is to review
information in the Pacific Council’s
September 2013 meeting briefing book
related to salmon and ecosystem-based
management, and to develop comments
and recommendations for consideration
at the September 2013 Pacific Council
meeting.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in the meeting agenda may
come before the group for discussion,
those issues may not be the subject of
formal SAS, STT, or MEW action during
this meeting. Action will be restricted to
those issues specifically listed in this
notice and any issues arising after
publication of this notice that require
emergency action under section 305(c)
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the intent to take final action to address
the emergency.
SUMMARY:
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
E:\FR\FM\13AUN1.SGM
13AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49258-49259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19607]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC791
Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem
Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment; request for
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing
Permit that would authorize Kampachi Farms, LLC, to culture and harvest
a coral reef ecosystem management unit fish species in a floating pen
moored about 5.5 nm off the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in about
6,000 ft of water. This notice informs the public that NMFS prepared a
draft environmental assessment (EA) of the potential impacts of the
proposed activity.
DATES: Comments on the draft EA must be received by September 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, by either of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto,
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous), and will accept attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
NMFS prepared a draft EA that describe the potential impacts on the
human environment that would result from the proposed activity. The
draft EA is available from www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phyllis Ha, Sustainable Fisheries,
NMFS PIR, tel 808-944-2265.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef
Ecosystem Fishing Permit to Kampachi Farms, LLC, consistent with
Federal regulations for Hawaii fisheries at 50 CFR 665.224, pertaining
to management of coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and in accordance with
the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago (FEP). NMFS would
authorize Kampachi Farms to culture and harvest the native coral reef
ecosystem management unit fish species kampachi (Seriola rivoliana,
marketed as Kona Kampachi[supreg]) using a 132 m[supcaret]3
(approximately 21 feet in diameter) brass-link mesh aquapod (CuPod)
tethered to a moored, 28-ft feed vessel. The feed vessel would be
connected to a single-point mooring established at around 6,000 feet
deep approximately 5.5 nm west of Keauhou Bay, Hawaii. The Velella
array (the name for the combined CuPod and vessel) would be located in
Federal waters with the exact position depending on wind and currents.
It would not be closer than 3 nm to shore.
A special permit is required because the gear proposed for
harvesting a coral reef ecosystem management unit species is not
currently identified as an approved gear type under the FEP and fishing
regulations. If NMFS permits the activity, the applicant would use the
Velella array to grow and harvest 2,000 kampachi fingerlings and
juveniles. The stock would be first generation offspring of fish
obtained from a local hatchery. If approved, NMFS would authorize the
activity for one year.
In this draft EA, information indicates that the low rearing
density of fishes, established procedures for application of feed,
passive flushing and near constant movement in offshore waters are
expected to minimize impacts on water quality. The strong brass mesh
net
[[Page 49259]]
material is resistant to biofouling and leaching and the CuPod design
includes mesh entry panels that prevent fish escapes.
The array's CuPod and vessel would each have a GPS navigation unit
to provide location information in the unlikely case of separation from
the mooring. In addition to the applicant's monitoring of the array and
surrounding waters, the conditions of the NMFS permit would include
requirements for avoiding and reporting protected resources
interactions, preventing fish escapes and methods of discarding of dead
fish, filing harvest and transshipment reports, and accommodating an
observer upon request. These operational features, together with the
limited scale and duration of the project, resulted in a preliminary
determination that the project would have a very limited impact on the
environment.
NMFS expects that the array will aggregate pelagic fish. Fishermen
would be able to fish around the array. The small size of the array is
not expected to have a large adverse impact on catches by other
fishermen in the ocean in west Hawaii.
Kampachi Farms must also obtain a Department of the Army permit
from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the proposed mooring. NMFS
prepared this draft EA with input and review by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. When finalized, the EA will serve as the basis for NMFS to
determine whether or not the activity would be a major federal action
with the potential for significant environmental impacts. If determined
to have major impacts, NMFS would need to prepare an environmental
impact statement. The EA will also inform NMFS in its decision about
whether to issue the special permit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
will use this EA to inform the preparation of its own environmental
evaluation in accordance with its internal procedures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 8, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-19607 Filed 8-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P