Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 71710-71711 [2016-25137]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 18, 2016 / Notices
decisions, Congress created six Regional
Fisheries Science Centers, each a
distinct organizational entity and the
scientific focal point within NMFS for
region-based, Federal fisheries-related
research. This research is aimed at
monitoring fish stock recruitment,
abundance, survival and biological
rates, geographic distribution of species
and stocks, ecosystem process changes,
and marine ecological research. The
AFSC is the research arm of NMFS in
U.S. waters off of Alaska.
Research is aimed at monitoring fish
stock recruitment, survival and
biological rates, abundance and
geographic distribution of species and
stocks, and providing other scientific
information needed to improve our
understanding of complex marine
ecological processes. The AFSC
proposes to administer and conduct
these survey programs over the five-year
period.
Summary of Request
On June 28, 2016, NMFS received an
adequate and complete application from
the AFSC requesting authorization for
take of marine mammals incidental to
fisheries research conducted by the
AFSC. The requested regulations would
be valid for five years from the date of
issuance. The AFSC plans to conduct
fisheries research surveys in multiple
geographic regions, including the Gulf
of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean.
It is possible that marine mammals may
interact with fishing gear (e.g., trawls
nets, longlines) used in AFSC’s fisheries
research projects, resulting in injury,
serious injury, or mortality. In addition,
the AFSC operates active acoustic
devices that have the potential to
disturb marine mammals. Because the
specified activities have the potential to
take marine mammals present within
these action areas, the AFSC requests
authorization to take multiple species of
marine mammal that may occur in these
areas.
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mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
such taking are set forth.
NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible
impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ‘‘an
impact resulting from the specified
activity that cannot be reasonably
expected to, and is not reasonably likely
to, adversely affect the species or stock
through effects on annual rates of
recruitment or survival.’’
Except with respect to certain
activities not pertinent here, the MMPA
defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: ‘‘any act of
pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i)
has the potential to injure a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has
the potential to disturb a marine
mammal or marine mammal stock in the
wild by causing disruption of behavioral
patterns, including, but not limited to,
migration, breathing, nursing, breeding,
feeding, or sheltering (Level B
harassment).’’
Information Solicited
Interested persons may submit
information, suggestions, and comments
concerning the AFSC’s request (see
ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all
information, suggestions, and comments
related to the request during the
development of proposed regulations
governing the incidental taking of
marine mammals by the AFSC, if
appropriate.
Specified Activities
The Federal Government has a
responsibility to conserve and protect
living marine resources in U.S. federal
waters and has also entered into a
number of international agreements and
treaties related to the management of
living marine resources in international
waters outside the United States. NOAA
has the primary responsibility for
managing marine fin and shellfish
species and their habitats, with that
responsibility delegated within NOAA
to NMFS.
In order to direct and coordinate the
collection of scientific information
needed to make informed management
VerDate Sep<11>2014
13:19 Oct 17, 2016
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Dated: October 13, 2016.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–25191 Filed 10–17–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
The meeting will be held at
the Admiral Fell Inn, 888 S. Broadway,
Baltimore, MD 21231; telephone: (410)
522–7377.
Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, 800 N. State
Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
telephone: (302) 674–2331 or on their
Web site, at www.mafmc.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, telephone: (302)
526–5255.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Agenda
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council’s Summer
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Monitoring Committee will meet
November 9 and 10 to develop
recommendations for recreational
management measures for the summer
flounder, scup, and black sea bass
fisheries for the 2017 fishing year. The
Committee may also discuss initial
analyses related to a possible scup
commercial seasons framework action.
A detailed agenda and background
documents will be made available on
the Council’s Web site (www.mafmc.org)
prior to the meeting.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aid
should be directed to M. Jan Saunders,
(302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Dated: October 12, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
RIN 0648–XE960
[FR Doc. 2016–25090 Filed 10–17–16; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (MAFMC); Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council’s (MAFMC’s)
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea
Bass Monitoring Committee will hold a
public meeting.
DATES: The meeting will begin at 1 p.m.
on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, and
end at 3 p.m. on Thursday, November
10, 2016, to view the agenda see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XE911
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\18OCN1.SGM
18OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 18, 2016 / Notices
The Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has
made a preliminary determination that
an Exempted Fishing Permit application
from the Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation and Rhode Island
Department of Environmental
Management contains all of the required
information and warrants further
consideration. This Exempted Fishing
Permit would allow seven commercial
fishing vessels and one party/charter
vessel to collect black sea bass catch
data while on routine fishing trips and
retain a limited amount of black sea bass
for laboratory analysis. Regulations
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
require publication of this notice to
provide interested parties the
opportunity to comment on applications
for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before November 2, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
• Email to: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘BSB
Research Fleet EFP.’’
• Mail to: John K. Bullard, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Mark the outside of the envelope
‘‘Comments on BSB Research Fleet
EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid
Lichwell, Fisheries Management
Specialist, 978–281–9112.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation (CFRF) and Rhode Island
Department of Environmental
Management (RI DEM) submitted a
complete application for an EFP on
September 9, 2016, to develop a
research fleet that would collect fisherydependent information on black sea
bass for eight months, November 2016
through July 2017. The EFP would
authorize seven commercial fishing
vessels and one party/charter vessel to
collect data on black sea bass catch, and
retain a limited amount of black sea bass
for a laboratory study conducted by RI
DEM. This EFP would exempt the
participating vessels from the following
Federal regulations:
1. Recreational possession limits
specified at 50 CFR 648.145;
2. Commercial and party/charter
minimum size limits for black sea bass
specified at 50 CFR 648.147(a) and (b)
respectively;
The research fleet would be
comprised of vessels fishing with
Lhorne on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
13:19 Oct 17, 2016
Jkt 241001
different gear types including trawls,
lobster pots, gillnets, and hook and line.
All gear deployments would be typical
of the routine fishing practices
associated with the fishery being
targeted. All vessels fishing under this
research would have either a black sea
bass moratorium or charter/party federal
permit allowing them to legally land
black sea bass. There will be no increase
in fishing effort associated with this
project.
Each vessel would be randomly
selected to conduct sampling events
during three trips per month within
Southern New England and the MidAtlantic Bight. During each sampling
event, up to 50 black sea bass would be
temporarily held to record their length
and sex. Some may be retained for
shoreside analysis. Each vessel would
be allowed to retain 100 black sea bass
per month, not to exceed a cumulative
total of 6,400 individual fish or 10,880
lb (4,935 kg) of black sea bass catch over
the course of the project.
All legal sized black sea bass retained
for sampling by commercial vessels
would be reported through a dealer as
‘‘research’’ landings and attributed to
the state of Rhode Island’s allocated
commercial black sea bass quota.
Undersize black sea bass retained for
sampling would be weighed and
recorded as bycatch on all appropriate
fishing logs. The participating vessels
would be able to sell their additional
catch as they typically would under the
permits they possess. Catch not retained
for sale or sampling will be returned to
the sea as soon as practicable. The
participating vessels would be issued
the appropriate state exemptions to all
applicable state regulations. If the
Federal commercial coastwide quota for
black sea bass is reached and leads to a
Federal black sea bass closure, then no
retention of black sea bass would occur
under this EFP until the fishery reopens.
Vessels fishing under this research
permit would be exempt from the
commercial and party/charter minimum
size limits for black sea bass, to allow
for the retention of both adult and
undersized juvenile black sea bass. The
party/charter vessel would be exempt
from the possession limits found at
§ 648.145 to retain black sea bass for
sampling above the designated
possession limit; there are no federal
commercial possession limits for black
sea bass.
If approved, CFRF and RI DEM may
request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
study period. EFP modifications and
extensions may be granted without
further notice if they are deemed
essential to facilitate completion of the
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71711
proposed research and have minimal
impacts that do not change the scope or
impact of the initially approved EFP
request. Any fishing activity conducted
outside the scope of the exempted
fishing activity would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 13, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–25137 Filed 10–17–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Regulations
System
[OMB Control Number 0704–0225; Docket
Number DARS–2016–0041]
Information Collection Requirement;
Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement (DFARS);
Administrative Matters
Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Department of
Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments regarding a proposed revision
of an approved information collection
requirement.
AGENCY:
In compliance with section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35), DoD announces the
proposed revision of a public
information collection requirement and
seeks public comment on the provisions
thereof. DoD invites comments on: (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of DoD,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the information collection on
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
The Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) has approved this information
collection for use through March 31,
2017. DoD proposes that OMB extend its
approval for use for three additional
years beyond the current expiration
date.
DATES: DoD will consider all comments
received by December 19, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by OMB Control Number
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\18OCN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71710-71711]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25137]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE911
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 71711]]
SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the
Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management contains all of the required information and
warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would
allow seven commercial fishing vessels and one party/charter vessel to
collect black sea bass catch data while on routine fishing trips and
retain a limited amount of black sea bass for laboratory analysis.
Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of this notice to provide interested
parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed
Exempted Fishing Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 2, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email to: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov. Include in the subject
line ``BSB Research Fleet EFP.''
Mail to: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on
BSB Research Fleet EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid Lichwell, Fisheries Management
Specialist, 978-281-9112.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
(CFRF) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM)
submitted a complete application for an EFP on September 9, 2016, to
develop a research fleet that would collect fishery-dependent
information on black sea bass for eight months, November 2016 through
July 2017. The EFP would authorize seven commercial fishing vessels and
one party/charter vessel to collect data on black sea bass catch, and
retain a limited amount of black sea bass for a laboratory study
conducted by RI DEM. This EFP would exempt the participating vessels
from the following Federal regulations:
1. Recreational possession limits specified at 50 CFR 648.145;
2. Commercial and party/charter minimum size limits for black sea
bass specified at 50 CFR 648.147(a) and (b) respectively;
The research fleet would be comprised of vessels fishing with
different gear types including trawls, lobster pots, gillnets, and hook
and line. All gear deployments would be typical of the routine fishing
practices associated with the fishery being targeted. All vessels
fishing under this research would have either a black sea bass
moratorium or charter/party federal permit allowing them to legally
land black sea bass. There will be no increase in fishing effort
associated with this project.
Each vessel would be randomly selected to conduct sampling events
during three trips per month within Southern New England and the Mid-
Atlantic Bight. During each sampling event, up to 50 black sea bass
would be temporarily held to record their length and sex. Some may be
retained for shoreside analysis. Each vessel would be allowed to retain
100 black sea bass per month, not to exceed a cumulative total of 6,400
individual fish or 10,880 lb (4,935 kg) of black sea bass catch over
the course of the project.
All legal sized black sea bass retained for sampling by commercial
vessels would be reported through a dealer as ``research'' landings and
attributed to the state of Rhode Island's allocated commercial black
sea bass quota. Undersize black sea bass retained for sampling would be
weighed and recorded as bycatch on all appropriate fishing logs. The
participating vessels would be able to sell their additional catch as
they typically would under the permits they possess. Catch not retained
for sale or sampling will be returned to the sea as soon as
practicable. The participating vessels would be issued the appropriate
state exemptions to all applicable state regulations. If the Federal
commercial coastwide quota for black sea bass is reached and leads to a
Federal black sea bass closure, then no retention of black sea bass
would occur under this EFP until the fishery reopens.
Vessels fishing under this research permit would be exempt from the
commercial and party/charter minimum size limits for black sea bass, to
allow for the retention of both adult and undersized juvenile black sea
bass. The party/charter vessel would be exempt from the possession
limits found at Sec. 648.145 to retain black sea bass for sampling
above the designated possession limit; there are no federal commercial
possession limits for black sea bass.
If approved, CFRF and RI DEM may request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the study period. EFP modifications
and extensions may be granted without further notice if they are deemed
essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and have
minimal impacts that do not change the scope or impact of the initially
approved EFP request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope
of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 13, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-25137 Filed 10-17-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
