Sakhalin Bay-Amur River Beluga Whales; Notice of Petition Availability, 28879-28880 [2014-11540]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 97 / Tuesday, May 20, 2014 / Proposed Rules PART 165—REGULATED NAVIGATION AREAS AND LIMITED ACCESS AREAS 1. The authority citation for part 165 continues to read as follows: ■ Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1231; 46 U.S.C. Chapter 701, 3306, 3703; 50 U.S.C. 191, 195; 33 CFR 1.05–1, 6.04–1, 6.04–6, 160.5; Pub. L. 107–295, 116 Stat. 2064; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1. 2. Add § 165.T11–632 to read as follows: ■ rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS § 165.T11–632 Safety Zone; Bullhead City River Regatta; Bullhead City, AZ. (a) Regulated area. The following area is a temporary safety zone: This zone includes six miles of the Colorado River, from Davis Camp, Bullhead City, Arizona to Rotary Park, Bullhead City, Arizona. (b) Regulations. Before the effective period, the Coast Guard will publish a Local Notice to Mariners (LNM). If the event concludes prior to the scheduled termination time, the Captain of the Port will cease enforcement of this safety zone and will announce the reopening of portions or entire waterway via Broadcast Notice to Mariners. In addition, the following regulations apply: (1) Entry into, transit through or anchoring within this safety zone is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port of San Diego or his designated representative. (2) Mariners can request permission to transit through the safety zone from the Patrol Commander. The Patrol Commander can be contacted on VHF– FM channels 16 and 23. (3) The operator of any vessel within or in the immediate vicinity of this safety zone shall: (i) Stop the vessel immediately upon being directed to do so by any commissioned, warrant or petty officer on board a vessel displaying a Coast Guard Ensign, and (ii) Proceed as directed by any commissioned, warrant or petty officer on board a vessel displaying a Coast Guard Ensign (iii) The Coast Guard may be assisted by other federal, state, or local agencies. (c) Definitions. The following definition applies to this section: (1) Captain of the Port San Diego means the Commander, Coast Guard Sector San Diego. (2) Designated representative means any commissioned, warrant, or petty officer of the Coast Guard on board Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and local, state, and federal law enforcement vessels who have been authorized to act on the behalf of the Captain of the Port. VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:07 May 19, 2014 Jkt 232001 (d) Enforcement. The U.S. Coast Guard may be assisted by Federal, State and local agencies in the patrol and notification of the safety zone. (e) Enforcement period. This section will be enforced from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 9, 2014 unless cancelled earlier by the Captain of the Port. Dated: April 15, 2014. S.M. Mahoney, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port San Diego. [FR Doc. 2014–11568 Filed 5–19–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–04–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 216 RIN 0648–XD275 Sakhalin Bay-Amur River Beluga Whales; Notice of Petition Availability National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notification of availability; request for comment. AGENCY: NMFS has received a petition to ‘‘designate the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).’’ In accordance with the MMPA, NMFS announces the receipt of the petition and its availability for public review and is soliciting comments on the petition. DATES: Comments must be received by close of business on June 19, 2014. ADDRESSES: The petition is available in electronic form via the Internet at https:// www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/. A copy of the petition may be requested from Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. You may submit comments, identified by [NOAA–NMFS–2014–0056], by any of the following methods: Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal https:// www.regulations.gov. Mail: Send comments to: Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 28879 Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910– 3226. Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted to https:// www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. 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, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Shannon Bettridge, Office of Protected Resources, Silver Spring, MD (301) 427– 8402. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Section 3(1)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (16 U.S.C. 1362(1)(A)) defines the term ‘‘depletion’’ or ‘‘depleted’’ to include any case in which ‘‘the Secretary, after consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals . . . determines that a species or a population stock is below its optimum sustainable population.’’ Section 3(9) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1362(9)) defines ‘‘optimum sustainable population [(OSP)] . . . with respect to any population stock, [as] the number of animals which will result in the maximum productivity of the population or the species, keeping in mind the carrying capacity [(K)] of the habitat and the health of the ecosystem of which they form a constituent element.’’ NMFS’ regulations at 50 CFR 216.3 clarify the definition of OSP as a population size that falls within a range from the population level of a given species or stock that is the largest supportable within the ecosystem (i.e., K) to its maximum net productivity level (MNPL). MNPL is the population abundance that results in the greatest net annual increment in population numbers resulting from additions to the population from reproduction, less losses due to natural mortality. The MMPA provides for interested parties to submit a petition to designate a species or stock of marine mammals as depleted. Section 115(a)(3) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1383b(a)(3)) requires NMFS to publish a notice in the Federal Register that such a petition has been E:\FR\FM\20MYP1.SGM 20MYP1 28880 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 97 / Tuesday, May 20, 2014 / Proposed Rules received and is available for public review. Within 60 days of receiving a petition, NMFS must publish a finding in the Federal Register as to whether the petition presents substantial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. If NMFS makes a positive 60-day finding, NMFS must promptly initiate a review of the status of the affected population stock of marine mammals. No later than 210 days after receipt of the petition, NMFS must publish a proposed rule as to the status of the species or stock, along with the reasons underlying the proposed status determination. Following a 60-day minimum comment period on the proposed rule, NMFS must publish a final rule within 90 days of the close of the comment period on the proposed rule. Petition on Sakhalin Bay-Amur River Beluga Whales rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS On April 23, 2014, NMFS received a petition from the Animal Welfare Institute, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Cetacean Society International and Earth Island Institute to ‘‘designate the Sakhalin Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales as depleted under the MMPA.’’ The petition alleges that the causes of the decline include the following: (1) Large-scale commercial hunting from 1915–1963; (2) Unsustainable removal quotas; (3) Hunting permits; (4) Incidental mortality from fishing operations; (5) Accidental drowning during livecapture operations; (6) Vessel strikes; and (7) Other anthropogenic threats. In accordance with the MMPA, NMFS announces the receipt of this petition, and its availability for public review (see ADDRESSES). NMFS also solicits comments and information related to the statements in the petition and additional background on the status of Sakhalin Bay-Amur River beluga whales. Dated: May 13, 2014. Donna S. Wieting, Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2014–11540 Filed 5–19–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:07 May 19, 2014 Jkt 232001 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 622 RIN 0648–BD81 Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) (Amendment 8) for review approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 8 proposes actions to expand portions of the northern and western boundaries of the Oculina Bank habitat area of particular concern (HAPC) (Oculina Bank HAPC) and allow transit through the Oculina Bank HAPC by fishing vessels with rock shrimp onboard; modify vessel monitoring systems (VMS) requirements for rock shrimp fishermen transiting through the Oculina Bank HAPC; expand a portion of the western boundary of the Stetson Reefs, Savannah and East Florida Lithotherms, and Miami Terrace Deepwater Coral HAPC (CHAPC) (Stetson-Miami Terrace CHAPC), including modifications to the shrimp fishery access area 1; and expand a portion of the northern boundary of the Cape Lookout Lophelia Banks Deepwater CHAPC (Cape Lookout CHAPC). SUMMARY: Written comments must be received on or before July 21, 2014. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2014– 0065’’, by any one of the following methods: • Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20140065, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. • Mail: Submit written comments to Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office, DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 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). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Electronic copies of Amendment 8 may be obtained from the Southeast Regional Office Web site at https:// sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. Amendment 8 includes a draft environmental assessment, a Regulatory Flexibility Act analysis, a Regulatory Impact Review, and a Fishery Impact Statement. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karla Gore, telephone: 727–824–5305. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each regional fishery management council to submit any fishery management plan or amendment to NMFS for review and approval, partial approval, or disapproval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving a plan or amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal Register notifying the public that the plan or amendment is available for review and comment. Background Recent scientific exploration has identified areas of high relief features and hard bottom habitat outside the boundaries of the existing HAPCs and CHAPCs. During its 2011 October meeting, the Council’s Coral Advisory Panel (AP) (Coral AP) recommended the Council revisit the boundaries of the Oculina Bank HAPC, Stetson-Miami Terrace CHAPC, and the Cape Lookout CHAPC to incorporate areas of additional deepwater coral habitat that were previously uncharacterized. The Council reviewed the Coral AP recommendations for expansion of these areas and associated VMS analyses of rock shrimp fishing activity, and approved the measures for public scoping through Comprehensive E:\FR\FM\20MYP1.SGM 20MYP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 28879-28880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11540]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 216

RIN 0648-XD275


Sakhalin Bay-Amur River Beluga Whales; Notice of Petition 
Availability

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of availability; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a petition to ``designate the Sakhalin Bay-
Amur River stock of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) as a depleted 
stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).'' In accordance 
with the MMPA, NMFS announces the receipt of the petition and its 
availability for public review and is soliciting comments on the 
petition.

DATES: Comments must be received by close of business on June 19, 2014.

ADDRESSES: The petition is available in electronic form via the 
Internet at https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/. A copy of the petition may be 
requested from Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation 
Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    You may submit comments, identified by [NOAA-NMFS-2014-0056], by 
any of the following methods:
    Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal https://www.regulations.gov.
    Mail: Send comments to: Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle 
Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-
3226.
    Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to https://www.regulations.gov without 
change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, 
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    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, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF 
file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Shannon Bettridge, Office of 
Protected Resources, Silver Spring, MD (301) 427-8402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 3(1)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) (16 
U.S.C. 1362(1)(A)) defines the term ``depletion'' or ``depleted'' to 
include any case in which ``the Secretary, after consultation with the 
Marine Mammal Commission and the Committee of Scientific Advisors on 
Marine Mammals . . . determines that a species or a population stock is 
below its optimum sustainable population.'' Section 3(9) of the MMPA 
(16 U.S.C. 1362(9)) defines ``optimum sustainable population [(OSP)] . 
. . with respect to any population stock, [as] the number of animals 
which will result in the maximum productivity of the population or the 
species, keeping in mind the carrying capacity [(K)] of the habitat and 
the health of the ecosystem of which they form a constituent element.'' 
NMFS' regulations at 50 CFR 216.3 clarify the definition of OSP as a 
population size that falls within a range from the population level of 
a given species or stock that is the largest supportable within the 
ecosystem (i.e., K) to its maximum net productivity level (MNPL). MNPL 
is the population abundance that results in the greatest net annual 
increment in population numbers resulting from additions to the 
population from reproduction, less losses due to natural mortality.
    The MMPA provides for interested parties to submit a petition to 
designate a species or stock of marine mammals as depleted. Section 
115(a)(3) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1383b(a)(3)) requires NMFS to publish 
a notice in the Federal Register that such a petition has been

[[Page 28880]]

received and is available for public review. Within 60 days of 
receiving a petition, NMFS must publish a finding in the Federal 
Register as to whether the petition presents substantial information 
indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.
    If NMFS makes a positive 60-day finding, NMFS must promptly 
initiate a review of the status of the affected population stock of 
marine mammals. No later than 210 days after receipt of the petition, 
NMFS must publish a proposed rule as to the status of the species or 
stock, along with the reasons underlying the proposed status 
determination. Following a 60-day minimum comment period on the 
proposed rule, NMFS must publish a final rule within 90 days of the 
close of the comment period on the proposed rule.

Petition on Sakhalin Bay-Amur River Beluga Whales

    On April 23, 2014, NMFS received a petition from the Animal Welfare 
Institute, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Cetacean Society 
International and Earth Island Institute to ``designate the Sakhalin 
Bay-Amur River stock of beluga whales as depleted under the MMPA.'' The 
petition alleges that the causes of the decline include the following:
    (1) Large-scale commercial hunting from 1915-1963;
    (2) Unsustainable removal quotas;
    (3) Hunting permits;
    (4) Incidental mortality from fishing operations;
    (5) Accidental drowning during live-capture operations;
    (6) Vessel strikes; and
    (7) Other anthropogenic threats.
    In accordance with the MMPA, NMFS announces the receipt of this 
petition, and its availability for public review (see ADDRESSES). NMFS 
also solicits comments and information related to the statements in the 
petition and additional background on the status of Sakhalin Bay-Amur 
River beluga whales.

    Dated: May 13, 2014.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-11540 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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