Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; Management Strategy Evaluation Debrief; Request for Comments, 31845-31846 [2019-14221]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2019 / Notices
authorized 125 takes of harbor seal by
Level A harassment. A description of
the methods and inputs used to estimate
take anticipated to occur and,
ultimately, the take that was authorized
is found in the previous documents
referenced above. The methods of
estimating take are identical to those
used in the previous IHA, as is the
density of marine mammals. NMFS has
reviewed recent draft Stock Assessment
Reports, information on relevant
Unusual Mortality Events, and recent
scientific literature, and determined that
no new information affects our original
analysis of impacts or take estimate
under the original IHA and, in fact, the
abundance estimates reported in the
draft SARs did not change for any of the
species for which take is authorized in
this authorization.
We refer to the documents related to
the previously issued IHA, which
include the Federal Register notice of
the issuance of the 2018 IHA for the
Navy’s construction work (83 FR
30406), the Navy’s application, the
Federal Register notice of the proposed
IHA (83 FR 10689), and all associated
references and documents.
jspears on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES
Determinations
The Navy will conduct activities
identical to those analyzed in the
previous 2018 IHA. As described above,
the number of authorized takes of the
same species and stocks of marine
mammals are identical to the numbers
that were found to meet the negligible
impact and small numbers standards
and authorized under the 2018 IHA and
no new information has emerged that
would change those findings. The reissued 2019 IHA includes identical
required mitigation, monitoring, and
reporting measures as the 2018 IHA, and
there is no new information suggesting
that our analysis or findings should
change.
Based on the information contained
here and in the referenced documents,
NMFS has determined the following: (1)
The required mitigation measures will
effect the least practicable impact on
marine mammal species or stocks and
their habitat; (2) the authorized takes
will have a negligible impact on the
affected marine mammal species or
stocks; (3) the authorized takes
represent small numbers of marine
mammals relative to the affected stock
abundances; and (4) the Navy’s
activities will not have an unmitigable
adverse impact on taking for subsistence
purposes as no relevant subsistence uses
of marine mammals are implicated by
this action.
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31845
National Environmental Policy Act
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
To comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
NOAA Administrative Order (NAO)
216–6A, NMFS must review our
proposed action with respect to
environmental consequences on the
human environment.
Accordingly, NMFS has determined
that the issuance of the IHA qualifies to
be categorically excluded from further
NEPA review. This action is consistent
with categories of activities identified in
CE B4 of the Companion Manual for
NOAA Administrative Order 216–6A,
which do not individually or
cumulatively have the potential for
significant impacts on the quality of the
human environment and for which we
have not identified any extraordinary
circumstances that would preclude this
categorical exclusion.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (ESA: 16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal
agency insure that any action it
authorizes, funds, or carries out is not
likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or
threatened species or result in the
destruction or adverse modification of
designated critical habitat. To ensure
ESA compliance for the issuance of
IHAs, NMFS consults internally
whenever we propose to authorize take
for endangered or threatened species.
However, no incidental take of ESAlisted species is authorized or expected
to result from this activity. Therefore,
NMFS has determined that formal
consultation under section 7 of the ESA
is not required for this action.
Authorization
NMFS has issued an IHA to the Navy
for in-water construction activities
associated with the SPE project from
July 16, 2020 through July 15, 2021. All
previously described mitigation,
monitoring, and reporting requirements
from the 2018 IHA are incorporated.
Dated: June 26, 2019.
Catherine Marzin,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–14213 Filed 7–2–19; 8:45 am]
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RIN 0648–XF222
Fisheries of the Northeastern United
States; Atlantic Herring Fishery;
Management Strategy Evaluation
Debrief; Request for Comments
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) seeks
public comment on the Management
Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process used
to develop and analyze Acceptable
Biological Catch (ABC) control rule
alternatives in Amendment 8 to the
Atlantic Herring Fishery Management
Plan (FMP). The purpose of this notice
is to announce the Council’s intent to
gather public comments on this topic.
DATES: Written and electronic scoping
comments must be received on or before
8:00 a.m. EST on Friday, August 9,
2019.
SUMMARY:
Written comments may be
sent by any of the following methods:
• Email to the following address:
comments@nefmc.org;
• Mail to Thomas A. Nies, Executive
Director, New England Fishery
Management Council, 50 Water Street,
Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; or
• Fax to (978) 465–3116.
The invitation for public comment
document is accessible electronically
online at: https://www.nefmc.org/
library/management-strategyevaluation-debrief-comment-now.
Requests for copies of the invitation
for public comment document and other
information should be directed to
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2,
Newburyport, MA 01950, telephone:
(978) 465–0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Thomas A.
Nies, Executive Director, New England
Fishery Management Council, (978)
465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Background
The Management Strategy Evaluation
used to develop Amendment 8 to the
Atlantic Herring FMP was the first time
this Council used MSE in decisionmaking. The Council is now taking a
step back to debrief and identify the
benefits and/or drawbacks of the MSE
E:\FR\FM\03JYN1.SGM
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31846
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2019 / Notices
jspears on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES
process, as well as lessons learned. This
debrief is intended to evaluate the
process used to integrate MSE into
Amendment 8 and will help inform
future decisions on using MSE to
manage Atlantic herring or for other
purposes. The goals of the debrief are to:
identify perceptions of the MSE process,
identify pros and cons of the specific
process used, identify lessons learned
from the process, and inform future
Council decisions on use of MSE for
Atlantic herring management.
The Council conducted a
Management Strategy Evaluation to help
develop alternatives for an ABC control
rule, or formula for setting catch limits.
This MSE was intended to be a
collaborative decision-making process,
involving more public input and
technical analysis earlier in the
amendment development process than
normal. An MSE involves modelling to
determine potential outcomes of
different management approaches, ABC
control rules in this case. MSE can help
evaluate tradeoffs among objectives and
which control rules would most likely
meet management goals.
The Council began working on
Amendment 8 in 2015, conducting
public scoping and setting the goals of
this action. In January 2016, the Council
decided to use MSE to help develop
ABC control rule alternatives. MSEs
typically take several years to finish and
use invitation-only, small groups (15–
25) of stakeholders to give input. The
Council diverged from this norm for two
reasons. First, the Council aimed to
finish Amendment 8 in time to develop
herring fishery catch limits for 2019–
2021. Thus, this MSE had unusually
constrained time limits. Second, the
Council decided to have all points of
stakeholder input (e.g., workshops)
completely open to the public, so the
MSE process could mirror the open
Council process as much as possible.
Relative to other MSEs, the degree of
stakeholder participation was rare, if not
unique, at least for U.S. fisheries.
Public Comment
You may comment by submitting
written comments to the Council (see
ADDRESSES). While anyone may respond
to this invitation for comment, the
Council is particularly interested in
understanding the viewpoints of those
involved in the MSE (e.g., attended an
MSE workshop) and are invested in the
future of herring management. You may
address any aspect of the MSE but are
encouraged to focus on the MSE as a
decision-making process, rather than the
technical aspects of the MSE or the
outcomes of Amendment 8 (e.g., the
Council’s preferred alternatives,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:23 Jul 02, 2019
Jkt 247001
regulatory changes). Specifically, the
Council is seeking input on:
• Clarity of purpose and need for
using MSE in Amendment 8.
• Sufficiency of general education
about MSE, how well MSE was
understood (e.g., models, role of
stakeholder input) and any ideas for
improving the education process (e.g.,
more literature, online instructional
webinars, in-person seminars)?
• Utility of the six distinct phases of
this MSE (described above), whether
some phases (or aspects of phases) more
useful or successful than others and
whether the time provided for each
phase was enough.
• Appropriateness of using openinvitation, public workshops for this
MSE and/or recommendations for other
formats.
• Utility of how MSE results were
presented in helping characterize the
tradeoffs associated with various
alternatives.
• How well the Council integrated the
MSE results and workshop input in
developing Amendment 8 alternatives.
• Utility of the MSE in balancing
tradeoffs between objectives.
• The benefits, if any, in using an
MSE for Amendment 8, and if the
benefits outweigh the costs.
• How this MSE process compared to
how else the Council could have
developed and selected alternatives.
After the public comment period
ends, the comments will be
summarized, along with any Herring
Plan Development Team (PDT) input
and recommendations and discussed by
the Herring Advisory Panel (AP) and
Committee. The Council will be
updated in September 2019. The PDT
will draft a final report for discussion at
the AP and Committee meetings in the
fall, and the Council will likely receive
a final report in December 2019. Public
comment is important to the Council
process. This is a key opportunity for
you to give feedback on the Atlantic
herring MSE. Your comments will help
the Council evaluate this MSE and
consider future MSEs.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 28, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–14221 Filed 7–2–19; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[0648–XR003]
Marine Mammals; File No. 22835
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
the Scripps Institute of Oceanography
[Responsible Party: John Hildebrand,
Ph.D.], University of California San
Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA
92093, has applied in due form for a
permit to conduct research on 42
cetacean species, including endangered
bowhead (Balaena mysticetus), blue
(Balaenoptera musculus), fin
(Balaenoptera physalus), sei
(Balaenoptera borealis), Southern
Resident killer (Orcinus orca), Hawaiian
Islands Insular false killer (Pseudorca
crassidens), humpback (Megaptera
novaeangliae), North Pacific right
(Eubalaena japonica), North Atlantic
right (Eubalaena glacialis), sperm
(Physeter macrocephalus), and Gulf of
Mexico Bryde’s (Balaenoptera edeni)
whales.
SUMMARY:
Written, telefaxed, or email
comments must be received on or before
August 2, 2019.
ADDRESSES: The application and related
documents are available for review by
selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public
Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on
the Applications and Permits for
Protected Species (APPS) home page,
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then
selecting File No. 22835 from the list of
available applications.
These documents are also available
upon written request or by appointment
in the Permits and Conservation
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301) 427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted to the Chief,
Permits and Conservation Division, at
the address listed above. Comments may
also be submitted by facsimile to (301)
713–0376, or by email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please
include the File No. in the subject line
of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
to the Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division at the address listed above. The
request should set forth the specific
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\03JYN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31845-31846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14221]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF222
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring
Fishery; Management Strategy Evaluation Debrief; Request for Comments
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks
public comment on the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process used
to develop and analyze Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) control rule
alternatives in Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management
Plan (FMP). The purpose of this notice is to announce the Council's
intent to gather public comments on this topic.
DATES: Written and electronic scoping comments must be received on or
before 8:00 a.m. EST on Friday, August 9, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following
methods:
Email to the following address: [email protected];
Mail to Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA
01950; or
Fax to (978) 465-3116.
The invitation for public comment document is accessible
electronically online at: https://www.nefmc.org/library/management-strategy-evaluation-debrief-comment-now.
Requests for copies of the invitation for public comment document
and other information should be directed to Thomas A. Nies, Executive
Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill
2, Newburyport, MA 01950, telephone: (978) 465-0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council, (978) 465-0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Management Strategy Evaluation used to develop Amendment 8 to
the Atlantic Herring FMP was the first time this Council used MSE in
decision-making. The Council is now taking a step back to debrief and
identify the benefits and/or drawbacks of the MSE
[[Page 31846]]
process, as well as lessons learned. This debrief is intended to
evaluate the process used to integrate MSE into Amendment 8 and will
help inform future decisions on using MSE to manage Atlantic herring or
for other purposes. The goals of the debrief are to: identify
perceptions of the MSE process, identify pros and cons of the specific
process used, identify lessons learned from the process, and inform
future Council decisions on use of MSE for Atlantic herring management.
The Council conducted a Management Strategy Evaluation to help
develop alternatives for an ABC control rule, or formula for setting
catch limits. This MSE was intended to be a collaborative decision-
making process, involving more public input and technical analysis
earlier in the amendment development process than normal. An MSE
involves modelling to determine potential outcomes of different
management approaches, ABC control rules in this case. MSE can help
evaluate tradeoffs among objectives and which control rules would most
likely meet management goals.
The Council began working on Amendment 8 in 2015, conducting public
scoping and setting the goals of this action. In January 2016, the
Council decided to use MSE to help develop ABC control rule
alternatives. MSEs typically take several years to finish and use
invitation-only, small groups (15-25) of stakeholders to give input.
The Council diverged from this norm for two reasons. First, the Council
aimed to finish Amendment 8 in time to develop herring fishery catch
limits for 2019-2021. Thus, this MSE had unusually constrained time
limits. Second, the Council decided to have all points of stakeholder
input (e.g., workshops) completely open to the public, so the MSE
process could mirror the open Council process as much as possible.
Relative to other MSEs, the degree of stakeholder participation was
rare, if not unique, at least for U.S. fisheries.
Public Comment
You may comment by submitting written comments to the Council (see
ADDRESSES). While anyone may respond to this invitation for comment,
the Council is particularly interested in understanding the viewpoints
of those involved in the MSE (e.g., attended an MSE workshop) and are
invested in the future of herring management. You may address any
aspect of the MSE but are encouraged to focus on the MSE as a decision-
making process, rather than the technical aspects of the MSE or the
outcomes of Amendment 8 (e.g., the Council's preferred alternatives,
regulatory changes). Specifically, the Council is seeking input on:
Clarity of purpose and need for using MSE in Amendment 8.
Sufficiency of general education about MSE, how well MSE
was understood (e.g., models, role of stakeholder input) and any ideas
for improving the education process (e.g., more literature, online
instructional webinars, in-person seminars)?
Utility of the six distinct phases of this MSE (described
above), whether some phases (or aspects of phases) more useful or
successful than others and whether the time provided for each phase was
enough.
Appropriateness of using open-invitation, public workshops
for this MSE and/or recommendations for other formats.
Utility of how MSE results were presented in helping
characterize the tradeoffs associated with various alternatives.
How well the Council integrated the MSE results and
workshop input in developing Amendment 8 alternatives.
Utility of the MSE in balancing tradeoffs between
objectives.
The benefits, if any, in using an MSE for Amendment 8, and
if the benefits outweigh the costs.
How this MSE process compared to how else the Council
could have developed and selected alternatives.
After the public comment period ends, the comments will be
summarized, along with any Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) input
and recommendations and discussed by the Herring Advisory Panel (AP)
and Committee. The Council will be updated in September 2019. The PDT
will draft a final report for discussion at the AP and Committee
meetings in the fall, and the Council will likely receive a final
report in December 2019. Public comment is important to the Council
process. This is a key opportunity for you to give feedback on the
Atlantic herring MSE. Your comments will help the Council evaluate this
MSE and consider future MSEs.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 28, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-14221 Filed 7-2-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
