Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 63257-63258 [2020-22154]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 7, 2020 / Notices
two new two-lane tunnels, expansion of
the existing portal islands, and full
replacement of the existing North and
South bridge-trestles. An estimated
6,746 piles would be installed and 3,856
piles would be removed over 5 years.
Pile installation and removal activities
would take place for approximately 312
days per year based on a 6-day work
week. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
spp.), humpback whales (Megaptera
novaeangliae), harbor porpoises
(Phocoena phocoena), harbor seals
(Phoca vitulina), and gray seals
(Halichoerus grypus) have been
observed in the area.
Information Solicited
Interested persons may submit
information, suggestions, and comments
concerning the HRCP’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 HRCP, if
appropriate.
Dated: October 2, 2020.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–22173 Filed 10–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 06489–XA531]
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
hold a 4-day webinar meeting to
consider actions affecting the Gulf of
Mexico fisheries in the exclusive
economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The webinar will convene
Monday, October 26 through Thursday,
October 29, 2020, from 9 a.m. until 4
p.m. EDT.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place
via webinar; you may register for the
meeting at www.gulfcouncil.org.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council, 4107 W.
Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL
33607; telephone: (813) 348–1630.
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:21 Oct 06, 2020
Jkt 253001
Dr.
Carrie Simmons, Executive Director,
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (813) 348–1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Agenda
Monday, October 26, 2020; 9 a.m.–4
p.m.
The meeting will begin in FULL
COUNCIL open to the public to review
and adopt the October 2020–August
2021 Council Committee Roster.
At approximately 9:15 a.m. the Data
Collection Committee will review
potential regulatory changes from
Commercial Electronic Logbook
Program Implementation; and, receive
an update on Southeast For-hire
Electronic Reporting (SEFHIER)
Program. The Gulf SEDAR Committee
will receive an update on Operational
Assessment Process and Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC)
Recommendations; review Interim
Analyses—Discussion on Timing and
Use for Management; and, receive the
Steering Committee report from the
October 16, 2020 meeting. The Law
Enforcement Committee will receive a
meeting summary from the Law
Enforcement Technical Committee
meeting in March 2020.
The Sustainable Fisheries Committee
will finalize recommendations on
Executive Order 13921 from Public
Comments and from the Council,
receive a summary report from the Joint
Section 102 Workgroup, and discuss
Allocation Review Procedures. The
Administrative/Budget Committee will
review expenditures for No-Cost
Extension Request (FY2014–2019) and
2020 Expenditures. The Committee will
also review and discuss Scopes of Work
(FY 2014–2019) Activities.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020; 9 a.m.–4
p.m.
The Reef Fish Committee will begin
with reviewing Reef Fish Landings,
Final Action: Framework Action to
Adjust State Recreation Red Snapper
Catch Limits, Public Hearing Draft
Amendment 53: Red Grouper Catch
Limits and Sector Allocations and Draft
Framework Action: Modification of the
Gulf of Mexico Lane Snapper Annual
Catch Limit.
The Committee will also review Gray
Triggerfish Interim Analysis, Public
Hearing Draft Amendment 36B:
Modifications to Commercial Individual
Fishing Quota (IFQ) Programs, and any
remaining Reef Fish Advisory Panel
recommendations.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council and National
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63257
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will
hold an informal Question and Answer
session immediately following the Reef
Fish Committee.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020; 9 a.m.–
4:15 p.m.
The Mackerel Committee will receive
an update on Coastal Migratory Pelagics
Landings, review SEDAR 38 Update:
Gulf of Mexico King Mackerel Stock
Assessment and receive a presentation
on the Gulf of Mexico Migratory Group
Cobia Draft Options.
Full Council will reconvene midmorning (10:45 a.m.) with a Call to
Order, Announcements, and
Introductions; Adoption of Agenda and
Approval of Minutes. The Council will
receive presentations on 2019 Report to
Congress on Illegal, Unreported, and
Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and a
presentation on Deepwater Horizon
Open Ocean Fish Restoration. Following
lunch, the Council will hold public
comment testimony beginning at
approximately 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. for
Comments on Executive Order 13921,
Final Action: Framework Action to
Adjust State Recreational Red Snapper
Catch Limits, and open testimony on
other fishery issues or concerns. Public
comment may begin earlier than 1 p.m.
EDT but will not conclude before that
time. Persons wishing to give public
testimony must follow the instructions
on the Council website before the start
of the public comment period at 1 p.m.
EDT.
Following public comment, the
Council will receive the Data Collection
committee report.
Thursday, October 29, 2020; 9 a.m.–4
p.m.
The Council will continue to receive
committee reports from Administrative/
Budget, Gulf SEDAR, Sustainable
Fisheries, Mackerel, Shrimp, and Reef
Fish Committees. The Council will
receive updates from the following
supporting agencies: Mississippi Law
Enforcement Efforts; South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council; NOAA
Office of Law Enforcement (OLE); Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commission;
U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; and Department of State.
The Council will discuss any Other
Business items.
—Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will be broadcast via
webinar. You may register for the
webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org
and clicking on the Council meeting on
the calendar.
The timing and order in which agenda
items are addressed may change as
E:\FR\FM\07OCN1.SGM
07OCN1
63258
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 7, 2020 / Notices
required to effectively address the issue,
and the latest version along with other
meeting materials will be posted on the
website as they become available.
Although other non-emergency issues
not contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, in
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during these meeting. Actions
will be restricted to those issues
specifically listed in this notice and any
issues arising after publication of this
notice that require emergency action
under Section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided that the public
has been notified of the Council’s intent
to take final action to address the
emergency.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 2, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–22154 Filed 10–6–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA522]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental
To Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Seabird
Research Activities in Central
California
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental
harassment authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given
that NMFS has issued an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) to the
Point Blue Conservation Science (Point
Blue) to incidentally harass, by Level B
harassment only, marine mammals
during seabird research activities in
central California.
DATES: This Authorization is effective
from October 1, 2020 through
September 30, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Fowler, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
Electronic copies of the original
application and supporting documents
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:21 Oct 06, 2020
Jkt 253001
(including NMFS Federal Register
notices of the original proposed and
final authorizations, and the previous
IHA), as well as a list of the references
cited in this document, may be obtained
online at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/
incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act. In case
of problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of
marine mammals, with certain
exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and
(D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce
(as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon
request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
incidental take authorization may be
provided to the public for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s) and will not have
an unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
taking for subsistence uses (where
relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe
the permissible methods of taking and
other ‘‘means of effecting the least
practicable adverse impact’’ on the
affected species or stocks and their
habitat, paying particular attention to
rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of
similar significance, and on the
availability of such species or stocks for
taking for certain subsistence uses
(referred to in shorthand as
‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of such takings are set
forth.
History of Request
On January 4, 2018, NMFS received a
request from Point Blue for an IHA to
take marine mammals incidental to
seabird and marine mammal research
monitoring taking place at three
locations in central California. Point
Blue’s request was for take of California
sea lions (Zalophus californianus),
Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina),
northern elephant seals (Mirounga
angustirostris), and Steller sea lions
(Eumetopias jubatus) by Level B
harassment only. NMFS published a
notice of a proposed IHA and request for
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Sfmt 4703
comments in the Federal Register on
May 7, 2018 (83 FR 20045). We
subsequently published the final notice
of our issuance of the IHA on July 5,
2018 (83 FR 31372), making the IHA
valid for July 7, 2018 through July 6,
2019.
On September 17, 2019, NMFS
received an application from Point Blue
requesting a letter of authorization
(LOA) for take of marine mammals
incidental to seabird research activities
in central California over the course of
five years. We determined the
application was adequate and complete
on November 26, 2019 and published a
notice of receipt of application in the
Federal Register on December 4, 2019
(84 FR 66379). On June 17, 2020, NMFS
received a request from Point Blue for
an IHA to take marine mammals
incidental to seabird research and
monitoring in central California. Point
Blue’s application was determined to be
adequate and complete on August 6,
2020. This IHA is effective for a period
of one year from the date of issuance
(i.e., October 1, 2020 to September 30,
2021), with the LOA expected to be
effective from January 1, 2021 to
December 31, 2025.
Point Blue’s planned activities are
identical to those analyzed in the 2018
IHA, as are the mitigation, monitoring,
and reporting requirements described in
detail in the Federal Register notice of
issuance of the 2018 IHA (83 FR 31372;
July 5, 2018). The authorized take
numbers for Steller sea lions have
increased slightly, while the authorized
take numbers for California sea lions,
harbor seals, and northern elephant
seals are identical to those analyzed in
the 2018 IHA. Please see the Estimated
Take section of this notice for more
information.
Description of the Activity and
Anticipated Impacts
Point Blue plans to monitor and
census seabird populations, observe
seabird nesting habitat, restore nesting
burrows, and resupply a field station
annually in central California. The
planned activities occur on Southeast
Farallon Island (SEFI), An˜o Nuevo
Island (ANO), and Point Reyes National
Seashore (PRNS). Point Blue, along with
partners Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge
and PRNS, have been conducting
seabird research activities at these
locations for over 30 years. This
research is conducted under cooperative
agreements with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) in
consultation with the Gulf of the
Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Presence of researchers has the potential
to disturb pinnipeds hauled out at SEFI,
E:\FR\FM\07OCN1.SGM
07OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63257-63258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22154]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 06489-XA531]
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will
hold a 4-day webinar meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of
Mexico fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The webinar will convene Monday, October 26 through Thursday,
October 29, 2020, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. EDT.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place via webinar; you may register
for the meeting at www.gulfcouncil.org.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 4107 W.
Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348-1630.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Carrie Simmons, Executive
Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813)
348-1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Monday, October 26, 2020; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The meeting will begin in FULL COUNCIL open to the public to review
and adopt the October 2020-August 2021 Council Committee Roster.
At approximately 9:15 a.m. the Data Collection Committee will
review potential regulatory changes from Commercial Electronic Logbook
Program Implementation; and, receive an update on Southeast For-hire
Electronic Reporting (SEFHIER) Program. The Gulf SEDAR Committee will
receive an update on Operational Assessment Process and Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) Recommendations; review Interim Analyses--
Discussion on Timing and Use for Management; and, receive the Steering
Committee report from the October 16, 2020 meeting. The Law Enforcement
Committee will receive a meeting summary from the Law Enforcement
Technical Committee meeting in March 2020.
The Sustainable Fisheries Committee will finalize recommendations
on Executive Order 13921 from Public Comments and from the Council,
receive a summary report from the Joint Section 102 Workgroup, and
discuss Allocation Review Procedures. The Administrative/Budget
Committee will review expenditures for No-Cost Extension Request
(FY2014-2019) and 2020 Expenditures. The Committee will also review and
discuss Scopes of Work (FY 2014-2019) Activities.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Reef Fish Committee will begin with reviewing Reef Fish
Landings, Final Action: Framework Action to Adjust State Recreation Red
Snapper Catch Limits, Public Hearing Draft Amendment 53: Red Grouper
Catch Limits and Sector Allocations and Draft Framework Action:
Modification of the Gulf of Mexico Lane Snapper Annual Catch Limit.
The Committee will also review Gray Triggerfish Interim Analysis,
Public Hearing Draft Amendment 36B: Modifications to Commercial
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Programs, and any remaining Reef Fish
Advisory Panel recommendations.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) will hold an informal Question and Answer
session immediately following the Reef Fish Committee.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020; 9 a.m.-4:15 p.m.
The Mackerel Committee will receive an update on Coastal Migratory
Pelagics Landings, review SEDAR 38 Update: Gulf of Mexico King Mackerel
Stock Assessment and receive a presentation on the Gulf of Mexico
Migratory Group Cobia Draft Options.
Full Council will reconvene mid-morning (10:45 a.m.) with a Call to
Order, Announcements, and Introductions; Adoption of Agenda and
Approval of Minutes. The Council will receive presentations on 2019
Report to Congress on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU)
Fishing and a presentation on Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Fish
Restoration. Following lunch, the Council will hold public comment
testimony beginning at approximately 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. for
Comments on Executive Order 13921, Final Action: Framework Action to
Adjust State Recreational Red Snapper Catch Limits, and open testimony
on other fishery issues or concerns. Public comment may begin earlier
than 1 p.m. EDT but will not conclude before that time. Persons wishing
to give public testimony must follow the instructions on the Council
website before the start of the public comment period at 1 p.m. EDT.
Following public comment, the Council will receive the Data
Collection committee report.
Thursday, October 29, 2020; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Council will continue to receive committee reports from
Administrative/Budget, Gulf SEDAR, Sustainable Fisheries, Mackerel,
Shrimp, and Reef Fish Committees. The Council will receive updates from
the following supporting agencies: Mississippi Law Enforcement Efforts;
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; NOAA Office of Law
Enforcement (OLE); Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission; U.S. Coast
Guard; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Department of State.
The Council will discuss any Other Business items.
--Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will be broadcast via webinar. You may register for the
webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org and clicking on the Council
meeting on the calendar.
The timing and order in which agenda items are addressed may change
as
[[Page 63258]]
required to effectively address the issue, and the latest version along
with other meeting materials will be posted on the website as they
become available.
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda
may come before this group for discussion, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), those issues may not be the subject of formal action
during these meeting. Actions will be restricted to those issues
specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after
publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section
305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided that the public has been
notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the
emergency.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 2, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-22154 Filed 10-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
