Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Northeast Fisheries Science Center Fisheries and Ecosystem Research, Atlantic Ocean, 83901-83903 [2020-28417]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
options for Pacific Council
consideration in drafting its
clarifications for NMFS. The HMSMT
will then discuss these options to the
HMSAS. Based on that discussion, the
HMSMT will report to the Pacific
Council at its March 2021 meeting on its
recommendations. The HMSAS may
also comment to the Pacific Council on
the HMSMT recommendations at that
time. The HMSMT and HMSAS may
also discuss other relevant items
scheduled on the Pacific Council’s
March 2021 meeting agenda, time
permitting.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in the meeting agenda may be
discussed, those issues may not be the
subject of formal action during this
meeting. Action will be restricted to
those issues specifically listed in this
document and any issues arising after
publication of this document that
require emergency action under section
305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the intent to take final action to address
the emergency.
Special Accommodations
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 17, 2020.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28295 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA712]
Pacific Fishery Management Council;
Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery
Management Council’s (Pacific Council)
Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic
Monitoring Policy Advisory Committee
and Technical Advisory Committee
(Committees) will hold three online
meetings, which are open to the public.
21:21 Dec 22, 2020
These meetings will be held
online. Specific meeting information,
including directions on how to join the
meeting and system requirements will
be provided in the meeting
announcement on the Pacific Council’s
website (see www.pcouncil.org). You
may send an email to Mr. Kris
Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@
noaa.gov) or contact him at (503) 820–
2412 for technical assistance
Council address: Pacific Fishery
Management Council, 7700 NE
Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland,
OR 97220–1384.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brett Wiedoff, Staff Officer, Pacific
Council; Brett.L.Wiedoff@noaa.gov;
telephone: (503) 820–2424.
The
purpose of these meetings is to discuss
materials and develop recommendations
that are scheduled to be considered
during the March 2021 Pacific Council
meeting. Specifically, the Committees
will discuss recommendations for
further development of the draft
electronic monitoring (EM) guidance
documents and EM provider manual for
West Coast groundfish fisheries. The
Committees may also discuss other
items on the Pacific Council’s March
agenda, particularly administrative
matters.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in the meeting agenda may be
discussed, those issues may not be the
subject of formal action during these
meetings. Action will be restricted to
those issues specifically listed in this
document and any issues arising after
publication of this document that
require emergency action under section
305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the intent to take final action to address
the emergency.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Mr. Kris
Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@
noaa.gov; (503) 820–2412) at least 10
days prior to the meeting date.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
The meetings will be held
Wednesday, January 20, 2021, from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, January 21,
2021, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and
Thursday, February 25, 2021, from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, or
until business for each day is
completed.
DATES:
Jkt 253001
Special Accommodations
Requests for auxiliary aids should be
directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt at
(503) 820–2412 at least 10 business days
prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
83901
Dated: December 17, 2020.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28296 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA717]
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Northeast Fisheries
Science Center Fisheries and
Ecosystem Research, Atlantic Ocean
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for
Letter of Authorization; request for
comments and information.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request
from the Northeast Fisheries Science
Center (NEFSC) for regulations and
associated Letter of Authorization (LOA)
to take small numbers of marine
mammals incidental to fishery and
ecosystem research in the Atlantic
Ocean over the course of five years from
the date of issuance. Pursuant to
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS
is announcing receipt of the NEFSC’s
request for the development and
implementation of regulations
governing the incidental taking of
marine mammals. NMFS invites the
public to provide information,
suggestions, and comments on the
NEFSC’s application and request.
DATES: Comments and information must
be received no later than January 22,
2021.
Comments on the
applications should be addressed to
Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service. Electronic comments
should be sent to ITP.Daly@noaa.gov.
Instructions: NMFS is not responsible
for comments sent by any other method,
to any other address or individual, or
received after the end of the comment
period. Comments received
electronically, including all
attachments, must not exceed a 25megabyte file size. Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF
file formats only. All comments
ADDRESSES:
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
23DEN1
83902
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted online at
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/
incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act without
change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter
may be publicly accessible. Do not
submit confidential business
information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jaclyn Daly, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. An
electronic copy of the NEFSC’s
application may be obtained online at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
national/marine-mammal-protection/
incidental-take-authorizations-researchand-other-activities. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Background
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 authorization is provided to
the public for review.
An incidental take authorization shall
be granted if NMFS finds that the taking
will have a negligible impact on the
species or stock(s), will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses (where relevant), and if
the permissible methods of taking and
requirements pertaining to the
mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
such takings 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.
The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’
means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or
attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill
any marine mammal.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:21 Dec 22, 2020
Jkt 253001
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).
Summary of Request
On September 2, 2020, NMFS
received application from the NEFSC
requesting authorization to take marine
mammals incidental to fisheries and
ecosystem research in the Atlantic
Ocean. The NEFSC submitted revised
applications on November 19, 2020, and
December 3, 2020. We determined the
application was adequate and complete
on December 9, 2020. The requested
regulations and LOA would be valid for
five years, from September 10, 2021
through September 9, 2026.
The NEFSC plans to conduct fisheries
and ecosystem research surveys in the
Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to
Florida with the majority of research
occurring in the Northern Living Marine
Ecosystem (NLME). It is possible that
marine mammals may interact with
fishing gear (e.g., trawl nets, longlines)
used in NEFSC’s research, resulting in
serious injury or mortality. In addition,
the NEFSC operates active acoustic
devices that have the potential to
disturb marine mammals (Level B
harassment). Because the specified
activities have the potential to take
marine mammals present within the
Atlantic Ocean, NEFSC requests
regulations and a LOA authorizing take
by mortality, serious injury, and Level B
harassment.
The requested incidental take
regulations and LOA would be the
second issued to NEFSC, following
regulations and a LOA valid from 2016–
2021. To date, NEFSC has complied
with all requirements of the previously
issued LOA (effective September 10,
2016 through September 9, 2021) and
has not exceeded the authorized take
numbers. Monitoring reports submitted
by NEFSC are available online at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
incidental-take-authorization-noaafisheries-nefsc-fisheries-and-ecosystemresearch.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
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
NEFSC is the research arm of NMFS in
the Northeast Region. The NEFSC
conducts research and provides
scientific advice to manage fisheries and
conserve protected species in the
Atlantic Ocean, primarily from Maine
through North Carolina. However, some
limited fisheries research is conducted
in more southern estuaries and Atlantic
Ocean. The NEFSC provides scientific
information to support the North
Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council and numerous
other domestic and international
fisheries management organizations.
The NEFSC collects a wide array of
information necessary to evaluate the
status of exploited fishery resources and
the marine environment. NEFSC
scientists and their partners conduct
fishery-independent research onboard
NOAA-owned and operated vessels or
on chartered vessels. The gear types
used fall into several categories: trawl
gear used at various levels in the water
column, longlines with multiple hooks,
gillnets, and other gear. Of research gear
used by NEFSC, only trawl, hook and
line gear (including longline gears), fyke
nets, and gillnets are likely to interact
with marine mammals resulting in
serious injury or mortality. Fisheries
and ecosystem surveys conducted by
the NEFSC also use active acoustic
devices which may result in Level B
harassment of marine mammals.
Information Solicited
Interested persons may submit
information, suggestions, and comments
concerning the NEFSC’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 NEFSC, if
appropriate.
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
23DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
Dated: December 18, 2020.
Donna Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28417 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Admission to Practice and
Roster of Registered Patent Attorneys
and Agents Admitted to Practice
Before the United States Patent and
Trademark Office
United States Patent and
Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY: The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO), in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, invites
comments on the extension and revision
of an existing information collection:
0651–0012 (Admission to Practice and
Roster of Registered Patent Attorneys
and Agents Admitted to Practice Before
the United States Patent and Trademark
Office). The purpose of this notice is to
allow 60 days for public comment
preceding submission of the information
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this information
collection must be received on or before
February 22, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments by
any of the following methods. Do not
submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
• Email: InformationCollection@
uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0012
comment’’ in the subject line of the
message.
• Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
• Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the
Chief Administrative Officer, United
States Patent and Trademark Office,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:21 Dec 22, 2020
Jkt 253001
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–
1450.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be directed to Dahlia George,
Office of Enrollment and Discipline,
United States Patent and Trademark
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA
22313–1450; by telephone at 571–272–
4097; or by email to Dahlia.George@
uspto.gov with ‘‘0651–0012 comment’’
in the subject line. Additional
information about this information
collection is also available at https://
www.reginfo.gov under ‘‘Information
Collection Review.’’
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This collection of information is
required by 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2)(D), which
permits the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) to establish
regulations governing the recognition
and conduct of agents, attorneys, or
other persons representing applicants or
other parties before the USPTO. This
statute also permits the USPTO to
require information from applicants that
shows that they are of good moral
character and reputation and have the
necessary qualifications to assist
applicants with the patent process and
to represent them before the USPTO.
This information collection addresses
submissions required by the regulations
at 37 CFR 1.21, 10.14, and 11.5–11.11,
which set forth the requirements to
apply for the examination for
registration and to demonstrate
eligibility to be a registered attorney or
agent before the USPTO, including the
fee requirements. The Office of
Enrollment and Discipline (OED)
collects this information to determine
the qualifications of individuals entitled
to represent applicants before the
USPTO in the preparation and
prosecution of applications for a patent.
The OED also collects this information
to administer and maintain the public
roster of attorneys and agents registered
to practice before the USPTO, which is
accessible through the USPTO website.
The information in this information
collection is used by the USPTO to
review applications for the examination
for registration and to determine
whether an applicant may be added to,
or an existing practitioner may remain
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
83903
on, the Register of Patent Attorneys and
Agents.
II. Method of Collection
Items in this information collection
may be submitted via online electronic
submissions. Applicants may also
submit the information in paper form by
mail, fax, or hand delivery.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0651–0012.
Form Numbers:
• PTO–107A: (Data Sheet—Register of
Patent Attorneys and Agents)
• PTO–107R: (Reinstatement to the
Register)
• PTO–107S: (Registration Statement of
Patent Attorneys and Agents)
• PTO–158: (Application for
Registration to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark
Office)
• PTO–158A: (Application for
Registration to Practice Before the
United States Patent and Trademark
Office Under 37 CFR 11.6(c) by a
Foreign Resident)
• PTO 158RA: (Reasonable
Accommodation)
• PTO–158T: (Application for
Reciprocal Recognition to Practice
in Trademark Matters Before the
United States Patent and Trademark
Office Under 37 CFR 11.14(c) by a
Foreign Attorney or Agent)
• PTO–1209: (Oath or Affirmation)
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
21,251 per year.
Estimated Number of Responses:
30,727 per year.
Estimated Time per Response: The
USPTO estimates that it takes the public
approximately 5 minutes (0.08 hours) to
7 hours to complete this information,
depending upon the application. This
includes the time to gather the
necessary information, prepare and
maintain the documents, and submit the
items to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Burden Hours: 18,188 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
(Hourly) Cost Burden: $7,275,200.
E:\FR\FM\23DEN1.SGM
23DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83901-83903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28417]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA717]
Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Northeast Fisheries Science Center Fisheries and
Ecosystem Research, Atlantic Ocean
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for Letter of Authorization;
request for comments and information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request from the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center (NEFSC) for regulations and associated Letter of
Authorization (LOA) to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental
to fishery and ecosystem research in the Atlantic Ocean over the course
of five years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to regulations
implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is
announcing receipt of the NEFSC's request for the development and
implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine
mammals. NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions,
and comments on the NEFSC's application and request.
DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than January
22, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the applications should be addressed to Jolie
Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. Electronic comments
should be sent to [email protected].
Instructions: NMFS is not responsible for comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the
end of the comment period. Comments received electronically, including
all attachments, must not exceed a 25-megabyte file size. Attachments
to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel or
Adobe PDF file formats only. All comments
[[Page 83902]]
received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted
online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/incidental-take-authorizations-under-marine-mammal-protection-act without change. All
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily
submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaclyn Daly, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427-8401. An electronic copy of the NEFSC's
application may be obtained online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/incidental-take-authorizations-research-and-other-activities. In case of problems accessing these
documents, please call the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
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
authorization is provided to the public for review.
An incidental take authorization shall be granted if NMFS finds
that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or
stock(s), will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses (where
relevant), and if the permissible methods of taking and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of such takings
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.
The MMPA states that the term ``take'' means to harass, hunt,
capture, kill or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine
mammal.
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).
Summary of Request
On September 2, 2020, NMFS received application from the NEFSC
requesting authorization to take marine mammals incidental to fisheries
and ecosystem research in the Atlantic Ocean. The NEFSC submitted
revised applications on November 19, 2020, and December 3, 2020. We
determined the application was adequate and complete on December 9,
2020. The requested regulations and LOA would be valid for five years,
from September 10, 2021 through September 9, 2026.
The NEFSC plans to conduct fisheries and ecosystem research surveys
in the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to Florida with the majority of
research occurring in the Northern Living Marine Ecosystem (NLME). It
is possible that marine mammals may interact with fishing gear (e.g.,
trawl nets, longlines) used in NEFSC's research, resulting in serious
injury or mortality. In addition, the NEFSC operates active acoustic
devices that have the potential to disturb marine mammals (Level B
harassment). Because the specified activities have the potential to
take marine mammals present within the Atlantic Ocean, NEFSC requests
regulations and a LOA authorizing take by mortality, serious injury,
and Level B harassment.
The requested incidental take regulations and LOA would be the
second issued to NEFSC, following regulations and a LOA valid from
2016-2021. To date, NEFSC has complied with all requirements of the
previously issued LOA (effective September 10, 2016 through September
9, 2021) and has not exceeded the authorized take numbers. Monitoring
reports submitted by NEFSC are available online at:
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/incidental-take-authorization-noaa-fisheries-nefsc-fisheries-and-ecosystem-research.
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 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 NEFSC is
the research arm of NMFS in the Northeast Region. The NEFSC conducts
research and provides scientific advice to manage fisheries and
conserve protected species in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily from Maine
through North Carolina. However, some limited fisheries research is
conducted in more southern estuaries and Atlantic Ocean. The NEFSC
provides scientific information to support the North Atlantic and Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council and numerous other domestic and
international fisheries management organizations.
The NEFSC collects a wide array of information necessary to
evaluate the status of exploited fishery resources and the marine
environment. NEFSC scientists and their partners conduct fishery-
independent research onboard NOAA-owned and operated vessels or on
chartered vessels. The gear types used fall into several categories:
trawl gear used at various levels in the water column, longlines with
multiple hooks, gillnets, and other gear. Of research gear used by
NEFSC, only trawl, hook and line gear (including longline gears), fyke
nets, and gillnets are likely to interact with marine mammals resulting
in serious injury or mortality. Fisheries and ecosystem surveys
conducted by the NEFSC also use active acoustic devices which may
result in Level B harassment of marine mammals.
Information Solicited
Interested persons may submit information, suggestions, and
comments concerning the NEFSC'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 NEFSC, if appropriate.
[[Page 83903]]
Dated: December 18, 2020.
Donna Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-28417 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
