Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit, 72049-72052 [2015-29451]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 222 / Wednesday, November 18, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Application for
Appointment in the NOAA
Commissioned Officer Corps
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of
Commerce, as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, invites the general
public and other Federal agencies to
take this opportunity to comment on
proposed and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before January 19, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6616,
14th and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at JJessup@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to LCDR Madeleine Adler—
Chief, NOAA Corps Recruiting, or LT
Jeffrey Pereira—NOAA Corps Recruiting
Officer; OMAO–CPC–OCMD, 8402
Colesville Road, Suite 500, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, ((800)-299–6622),
noaacorps.recruiting@noaa.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
I. Abstract
This request is for extension of a
currently approved information
collection. The NOAA Commissioned
Corps is the uniformed component of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), a bureau of the
Department of Commerce. Officers serve
under Senate-confirmed appointments
and Presidential commissions (33 U.S.C.
chapter 17, subchapter 1, sections 853
and 854). The NOAA Corps provides a
cadre of professionals trained in
engineering, earth sciences,
oceanography, meteorology, fisheries
science, and other related disciplines,
who are dedicated to the service of their
country and optimization of NOAA’s
missions to ensure the economic and
physical well-being of the Nation.
NOAA Corps officers serve in
assignments throughout NOAA, as well
as in each of NOAA’s Line Offices
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(National Environmental Satellite, Data,
and Information Service, National
Ocean Service, National Weather
Service, Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research and Office of
Planning, Programming and
Integration).
Persons wishing to be considered for
a NOAA Corps Commission must
submit a complete application package,
including NOAA Form 56–42, at least
three letters of recommendation, and
official transcripts. A personal interview
must also be conducted. Eligibility
requirements include a bachelor’s
degree with at least 48 credit hours of
science, engineering or other disciplines
related to NOAA’s missions (including
either calculus or physics), excellent
health, normal color vision with
uncorrected visual acuity no worse than
20/400 in each eye (correctable to 20/20)
and ability to complete 20 years of
active duty commissioned service prior
to their 62nd birthday.
II. Method of Collection
Applicants must utilize the E-recruit
electronic application process (https://
cpc.omao.noaa.gov/erecruit/login.jsp)
and then submit paper forms via mail.
An in-person interview is also required.
72049
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: November 13, 2015.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015–29405 Filed 11–17–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–12–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XD294
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for
exempted fishing permit.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt
III. Data
of an exempted fishing permit (EFP)
OMB Control Number: 0648–0047.
application from the Alaska Seafood
Form Number(s): NOAA 56–42 and
Cooperative (AKSC). If granted, this
NOAA 56–42A.
permit would allow up to five AKSCType of Review: Regular submission
member Amendment 80 vessels to
(extension of a currently approved
conduct experimental fishing in two
information collection).
subareas of the Bering Sea that are
Affected Public: Individuals or
closed to fishing with trawl gear. Under
households.
the permit, experimental fishing with
Estimated Number of Respondents:
non-pelagic trawl gear would be
150.
Estimated Time per Response: Written authorized in Reporting Area 516 of
Zone 1 that is otherwise closed to all
applications, 5 hours; interviews, 90
trawl gear and the Red King Crab
minures; references, 15 minutes.
Savings Area (RKCSA) that is otherwise
Estimated Total Annual Burden
closed to non-pelagic trawl gear. The
Hours: 1,088.
AKSC would collect data on crab
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
prohibited species catch (PSC) rates
Public: $10,875 in recordkeeping,
during commercial groundfish fishing
recording and travel costs.
operations inside the Area 516 seasonal
IV. Request for Comments
closure, the RKCSA, and adjacent areas
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether that are currently open to non-pelagic
trawling. The objective of the EFP is to
the proposed collection of information
evaluate PSC rates and overall catch of
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including target species in the above-mentioned
closed areas compared with the areas
whether the information shall have
currently open to fishing with trawl
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
gear. This experiment has the potential
agency’s estimate of the burden
to promote the objectives of the
(including hours and cost) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and Conservation and Management Act.
clarity of the information to be
DATES: Submit comments on this EFP
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
application on or before December 15,
burden of the collection of information
2015.
on respondents, including through the
The North Pacific Fishery
use of automated collection techniques
Management Council (Council) will
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 222 / Wednesday, November 18, 2015 / Notices
consider the EFP application at its
meeting to be held December 9, 2015,
through December 15, 2015, in
Anchorage, AK.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be
held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500
W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK, 99501.
The agenda for the Council meeting is
available at https://
legistar2.granicus.com/npfmc/meetings/
2015/12/932_A_North_Pacific_Council_
15–12–07_Meeting_Agenda.pdf.
You may submit comments on this
document, identified by NOAA–NMFS–
2015–0138, by any 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–2015–
0138, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Address written comments to
Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries
Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn:
Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O.
Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668.
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),
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).
Electronic copies of the EFP
application and the categorical
exclusion under the National
Environmental Policy Act are available
from the Alaska Region, NMFS Web site
at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff
Hartman, 907–586–7442.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands management area (BSAI) under
the Fishery Management Plan for
Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area
(FMP), which the Council prepared
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
Regulations governing the BSAI
groundfish fisheries appear at 50 CFR
parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the
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implementing regulations, § 600.745(b)
and § 679.6, allow the NMFS Regional
Administrator to authorize, for limited
experimental purposes, fishing that
would otherwise be prohibited.
Procedures for issuing EFPs are
contained in the implementing
regulations.
Background
BSAI groundfish harvests are
managed subject to annual limits on
groundfish and PSC. Pacific halibut,
Pacific herring, Pacific salmon and
steelhead, king crab (including red king
crab), and Tanner crab are prohibited
species under the FMP. Participants in
the BSAI non-pelagic trawl fisheries
catch PSC incidentally—primarily crab
and halibut.
The directed red king crab pot fishery
is one of the most important shellfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea. Current
regulations for harvesting red king crab
in the crab pot fishery may be found in
50 CFR part 680. Red king crab is also
caught incidentally as PSC in Bering Sea
groundfish non-pelagic trawl fisheries.
PSC (including red king crab) in the
non-pelagic trawl fisheries must be
minimized to the extent practicable and
if caught, immediately returned to the
ocean with a minimum of injury.
The Council and NMFS have
implemented FMP amendments, dating
back to the 1980s and 1990s to reduce
the amount of red king crab PSC in
trawl fisheries, including the BSAI nonpelagic trawl fishery. For example, the
Area 516 red king crab seasonal closure
for all trawl gear (FMP Amendment 10)
was implemented in 1987 (52 FR 8592,
March 19, 1987). FMP amendment 37,
(61 FR 65985, December 16, 1996) was
implemented in 1997, to create the red
king crab savings area (RKCSA) along
with other measures to conserve
concentrations of Bristol Bay red king
crab. The management and structure of
the non-pelagic trawl fisheries in the
Bering Sea have changed since these red
king crab closure areas were
implemented. In 2007, NMFS
implemented Amendment 80 to the
FMP (72 FR 52668, September 14,
2007). Amendment 80 established a
catch share program to allocate specific
non-pelagic groundfish species among
specific defined participants (the
Amendment 80 sector) and facilitate the
formation of Amendment 80
cooperatives among those participants.
The Amendment 80 sector is comprised
of 19 active vessels in 2015, and is the
largest component of the non-pelagic
trawl fishery. With the implementation
of Amendment 80 to the FMP in 2008,
vessels operating in Amendment 80
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cooperatives were able to develop tools
to reduce incidental catch of crab PSC.
Since the implementation of
Amendment 80, participants in
Amendment 80 cooperatives have
reduced the amount of red king crab
bycatch through improved fishing
practices that are possible now that
participants in the Amendment 80
cooperative receive an allocation of
specific groundfish species. These
exclusive allocations provide
opportunities for Amendment 80
cooperative participants to slow or
otherwise change their fishing
operations to avoid red king crab
bycatch. These modified fishing
practices are not practicable when
vessels are not provided an exclusive
harvest allocation and are racing with
other vessels to harvest their groundfish
as soon as possible.
Although Amendment 80
cooperatives have undoubtedly helped
to reduce red king crab PSC in the
sector’s target fisheries, a combination
of closed areas and PSC limits currently
regulate red king crab PSC in trawl
fisheries, including the Amendment 80
sector. For example, the Area 516 of
Zone 1 in the Bering Sea sub area closes
annually to all trawl gear, including
Amendment 80 vessels from March 15
through June 15, § 679.22(a)(2).
Regulations for groundfish fishing in
the RKCSA, § 679.22(a)(3), close
directed fishing for non-pelagic trawl
gear in a portion of the Bering sea
subarea defined in Figure 11 to 50 CFR
part 679. Non-pelagic trawl gear is used
by all Amendment 80 vessels in the
Bering Sea.
PSC limits for red king crab
(§ 679.21(e)(1)(i)) specify the annual
PSC allowance of red king crab for all
trawl vessels while engaged in directed
fishing for groundfish in Zone 1.
Approximately 50 percent of the Zone 1
red king crab PSC limit is apportioned
to the Amendment 80 sector, and
distributed as an allowance of crab to
each Amendment 80 cooperative. In
2015, the Zone 1 red king crab PSC
allowance for the AKSC is 30,834
animals.
The Zone 1 red king crab PSC
allowance, allowed the Amendment 80
cooperatives to assign voluntary, vessellevel apportionments of PSC to vessels
fishing in Zone 1. With these voluntary
apportionments, vessel owners and
operators in the sector began to share
information about individual vessel PSC
rates and avoid areas with high PSC
rates for red king crab. The primary
result of the improved crab avoidance
and management tools is that AKSC and
the remaining Amendment 80 sector
vessels have consistently stayed well
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 222 / Wednesday, November 18, 2015 / Notices
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under the Zone 1 red king crab PSC
allowance. While the potential exists for
crab PSC allowances and closure areas
to constrain allocated catch in some
Amendment 80 target fisheries, the
Amendment 80 sector continues to
actively explore how to further reduce
crab PSC while preserving target fishery
harvest opportunities.
Exempted Fishing Permit Application
On October 2, 2015, the AKSC, an
Amendment 80 cooperative, submitted
an application for an EFP. The EFP
would allow up to five AKSC-member
Amendment 80 vessels to conduct field
tests in two subareas of the Bering Sea
that are closed to trawl directed
fisheries. Those two subareas are
Reporting Area 516 of Zone 1, which is
closed to all trawl gear § 679.22(a)(2),
and the RKCSA, which is closed to nonpelagic trawl gear under § 679.22(a)(3).
If granted, this EFP would allow AKSC
to collect data on crab bycatch rates
during commercial fishing operations
on five groundfish fishing vessels
(targeting mostly flatfish) inside the
Area 516 seasonal closure, the RKCSA,
and adjacent areas that are currently
open to non-pelagic trawl gear. The
principle objective of the EFP is to
evaluate whether flatfish and other
groundfish trawling in the abovementioned closed areas under the
existing PSC allowance for crab would
result in reduced PSC rates for crab or
other species, or a change in overall
catch of target species compared with
the status quo. This data will inform
assessment of the effectiveness of these
two crab closures.
The applicant proposes to begin EFP
fishing in early February 2016 and end
by mid-May 2016. EFP fishing would
begin again in late January 2017 and end
by mid-May 2017. The EFP would be in
place over two winter/spring seasons to
increase the chance that data collections
will occur in different environmental
conditions that are expected to affect
crab and flatfish abundance and
location.
To ensure data are available for valid
comparisons of catch rates inside and
outside the closed areas, participating
vessels would fish both inside the
closed areas and in adjacent areas
outside the closed areas (as
proportionally as possible) over the
course of their Zone 1 rock sole and
yellowfin sole fishing each year of the
EFP. Adjacent areas against which rates
inside the closed areas will be assessed
will be selected based on similarities in
the general depth and type of substrates
that were test trawled in the RKCSA and
Area 516 closures. To help ensure
differences in bycatch rates reflect
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differences in relative abundance rather
than the attributes of trawl gear used,
the vessels participating in the EFP will
keep their ground gear configuration
(e.g. size of trawl net and width of
footropes) as consistent as possible
inside and outside of the closed areas.
Under the EFP, sea samplers would be
required for monitoring and data
collection. Sea samplers are NMFScertified observers that conduct
activities under an EFP rather than
normal observer activities on an
Amendment 80 vessel.
The sea samplers will conduct a
census of all crab for all EFP tows inside
the red king crab closed areas and in
adjacent areas outside the red king crab
closed areas. The census data will
include a record of size and sex of each
individual. Temperature and depth data
will be collected by sea samplers for
each tow. Sea samplers will also collect
fishing operational information such as
tow speed and tow length. AKSC will
compare catch rates on different EFP
vessels when fishing in similar areas to
evaluate the degree to which individual
differences in a specific vessel are
impacting catch rates.
To ensure observer sampling duties
are undisturbed, expanded crab data
collection under the census will be
conducted in a manner that is
completely separate from current
observer sampling protocols. To
accomplish this, the crab census will
occur after all the catch passes over the
vessel’s flow scale and the observer has
completed all sampling of unsorted
catch for all Bering Sea EFP hauls.
The five vessels authorized to
participate in this EFP would be
required to comply with all the
aggregate target species allocations that
apply to the rest of the Amendment 80
sector, and would operate under the
Amendment 80 crab and halibut PSC
allowances available through
membership in the AKSC. These
allowances will apply to all EFP and
non-EFP fishing during the year.
Under the EFP, the AKSC and the
member EFP vessels would be limited to
the amount of aggregate groundfish
allocations currently in regulation at 50
CFR part 679. Further, the amount of
red king crab PSC accrued by the AKSC
and under the EFP would not exceed
the AKSC’s 2016 or 2017 red king crab
allowance. All other crab limits and
halibut mortality limits will continue to
apply to the EFP activities, and are
subject to review and approval by
NMFS.
At the end of EFP fishing in 2016,
AKSC would be required to submit to
NMFS a preliminary report of the EFP
results on PSC use inside and outside of
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72051
the closed areas and by target fishery. At
the end of EFP fishing in 2017, a final,
comprehensive EFP report would be
submitted.
The proposed action would exempt
participating AKSC vessels from
selected 50 CFR part 679 closed areas
and PSC handling requirements. Should
the Regional Administrator issue a
permit based on this EFP application,
the conditions of the permit will be
designed to minimize PSC, and any
potential for biasing estimates of
groundfish or PSC. Vessels participating
in EFP fishing would be exempt from,
at minimum, the following regulations:
1. Closure to directed fishing by trawl
gear in Reporting Area 516 of Zone 1 in
the Bering Sea Subarea from March 15
through June 15, at § 679.22(a)(2).
2. closure to directed fishing by nonpelagic trawl gear in the RKCSA at
§ 679.22(a)(3).
3. that the operator of each vessel,
after allowing for sampling by an
observer, return all prohibited species,
or parts thereof, to the sea immediately,
with a minimum of injury, regardless of
its condition at § 679.21(b)(2)(ii).
The EFP would be valid upon
issuance in 2016 until either the end of
designated EFP fishing in 2017 or until
the AKSC Zone 1 red king crab PSC
allowance is reached in areas of the
BSAI open to directed fishing by the
Amendment 80 cooperatives. EFPauthorized fishing activities would not
be expected to change the nature or
duration of the groundfish fishery, gear
used, or the amount or species of fish
caught by the Amendment 80
cooperatives.
The fieldwork that would be
conducted under this EFP is not
expected to have a significant impact on
the human environment as detailed in
the categorical exclusion prepared for
this action (see ADDRESSES).
In accordance with § 679.6, NMFS has
determined that the application
warrants further consideration and has
forwarded the application to the
Council to initiate consultation. The
Council is scheduled to consider the
EFP application during its December
2015 meeting, which will be held at the
Anchorage Hilton Hotel, Anchorage,
AK. The EFP application will also be
provided to the Council’s Scientific and
Statistical Committee for review at the
December Council meeting. The
applicant has been invited to appear in
support of the application.
Public Comments
Interested persons may comment on
the EFP application at the December
2015 Council meeting during public
testimony. Information regarding the
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 222 / Wednesday, November 18, 2015 / Notices
meeting is available at the Council’s
Web site at https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/
council.htm. Comments also may be
submitted directly to NMFS (see
ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment
period (see DATES). Copies of the
application and categorical exclusion
are available for review from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 13, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–29451 Filed 11–17–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
[Docket ID: USA–2015–0004]
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
ACTION:
Notice.
The Department of Defense
has submitted to OMB for clearance, the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments received by December 18,
2015.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Fred
Licari, 571–372–0493.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title, Associated Form and Omb
Number: Exchange Official Personnel
Folder; Exchange Form 1100–106
‘‘Identification & Privilege Card
Application’’; OMB Control Number:
0702–XXXX.
Type of Request: Existing collection in
use without an OMB Control Number.
Number of Respondents: 2,500.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Annual Responses: 2,500.
Average Burden per Response: 15
minutes.
Annual Burden Hours: 625.
Needs and Uses: The information
collection requirement is necessary to
provide a repository of the records,
reports of personnel actions, and the
documents and papers required in
connection with these actions effected
during an employee’s service with the
Army and Air Force Exchange Service
(Exchange). Records provide the basic
source of factual data about a person’s
employment with the agency and have
various uses by the Exchange personnel
office, including screening
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qualifications of employees,
determining status, eligibility, and
employee’s rights and benefits,
computing length of service and other
information needed to provide
personnel services.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet
Seehra.
Comments and recommendations on
the proposed information collection
should be emailed to Ms. Jasmeet
Seehra, DoD Desk Officer, at Oira_
submission@omb.eop.gov. Please
identify the proposed information
collection by DoD Desk Officer and the
Docket ID number and title of the
information collection.
You may also submit comments and
recommendations, identified by Docket
ID number and title, by the following
method:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name, Docket
ID number and title for this Federal
Register document. The general policy
for comments and other submissions
from members of the public is to make
these submissions available for public
viewing on the Internet at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
received without change, including any
personal identifiers or contact
information.
DOD Clearance Officer: Mr. Frederick
Licari.
Written requests for copies of the
information collection proposal should
be sent to Mr. Licari at WHS/ESD
Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center
Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09,
Alexandria, VA 22350–3100.
Dated: November 12, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison
Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015–29401 Filed 11–17–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
regulations implementing the
Government in the Sunshine Act, notice
is hereby given of the Board’s closed
meeting described below.
DATES: 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., December 1,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board, 625 Indiana Avenue NW.,
Room 425, Washington, DC 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Welch, General Manager, Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, 625
Indiana Avenue NW., Suite 700,
Washington, DC 20004–2901, (800) 788–
4016. This is a toll-free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
meeting will be closed to the public. No
participation from the public will be
considered during the meeting.
Status
Closed. During the closed meeting,
the Board Members will discuss issues
dealing with potential
Recommendations to the Secretary of
Energy. The Board is invoking the
exemption to close a meeting described
in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3) and 10 CFR
1704.4(c). The Board has determined
that it is necessary to close the meeting
since conducting an open meeting is
likely to disclose matters that are
specifically exempted from disclosure
by statute. In this case, the deliberations
will pertain to potential Board
Recommendations which, under 42
U.S.C. 2286d(b) and (h)(3), may not be
made publicly available until after they
have been received by the Secretary of
Energy or the President, respectively.
MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The meeting
will proceed in accordance with the
closed meeting agenda which is posted
on the Board’s public Web site at
www.dnfsb.gov. Technical staff may
present information to the Board. The
Board Members are expected to conduct
deliberations regarding potential
Recommendations to the Secretary of
Energy.
Dated: November 13, 2015.
Joyce L. Connery,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2015–29497 Filed 11–16–15; 11:15 am]
DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES
SAFETY BOARD
BILLING CODE 3670–01–P
Sunshine Act Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board.
ACTION: Notice of closed meeting.
Notice Expanding an Experiment
Under the Experimental Sites Initiative;
Federal Student Financial Assistance
Programs Under Title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as Amended
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the provisions of
the Government in the Sunshine Act (5
U.S.C. 552b), and the Defense Nuclear
Facilities Safety Board’s (Board)
SUMMARY:
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Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education.
AGENCY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 222 (Wednesday, November 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72049-72052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29451]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD294
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Application
for an Exempted Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for exempted fishing permit.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of an exempted fishing permit
(EFP) application from the Alaska Seafood Cooperative (AKSC). If
granted, this permit would allow up to five AKSC-member Amendment 80
vessels to conduct experimental fishing in two subareas of the Bering
Sea that are closed to fishing with trawl gear. Under the permit,
experimental fishing with non-pelagic trawl gear would be authorized in
Reporting Area 516 of Zone 1 that is otherwise closed to all trawl gear
and the Red King Crab Savings Area (RKCSA) that is otherwise closed to
non-pelagic trawl gear. The AKSC would collect data on crab prohibited
species catch (PSC) rates during commercial groundfish fishing
operations inside the Area 516 seasonal closure, the RKCSA, and
adjacent areas that are currently open to non-pelagic trawling. The
objective of the EFP is to evaluate PSC rates and overall catch of
target species in the above-mentioned closed areas compared with the
areas currently open to fishing with trawl gear. This experiment has
the potential to promote the objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
DATES: Submit comments on this EFP application on or before December
15, 2015.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will
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consider the EFP application at its meeting to be held December 9,
2015, through December 15, 2015, in Anchorage, AK.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be held at the Anchorage Hilton
Hotel, 500 W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK, 99501. The agenda for the
Council meeting is available at https://legistar2.granicus.com/npfmc/meetings/2015/12/932_A_North_Pacific_Council_15-12-07_Meeting_Agenda.pdf.
You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2015-0138, by any 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-2015-0138, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Address written comments to Glenn Merrill, Assistant
Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,
AK 99802-1668.
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), 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).
Electronic copies of the EFP application and the categorical
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act are available
from the Alaska Region, NMFS Web site at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Hartman, 907-586-7442.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI)
under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP), which the Council prepared
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Regulations governing the BSAI groundfish fisheries appear at 50 CFR
parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the implementing regulations, Sec.
600.745(b) and Sec. 679.6, allow the NMFS Regional Administrator to
authorize, for limited experimental purposes, fishing that would
otherwise be prohibited. Procedures for issuing EFPs are contained in
the implementing regulations.
Background
BSAI groundfish harvests are managed subject to annual limits on
groundfish and PSC. Pacific halibut, Pacific herring, Pacific salmon
and steelhead, king crab (including red king crab), and Tanner crab are
prohibited species under the FMP. Participants in the BSAI non-pelagic
trawl fisheries catch PSC incidentally--primarily crab and halibut.
The directed red king crab pot fishery is one of the most important
shellfish fisheries in the Bering Sea. Current regulations for
harvesting red king crab in the crab pot fishery may be found in 50 CFR
part 680. Red king crab is also caught incidentally as PSC in Bering
Sea groundfish non-pelagic trawl fisheries. PSC (including red king
crab) in the non-pelagic trawl fisheries must be minimized to the
extent practicable and if caught, immediately returned to the ocean
with a minimum of injury.
The Council and NMFS have implemented FMP amendments, dating back
to the 1980s and 1990s to reduce the amount of red king crab PSC in
trawl fisheries, including the BSAI non-pelagic trawl fishery. For
example, the Area 516 red king crab seasonal closure for all trawl gear
(FMP Amendment 10) was implemented in 1987 (52 FR 8592, March 19,
1987). FMP amendment 37, (61 FR 65985, December 16, 1996) was
implemented in 1997, to create the red king crab savings area (RKCSA)
along with other measures to conserve concentrations of Bristol Bay red
king crab. The management and structure of the non-pelagic trawl
fisheries in the Bering Sea have changed since these red king crab
closure areas were implemented. In 2007, NMFS implemented Amendment 80
to the FMP (72 FR 52668, September 14, 2007). Amendment 80 established
a catch share program to allocate specific non-pelagic groundfish
species among specific defined participants (the Amendment 80 sector)
and facilitate the formation of Amendment 80 cooperatives among those
participants. The Amendment 80 sector is comprised of 19 active vessels
in 2015, and is the largest component of the non-pelagic trawl fishery.
With the implementation of Amendment 80 to the FMP in 2008, vessels
operating in Amendment 80 cooperatives were able to develop tools to
reduce incidental catch of crab PSC.
Since the implementation of Amendment 80, participants in Amendment
80 cooperatives have reduced the amount of red king crab bycatch
through improved fishing practices that are possible now that
participants in the Amendment 80 cooperative receive an allocation of
specific groundfish species. These exclusive allocations provide
opportunities for Amendment 80 cooperative participants to slow or
otherwise change their fishing operations to avoid red king crab
bycatch. These modified fishing practices are not practicable when
vessels are not provided an exclusive harvest allocation and are racing
with other vessels to harvest their groundfish as soon as possible.
Although Amendment 80 cooperatives have undoubtedly helped to
reduce red king crab PSC in the sector's target fisheries, a
combination of closed areas and PSC limits currently regulate red king
crab PSC in trawl fisheries, including the Amendment 80 sector. For
example, the Area 516 of Zone 1 in the Bering Sea sub area closes
annually to all trawl gear, including Amendment 80 vessels from March
15 through June 15, Sec. 679.22(a)(2).
Regulations for groundfish fishing in the RKCSA, Sec.
679.22(a)(3), close directed fishing for non-pelagic trawl gear in a
portion of the Bering sea subarea defined in Figure 11 to 50 CFR part
679. Non-pelagic trawl gear is used by all Amendment 80 vessels in the
Bering Sea.
PSC limits for red king crab (Sec. 679.21(e)(1)(i)) specify the
annual PSC allowance of red king crab for all trawl vessels while
engaged in directed fishing for groundfish in Zone 1. Approximately 50
percent of the Zone 1 red king crab PSC limit is apportioned to the
Amendment 80 sector, and distributed as an allowance of crab to each
Amendment 80 cooperative. In 2015, the Zone 1 red king crab PSC
allowance for the AKSC is 30,834 animals.
The Zone 1 red king crab PSC allowance, allowed the Amendment 80
cooperatives to assign voluntary, vessel-level apportionments of PSC to
vessels fishing in Zone 1. With these voluntary apportionments, vessel
owners and operators in the sector began to share information about
individual vessel PSC rates and avoid areas with high PSC rates for red
king crab. The primary result of the improved crab avoidance and
management tools is that AKSC and the remaining Amendment 80 sector
vessels have consistently stayed well
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under the Zone 1 red king crab PSC allowance. While the potential
exists for crab PSC allowances and closure areas to constrain allocated
catch in some Amendment 80 target fisheries, the Amendment 80 sector
continues to actively explore how to further reduce crab PSC while
preserving target fishery harvest opportunities.
Exempted Fishing Permit Application
On October 2, 2015, the AKSC, an Amendment 80 cooperative,
submitted an application for an EFP. The EFP would allow up to five
AKSC-member Amendment 80 vessels to conduct field tests in two subareas
of the Bering Sea that are closed to trawl directed fisheries. Those
two subareas are Reporting Area 516 of Zone 1, which is closed to all
trawl gear Sec. 679.22(a)(2), and the RKCSA, which is closed to non-
pelagic trawl gear under Sec. 679.22(a)(3). If granted, this EFP would
allow AKSC to collect data on crab bycatch rates during commercial
fishing operations on five groundfish fishing vessels (targeting mostly
flatfish) inside the Area 516 seasonal closure, the RKCSA, and adjacent
areas that are currently open to non-pelagic trawl gear. The principle
objective of the EFP is to evaluate whether flatfish and other
groundfish trawling in the above-mentioned closed areas under the
existing PSC allowance for crab would result in reduced PSC rates for
crab or other species, or a change in overall catch of target species
compared with the status quo. This data will inform assessment of the
effectiveness of these two crab closures.
The applicant proposes to begin EFP fishing in early February 2016
and end by mid-May 2016. EFP fishing would begin again in late January
2017 and end by mid-May 2017. The EFP would be in place over two
winter/spring seasons to increase the chance that data collections will
occur in different environmental conditions that are expected to affect
crab and flatfish abundance and location.
To ensure data are available for valid comparisons of catch rates
inside and outside the closed areas, participating vessels would fish
both inside the closed areas and in adjacent areas outside the closed
areas (as proportionally as possible) over the course of their Zone 1
rock sole and yellowfin sole fishing each year of the EFP. Adjacent
areas against which rates inside the closed areas will be assessed will
be selected based on similarities in the general depth and type of
substrates that were test trawled in the RKCSA and Area 516 closures.
To help ensure differences in bycatch rates reflect differences in
relative abundance rather than the attributes of trawl gear used, the
vessels participating in the EFP will keep their ground gear
configuration (e.g. size of trawl net and width of footropes) as
consistent as possible inside and outside of the closed areas.
Under the EFP, sea samplers would be required for monitoring and
data collection. Sea samplers are NMFS-certified observers that conduct
activities under an EFP rather than normal observer activities on an
Amendment 80 vessel.
The sea samplers will conduct a census of all crab for all EFP tows
inside the red king crab closed areas and in adjacent areas outside the
red king crab closed areas. The census data will include a record of
size and sex of each individual. Temperature and depth data will be
collected by sea samplers for each tow. Sea samplers will also collect
fishing operational information such as tow speed and tow length. AKSC
will compare catch rates on different EFP vessels when fishing in
similar areas to evaluate the degree to which individual differences in
a specific vessel are impacting catch rates.
To ensure observer sampling duties are undisturbed, expanded crab
data collection under the census will be conducted in a manner that is
completely separate from current observer sampling protocols. To
accomplish this, the crab census will occur after all the catch passes
over the vessel's flow scale and the observer has completed all
sampling of unsorted catch for all Bering Sea EFP hauls.
The five vessels authorized to participate in this EFP would be
required to comply with all the aggregate target species allocations
that apply to the rest of the Amendment 80 sector, and would operate
under the Amendment 80 crab and halibut PSC allowances available
through membership in the AKSC. These allowances will apply to all EFP
and non-EFP fishing during the year.
Under the EFP, the AKSC and the member EFP vessels would be limited
to the amount of aggregate groundfish allocations currently in
regulation at 50 CFR part 679. Further, the amount of red king crab PSC
accrued by the AKSC and under the EFP would not exceed the AKSC's 2016
or 2017 red king crab allowance. All other crab limits and halibut
mortality limits will continue to apply to the EFP activities, and are
subject to review and approval by NMFS.
At the end of EFP fishing in 2016, AKSC would be required to submit
to NMFS a preliminary report of the EFP results on PSC use inside and
outside of the closed areas and by target fishery. At the end of EFP
fishing in 2017, a final, comprehensive EFP report would be submitted.
The proposed action would exempt participating AKSC vessels from
selected 50 CFR part 679 closed areas and PSC handling requirements.
Should the Regional Administrator issue a permit based on this EFP
application, the conditions of the permit will be designed to minimize
PSC, and any potential for biasing estimates of groundfish or PSC.
Vessels participating in EFP fishing would be exempt from, at minimum,
the following regulations:
1. Closure to directed fishing by trawl gear in Reporting Area 516
of Zone 1 in the Bering Sea Subarea from March 15 through June 15, at
Sec. 679.22(a)(2).
2. closure to directed fishing by non-pelagic trawl gear in the
RKCSA at Sec. 679.22(a)(3).
3. that the operator of each vessel, after allowing for sampling by
an observer, return all prohibited species, or parts thereof, to the
sea immediately, with a minimum of injury, regardless of its condition
at Sec. 679.21(b)(2)(ii).
The EFP would be valid upon issuance in 2016 until either the end
of designated EFP fishing in 2017 or until the AKSC Zone 1 red king
crab PSC allowance is reached in areas of the BSAI open to directed
fishing by the Amendment 80 cooperatives. EFP-authorized fishing
activities would not be expected to change the nature or duration of
the groundfish fishery, gear used, or the amount or species of fish
caught by the Amendment 80 cooperatives.
The fieldwork that would be conducted under this EFP is not
expected to have a significant impact on the human environment as
detailed in the categorical exclusion prepared for this action (see
ADDRESSES).
In accordance with Sec. 679.6, NMFS has determined that the
application warrants further consideration and has forwarded the
application to the Council to initiate consultation. The Council is
scheduled to consider the EFP application during its December 2015
meeting, which will be held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, Anchorage,
AK. The EFP application will also be provided to the Council's
Scientific and Statistical Committee for review at the December Council
meeting. The applicant has been invited to appear in support of the
application.
Public Comments
Interested persons may comment on the EFP application at the
December 2015 Council meeting during public testimony. Information
regarding the
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meeting is available at the Council's Web site at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/council.htm. Comments also may be
submitted directly to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment
period (see DATES). Copies of the application and categorical exclusion
are available for review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 13, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-29451 Filed 11-17-15; 8:45 am]
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