2014 Annual Determination for Sea Turtle Observer Requirement, 77428-77429 [2013-30541]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2013 / Notices
I. Abstract
Over the last 19 years, the Engineering
Laboratory of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) has
developed and automated an approach
for measuring the life-cycle
environmental and economic
performance of building products.
Known as BEES (Building for
Environmental and Economic
Sustainability), the tool reduces
complex, science-based technical
content (e.g., over 500 material and
energy flows from raw material
extraction through product disposal) to
decision-enabling results and delivers
them in a visually intuitive graphical
format. BEES Please is a voluntary
program to collect data from product
manufacturers so that the environmental
performance of their products may be
evaluated scientifically using BEES.
NIST will publish in BEES Online
(https://ws680.nist.gov/bees) an
aggregated version of the data collected
from manufacturers that protects data
confidentiality, subject to
manufacturer’s review and approval.
BEES measures environmental
performance using the environmental
life-cycle assessment approach specified
in the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 14040 series of
standards. All stages in the life of a
product are analyzed: Raw material
acquisition, manufacture,
transportation, installation, use, and
recycling and waste management.
Economic performance is measured
using the ASTM International standard
life-cycle cost method (E 917), which
covers the costs of initial investment,
replacement, operation, maintenance
and repair, and disposal.
II. Method of Collection
Data on materials use, energy
consumption, waste, and environmental
releases will be collected using an
electronic, MS Excel-based
questionnaire. An electronic, MS Wordbased User Manual accompanies the
questionnaire to help in its completion.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0693–0036.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
30.
Estimated Time per Response: 62
hours and 30 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 1,875.
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Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0.
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: December 18, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013–30501 Filed 12–20–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD008
2014 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
2014, pursuant to its authority under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Through
an AD, NMFS identifies U.S. 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
SUMMARY:
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be necessary. Fisheries identified in the
2010 AD (see Table 1) remain on the AD
for a five year period and are therefore
required to carry observers upon NMFS’
request until December 31, 2014.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for a listing of all Regional
Offices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara
McNulty, Office of Protected Resources,
301–427–8402; Ellen Keane, Northeast
Region, 978–282–8476; Dennis Klemm,
Southeast Region, 727–824–5312; Dan
Lawson, West Coast Region, 562–980–
4023; Dawn Golden, Pacific Islands
Region, 808–944–2252. 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:
• NMFS, Northeast Region, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930;
• NMFS, Southeast Region, 263 13th
Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701;
• NMFS, West Coast Region, 501 W.
Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,
CA 90802;
• NMFS, Pacific Islands Region,
Protected Resources, 1601 Kapiolani
Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI
96814.
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
threatened under the ESA. Kemp’s
ridley (Lepidochelys kempii),
loggerhead (Caretta caretta; North
Pacific distinct population segment),
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea
turtles are listed as endangered.
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta; Northwest
Atlantic distinct population segment),
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
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
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77429
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 246 / Monday, December 23, 2013 / Notices
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 United States. 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 a five year period 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.
2014 Annual Determination
NMFS is providing notification that
the agency will not identify additional
fisheries to observe for the 2014 AD,
pursuant to its authority under the ESA.
NMFS is not identifying additional
fisheries at this time given lack of
dedicated 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 for a five year period and are
therefore required to carry observers
upon NMFS’ request until December 31,
2014. NMFS did not identify additional
fisheries to observe in the 2011 AD,
2012 AD or in the 2013 AD.
TABLE 1—STATE AND FEDERAL COMMERCIAL FISHERIES INCLUDED ON THE ANNUAL DETERMINATION
Years eligible to
carry observers
Fishery
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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 ..................................................................................................................................................................
Dated: December 16, 2013.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–30541 Filed 12–20–13; 8:45 am]
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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
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 246 (Monday, December 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77428-77429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30541]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD008
2014 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 2014, pursuant to its
authority under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Through an AD, NMFS
identifies U.S. 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 for a five year period and are
therefore required to carry observers upon NMFS' request until December
31, 2014.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a listing of all Regional
Offices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara McNulty, Office of Protected
Resources, 301-427-8402; Ellen Keane, Northeast Region, 978-282-8476;
Dennis Klemm, Southeast Region, 727-824-5312; Dan Lawson, West Coast
Region, 562-980-4023; Dawn Golden, Pacific Islands Region, 808-944-
2252. 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:
NMFS, Northeast Region, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930;
NMFS, Southeast Region, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701;
NMFS, West Coast Region, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200,
Long Beach, CA 90802;
NMFS, Pacific Islands Region, Protected Resources, 1601
Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814.
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 threatened under the ESA. Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys
kempii), loggerhead (Caretta caretta; North Pacific distinct population
segment), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and hawksbill
(Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles are listed as endangered.
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta; Northwest Atlantic distinct population
segment), 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
[[Page 77429]]
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 United States.
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 a five year period 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.
2014 Annual Determination
NMFS is providing notification that the agency will not identify
additional fisheries to observe for the 2014 AD, pursuant to its
authority under the ESA. NMFS is not identifying additional fisheries
at this time given lack of dedicated 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 for a five year period and are therefore required to
carry observers upon NMFS' request until December 31, 2014. NMFS did
not identify additional fisheries to observe in the 2011 AD, 2012 AD or
in the 2013 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 shrimp 2010-2014
trawl...........................................
Gillnet Fisheries:
CA halibut, white seabass and other species set 2010-2014
gillnet (>3.5 in mesh)..........................
CA yellowtail, barracuda, and white seabass drift 2010-2014
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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: December 16, 2013.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-30541 Filed 12-20-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
