Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Issuing Annual Catch Limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, 27756-27757 [2018-12734]

Download as PDF 27756 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XF600 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Issuing Annual Catch Limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft Environmental Impact Statement; request for comments. AGENCY: NMFS announces the availability of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), in order to assess the impacts of issuing annual catch limits for the subsistence harvest of bowhead whales by Alaska Natives from 2019 onward. The official 60-day comment period for comments on the draft EIS began on June 1, 2018 and will end on July 31, 2018. DATES: Comments on this draft EIS must be received no later than July 31, 2018. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this draft environmental impact statement, by including NOAA–NMFS– 2017–0098 by either of the following methods: • Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20170098. Click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. • Mail: Carolyn Doherty, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they are sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the comment period ends at 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the date of comment period closure. Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change. For posted comments, all personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender is 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 daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:38 Jun 13, 2018 Jkt 244001 Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe portable document file (PDF) formats only. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Doherty, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, NOAA Fisheries (phone: 301–427–8385 or email: Carolyn.Doherty@noaa.gov). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is preparing an EIS in order to comprehensively assess impacts of the subsistence harvest of Western Arctic bowhead whales by Alaska Natives from 2019 onward. The draft EIS is posted on the NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Regional Office’s web page at https:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/whalesbowhead. Background Alaska Natives have hunted bowhead whales for over 2,000 years as the whales migrate in the spring and fall along the coast of Alaska. Their traditional subsistence hunts for these whales have been regulated by catch limits and other limitations under the authority of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1977. Alaska Native subsistence hunters from 11 northern Alaskan communities take less than 1 percent of the stock of bowhead whales per year. Since 1977, the number of whales struck by harpoons has ranged between 14 and 72 animals per year, depending in part on changes in IWC management strategy due to higher estimates of both bowhead whale abundance and increased hunter efficiency in recent years. The IWC sets an overall aboriginal subsistence catch limit for this stock, based on the request of IWC member countries on behalf of the aboriginal hunters. The IWC’s catch limit for bowhead whales includes a limit on the number of landed whales and a limit on the number of whales that may be struck. In the case of Alaska and Russian Native subsistence hunts, the United States and the Russian Federation make a joint request to the IWC for subsistence catch limits for bowhead whales. NMFS must annually publish a notice of aboriginal subsistence whale hunting catch limits and any other limitations on such hunting in the Federal Register (50 CFR 230.6). The subsistence hunt is directly managed by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) and the catch limits are issued through annual amendments to a cooperative agreement between the AEWC and NOAA, consistent with the mandates codified in the Whaling Convention Act, 16 U.S.C. 916–916l. In order to comprehensively assess the effects of these annual removals, this PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 proposed action would extend from 2019 onward, subject to IWC-set catch limits. IWC-set catch limits are, in turn, based on IWC Scientific Committee advice on the sustainability of proposed catch limits using a population model, referred to as a Strike Limit Algorithm. The Strike Limit Algorithm used by the IWC is specific to this population of bowhead whales and is the IWC’s formula for calculating sustainable aboriginal subsistence whaling removal levels, based on the size and productivity of a whale population, in order to satisfy subsistence need. The Strike Limit Algorithm also allows for an inter-annual variation of strikes up to 50 percent of the annual strike limit in order to provide flexibility for the hunt while meeting the Commission’s conservation objectives. Alternatives Considered NMFS considered five alternatives in the draft EIS: Alternative 1 (no action): Do not grant the AEWC a catch limit. Alternative 2: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 67 bowhead whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed whales over any 6-year period, with no unused strikes from previous years added to the subsequent annual limit as carry-forward. Alternative 3: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 67 bowhead whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed whales over any 6-year period, with unused strikes from previous years carried forward and added to the annual strike limit of subsequent years (subject to limits), provided that no more than 15 additional strikes are added to any one year’s allocation of strikes. This alternative would maintain the status quo for any 6-year period with respect to management of the hunt. Alternative 4 (Preferred Alternative): Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 67 bowhead whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed whales over any 6year period, with unused strikes from previous years carried forward and added to the annual strike quota of subsequent years (subject to limits), provided that no more than 50 percent of the annual strike limit is added for any one year. This alternative would maintain the status quo for any 6-year period with respect to management of the hunt for landed whales and employ the Commission’s agreed-upon 50 percent carryover principle. The agency has identified Alternative 4 as its preferred alternative because it best meets the purpose and need of this action, and it achieves the socio-cultural benefits of the subsistence hunt at minimal environmental cost. E:\FR\FM\14JNN1.SGM 14JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 115 / Thursday, June 14, 2018 / Notices daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Alternative 5: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 100 bowhead whales, not to exceed a total of 504 landed whales over any 6-year period, with unused strikes from previous years carried forward and added to the annual strike quota of subsequent years (subject to limits), provided that no more than 50 percent of the annual strike limit is added for any one year. This alternative would increase the harvest levels by 50 percent and employ the Commission’s agreed-upon 50 percent carryover principle. Under this alternative, NMFS would authorize a higher level of harvest, given: (1) The timeframe for NMFS’s proposed action, i.e., from 2019 onward, where it is likely that the AEWC’s subsistence need for bowhead whales will increase over this timeframe; and (2) the increasing size of the Western Arctic bowhead whale population. As with the other alternatives, NMFS’s issuance of any future catch limits will be subject to IWC requirements, which, in turn, will be based on IWC Scientific Committee advice on the sustainability of those catch limits. NMFS decided to prepare an EIS rather than an EA in order to assess the impacts of issuing annual quotas for the subsistence hunt by Alaska Natives from 2019 onward. This decision was not based on any new determination that significant effects occur as a result of the bowhead subsistence hunt, but rather to take advantage of the greater transparency and public involvement in decision-making afforded through an EIS process. Major issues addressed in this draft EIS include: The impact of subsistence removal of bowhead whales from the Western Arctic stock of bowhead whales; the impacts of these harvest levels on the traditional and cultural values of Alaska Natives, and the cumulative effects of the action when considered along with environmental conditions and past, present, and future actions potentially affecting bowhead whales. Public Comment The publication date of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability of the draft EIS, June 1, 2018, 83 FR 25451, constitutes the start of the comment period under NEPA for the draft EIS. The public comment period will end on July 31, 2018, per 83 FR 26665. NOAA encourages all parties with an interest in or who are affected by the Alternatives described in the draft EIS to provide suggestions and comments. Comments are specifically requested regarding the range of alternatives assessed, scope of VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:38 Jun 13, 2018 Jkt 244001 analysis, and assessment of direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts. The official public comment period is 60 days, from June 1, 2018 until July 31, 2018. The draft EIS is posted on the NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Regional Office’s web page at https:// alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/whalesbowhead. Authority The preparation of this draft EIS was conducted under the authority and in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500– 1508), other applicable Federal laws and regulations, and policies and procedures of NMFS for compliance with those regulations. Dated: June 8, 2018. John Henderschedt, Director, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2018–12734 Filed 6–13–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No.: ED–2018–ICCD–0034] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Federal Student Loan Program: Internship/Residency and Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 16, 2018. ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use https://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED– 2018–ICCD–0034. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 27757 postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ, Room 216–34, Washington, DC 20202–4537. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Ian Foss, 202– 377–3681. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: Federal Student Loan Program: Internship/Residency and Loan Debt Burden Forbearance Forms. OMB Control Number: 1845–0018. Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 27,042. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 6,393. Abstract: These forms serve as the means by which borrowers in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan), Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and the Federal Perkins Loan (Perkins Loan) Programs may request forbearance of repayment on their loans if they meet certain conditions. The U.S. Department of E:\FR\FM\14JNN1.SGM 14JNN1

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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 115 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27756-27757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12734]



[[Page 27756]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF600


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Issuing Annual Catch 
Limits to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft Environmental Impact 
Statement; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of a draft environmental 
impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA), in order to assess the impacts of issuing annual 
catch limits for the subsistence harvest of bowhead whales by Alaska 
Natives from 2019 onward. The official 60-day comment period for 
comments on the draft EIS began on June 1, 2018 and will end on July 
31, 2018.

DATES: Comments on this draft EIS must be received no later than July 
31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on this draft environmental impact 
statement, by including NOAA-NMFS-2017-0098 by either of the following 
methods:
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0098. Click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Carolyn Doherty, Office of International Affairs and 
Seafood Inspection, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910. Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they 
are sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or 
received after the comment period ends at 11:59 p.m. eastern time on 
the date of comment period closure.
    Instructions: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change. For 
posted comments, all personal identifying information (e.g., name, 
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise 
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender is 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, 
WordPerfect, or Adobe portable document file (PDF) formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Doherty, Office of 
International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, NOAA Fisheries (phone: 
301-427-8385 or email: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is preparing an EIS in order to 
comprehensively assess impacts of the subsistence harvest of Western 
Arctic bowhead whales by Alaska Natives from 2019 onward. The draft EIS 
is posted on the NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Regional Office's web page at 
https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/whales-bowhead.

Background

    Alaska Natives have hunted bowhead whales for over 2,000 years as 
the whales migrate in the spring and fall along the coast of Alaska. 
Their traditional subsistence hunts for these whales have been 
regulated by catch limits and other limitations under the authority of 
the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1977. Alaska Native 
subsistence hunters from 11 northern Alaskan communities take less than 
1 percent of the stock of bowhead whales per year. Since 1977, the 
number of whales struck by harpoons has ranged between 14 and 72 
animals per year, depending in part on changes in IWC management 
strategy due to higher estimates of both bowhead whale abundance and 
increased hunter efficiency in recent years. The IWC sets an overall 
aboriginal subsistence catch limit for this stock, based on the request 
of IWC member countries on behalf of the aboriginal hunters. The IWC's 
catch limit for bowhead whales includes a limit on the number of landed 
whales and a limit on the number of whales that may be struck. In the 
case of Alaska and Russian Native subsistence hunts, the United States 
and the Russian Federation make a joint request to the IWC for 
subsistence catch limits for bowhead whales.
    NMFS must annually publish a notice of aboriginal subsistence whale 
hunting catch limits and any other limitations on such hunting in the 
Federal Register (50 CFR 230.6). The subsistence hunt is directly 
managed by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) and the catch 
limits are issued through annual amendments to a cooperative agreement 
between the AEWC and NOAA, consistent with the mandates codified in the 
Whaling Convention Act, 16 U.S.C. 916-916l.
    In order to comprehensively assess the effects of these annual 
removals, this proposed action would extend from 2019 onward, subject 
to IWC-set catch limits. IWC-set catch limits are, in turn, based on 
IWC Scientific Committee advice on the sustainability of proposed catch 
limits using a population model, referred to as a Strike Limit 
Algorithm. The Strike Limit Algorithm used by the IWC is specific to 
this population of bowhead whales and is the IWC's formula for 
calculating sustainable aboriginal subsistence whaling removal levels, 
based on the size and productivity of a whale population, in order to 
satisfy subsistence need. The Strike Limit Algorithm also allows for an 
inter-annual variation of strikes up to 50 percent of the annual strike 
limit in order to provide flexibility for the hunt while meeting the 
Commission's conservation objectives.

Alternatives Considered

    NMFS considered five alternatives in the draft EIS:
    Alternative 1 (no action): Do not grant the AEWC a catch limit.
    Alternative 2: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 67 bowhead 
whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed whales over any 6-year 
period, with no unused strikes from previous years added to the 
subsequent annual limit as carry-forward.
    Alternative 3: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 67 bowhead 
whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed whales over any 6-year 
period, with unused strikes from previous years carried forward and 
added to the annual strike limit of subsequent years (subject to 
limits), provided that no more than 15 additional strikes are added to 
any one year's allocation of strikes. This alternative would maintain 
the status quo for any 6-year period with respect to management of the 
hunt.
    Alternative 4 (Preferred Alternative): Grant the AEWC an annual 
strike limit of 67 bowhead whales, not to exceed a total of 336 landed 
whales over any 6-year period, with unused strikes from previous years 
carried forward and added to the annual strike quota of subsequent 
years (subject to limits), provided that no more than 50 percent of the 
annual strike limit is added for any one year. This alternative would 
maintain the status quo for any 6-year period with respect to 
management of the hunt for landed whales and employ the Commission's 
agreed-upon 50 percent carryover principle. The agency has identified 
Alternative 4 as its preferred alternative because it best meets the 
purpose and need of this action, and it achieves the socio-cultural 
benefits of the subsistence hunt at minimal environmental cost.

[[Page 27757]]

    Alternative 5: Grant the AEWC an annual strike limit of 100 bowhead 
whales, not to exceed a total of 504 landed whales over any 6-year 
period, with unused strikes from previous years carried forward and 
added to the annual strike quota of subsequent years (subject to 
limits), provided that no more than 50 percent of the annual strike 
limit is added for any one year. This alternative would increase the 
harvest levels by 50 percent and employ the Commission's agreed-upon 50 
percent carryover principle. Under this alternative, NMFS would 
authorize a higher level of harvest, given: (1) The timeframe for 
NMFS's proposed action, i.e., from 2019 onward, where it is likely that 
the AEWC's subsistence need for bowhead whales will increase over this 
timeframe; and (2) the increasing size of the Western Arctic bowhead 
whale population. As with the other alternatives, NMFS's issuance of 
any future catch limits will be subject to IWC requirements, which, in 
turn, will be based on IWC Scientific Committee advice on the 
sustainability of those catch limits.
    NMFS decided to prepare an EIS rather than an EA in order to assess 
the impacts of issuing annual quotas for the subsistence hunt by Alaska 
Natives from 2019 onward. This decision was not based on any new 
determination that significant effects occur as a result of the bowhead 
subsistence hunt, but rather to take advantage of the greater 
transparency and public involvement in decision-making afforded through 
an EIS process.
    Major issues addressed in this draft EIS include: The impact of 
subsistence removal of bowhead whales from the Western Arctic stock of 
bowhead whales; the impacts of these harvest levels on the traditional 
and cultural values of Alaska Natives, and the cumulative effects of 
the action when considered along with environmental conditions and 
past, present, and future actions potentially affecting bowhead whales.

Public Comment

    The publication date of the Environmental Protection Agency's 
Notice of Availability of the draft EIS, June 1, 2018, 83 FR 25451, 
constitutes the start of the comment period under NEPA for the draft 
EIS. The public comment period will end on July 31, 2018, per 83 FR 
26665. NOAA encourages all parties with an interest in or who are 
affected by the Alternatives described in the draft EIS to provide 
suggestions and comments. Comments are specifically requested regarding 
the range of alternatives assessed, scope of analysis, and assessment 
of direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts.
    The official public comment period is 60 days, from June 1, 2018 
until July 31, 2018. The draft EIS is posted on the NOAA Fisheries' 
Alaska Regional Office's web page at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/whales-bowhead.

Authority

    The preparation of this draft EIS was conducted under the authority 
and in accordance with the requirements of NEPA, Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other 
applicable Federal laws and regulations, and policies and procedures of 
NMFS for compliance with those regulations.

    Dated: June 8, 2018.
John Henderschedt,
Director, Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-12734 Filed 6-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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