Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 14605-14606 [2021-05510]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 17, 2021 / Notices for endangered or threatened species. No incidental take of ESA-listed marine mammal species is expected to result from this activity, and none are authorized. Therefore, NMFS determined that consultation under section 7 of the ESA was not required for this action. National Environmental Policy Act Authorization As a result of these determinations, NMFS has issued a renewal IHA to the Navy for the taking of marine mammals incidental to modification and expansion of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Dry Dock 1 from the date of issuance through February 27, 2022, provided the previously described mitigation, monitoring, and reporting requirements are incorporated. The IHA can be found at https:// www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ marine-mammal-protection/incidentaltake-authorizations-constructionactivities. [FR Doc. 2021–05515 Filed 3–16–21; 8:45 am] jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES BILLING CODE 3510–22–P National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA945] North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of webconference. AGENCY: 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 (i.e., the issuance of an incidental harassment authorization) with respect to potential impacts on the human environment. This action is consistent with categories of activities identified in Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no anticipated serious injury or mortality) 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. Accordingly, NMFS has determined that the issuance of the IHA qualifies to be categorically excluded from further NEPA review. Dated: March 12, 2021. Donna S. Wieting, Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) Enforcement Committee will meet March 31, 2021. DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Alaska time. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be a webconference. Join online through the link at https://meetings.npfmc.org/ Meeting/Details/1965. Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1007 W 3rd Ave., Anchorage, Alaska 99501– 2252; telephone (907) 271–2809. Instructions for attending the meeting are given under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon McCracken, Council staff; phone; (907) 271–2809 and email: jon.mccracken@ noaa.gov. For technical support please contact administrative Council staff, email: npfmc.admin@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Agenda Wednesday, March 31, 2021 The Enforcement Committee will review Council agenda item D3 RQE funding mechanism discussion paper. The paper examines a mechanism for the RQE to fund the purchase of halibut quota share be selling halibut stamps to charter operators. The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will be posted at https://meetings.npfmc.org/ Meeting/Details/1965 prior to the meeting, along with meeting materials. Connection Information You can attend the meeting online using a computer, tablet, or smart phone; or by phone only. Connection information will be posted online at: https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/ Details/1965. Public comment letters will be accepted and should be submitted electronically to https:// VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Mar 16, 2021 Jkt 253001 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4703 meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/ 1965. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: March 12, 2021. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–05538 Filed 3–16–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA885] Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. AGENCY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit renewal application from the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notice to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 1, 2021. ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on AOLA Larval Lobster EFP.’’ If you cannot submit a comment through this method, please contact Allison Murphy at (978) 281–9122, or email at allison.murphy@noaa.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Murphy, Fishery Policy Analyst, 978–281–9122, allison.murphy@ noaa.gov. SUMMARY: The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association (AOLA) submitted a complete application requesting Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public Comment Sfmt 4703 14605 E:\FR\FM\17MRN1.SGM 17MRN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 14606 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 17, 2021 / Notices February 12, 2021, to conduct fishing activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize one vessel to conduct larval sampling in Lobster Conservation Management Area 3. A map of this area is available at: https:// www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/ lobster-management-areas. The study would provide information on the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of early and late stage American lobster larvae and their likely zooplankton prey to investigate factors affecting recruitment in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stock area. Funding for this research has been awarded under a National Sea Grant Lobster Initiative grant (NA20OAR4170505). For this project, AOLA is requesting exemptions from the following Federal lobster regulations: 1. Lobster gear prohibitions in 50 CFR 697.7(c)(1)(xxii) to allow for the use of multiple gear types capable of catching lobsters; 2. Lobster possession restrictions in § 697.17(a) to allow the harvest of lobster above the non-trap limit; and 3. Lobster possession restrictions in § 697.20(a) to allow for the collection of larval lobsters below the minimum size. If the EFP is approved, this study would hire one federally-permitted lobster vessel to conduct a single day of lobster larval sampling on 14 multi-day (5–10 day) commercial fishing trips, spanning from the first week in June through the last week in September. When sampling, the vessel crew would conduct three replicate neuston tows for lobster larvae and record physical parameters. Samples from the nets will be preserved in ethanol, bottled, landed, and mailed to the principal investigator. Legal lobsters from the commercial portion of the trip will be landed and sold. If approved, AOLA may request minor modifications and extensions to the EFP throughout the study period. EFP modifications and extensions may be granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Mar 16, 2021 Jkt 253001 Dated: March 12, 2021. Jennifer M. Wallace, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–05510 Filed 3–16–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA903] Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project in Virginia Beach, Virginia National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; issuance of Renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA). AGENCY: In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a Renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture (CTJV) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project (PTST) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. DATES: This Renewal IHA is valid from March 10, 2021, through March 9, 2022. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Laws, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. Electronic copies of the original application, Renewal request, and supporting documents (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: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ marine-mammal-protection/incidentaltake-authorizations-constructionactivities. In case of problems accessing these documents, please call the contact listed above. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Background The Marine Mammal Protection Act (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 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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, an incidental harassment authorization is issued. 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 here as ‘‘mitigation measures’’). Monitoring and reporting of such takings are also required. The meaning of key terms such as ‘‘take,’’ ‘‘harassment,’’ and ‘‘negligible impact’’ can be found in section 3 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1362) and the agency’s regulations at 50 CFR 216.103. NMFS’ regulations implementing the MMPA at 50 CFR 216.107(e) indicate that IHAs may be renewed for additional periods of time not to exceed one year for each reauthorization. In the notice of proposed IHA for the initial authorization, NMFS described the circumstances under which we would consider issuing a Renewal for this activity, and requested public comment on a potential Renewal under those circumstances. Specifically, on a caseby-case basis, NMFS may issue a onetime, one-year Renewal IHA following notice to the public providing an additional 15 days for public comments when (1) up to another year of identical, or nearly identical, activities as described in the Description of the Specified Activities and Anticipated Impacts section of this notice is planned or (2) the activities as described in the Description of the Specified Activities and Anticipated Impacts section of this notice would not be completed by the time the initial IHA expires and a Renewal would allow for completion of the activities beyond that described in the DATES section of the notice of issuance of the initial IHA, provided all of the following conditions are met: 1. A request for renewal is received no later than 60 days prior to the needed Renewal IHA effective date (recognizing that the Renewal IHA expiration date E:\FR\FM\17MRN1.SGM 17MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14605-14606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05510]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA885]


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; 
General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted 
Fishing Permits

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit renewal application from 
the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. Regulations 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and 
the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require 
publication of this notice to provide interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on applications for proposed Exempted Fishing 
Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 1, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on AOLA Larval Lobster EFP.'' If you cannot submit a comment 
through this method, please contact Allison Murphy at (978) 281-9122, 
or email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Murphy, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9122, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's 
Association (AOLA) submitted a complete application requesting Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP) on

[[Page 14606]]

February 12, 2021, to conduct fishing activities that the regulations 
would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize one vessel to conduct 
larval sampling in Lobster Conservation Management Area 3. A map of 
this area is available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/lobster-management-areas.
    The study would provide information on the spatial and temporal 
distribution and abundance of early and late stage American lobster 
larvae and their likely zooplankton prey to investigate factors 
affecting recruitment in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stock area.
    Funding for this research has been awarded under a National Sea 
Grant Lobster Initiative grant (NA20OAR4170505). For this project, AOLA 
is requesting exemptions from the following Federal lobster 
regulations:
    1. Lobster gear prohibitions in 50 CFR 697.7(c)(1)(xxii) to allow 
for the use of multiple gear types capable of catching lobsters;
    2. Lobster possession restrictions in Sec.  697.17(a) to allow the 
harvest of lobster above the non-trap limit; and
    3. Lobster possession restrictions in Sec.  697.20(a) to allow for 
the collection of larval lobsters below the minimum size.
    If the EFP is approved, this study would hire one federally-
permitted lobster vessel to conduct a single day of lobster larval 
sampling on 14 multi-day (5-10 day) commercial fishing trips, spanning 
from the first week in June through the last week in September. When 
sampling, the vessel crew would conduct three replicate neuston tows 
for lobster larvae and record physical parameters. Samples from the 
nets will be preserved in ethanol, bottled, landed, and mailed to the 
principal investigator. Legal lobsters from the commercial portion of 
the trip will be landed and sold.
    If approved, AOLA may request minor modifications and extensions to 
the EFP throughout the study period. EFP modifications and extensions 
may be granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to 
facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts 
that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP 
request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the 
exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 12, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-05510 Filed 3-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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