Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting, 17818-17819 [2023-06108]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
17818
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 57 / Friday, March 24, 2023 / Notices
from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on April 20,
2023.
ADDRESSES:
Council address: South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 4055
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N
Charleston, SC 29405.
Meeting address: The meetings will be
held at the Town and Country Inn, 2008
Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC
29407; phone: (843) 571–1000. The
meetings will also be available via
webinar. Registration is required.
Webinar registration, an online public
comment form, and briefing book
materials will be available two weeks
prior to the meetings at: https://
safmc.net/scientific-and-statisticalcommittee-meeting/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Hadley, Fishery Management Plan
Coordinator, SAFMC; phone: (843) 571–
4366 or toll free: (866) SAFMC–10; fax:
(843) 769–4520; email: john.hadley@
safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
updates on the South Atlantic Greater
Amberjack Research Project, vermillion
snapper interim analysis, Southeast Reef
Fish Survey 2022 trends report, multihook gear analysis, and a pandemic
impacts report. The SSC is scheduled to
form two new workgroups and will
discuss other business as needed.
SSC Socio-Economic Panel
The SEP meeting agenda includes
discussing the development of a port
meeting series for the king and Spanish
mackerel fisheries, the Management
Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for the
snapper grouper fishery in the South
Atlantic region, and potential
improvements to economic analysis of
recreational fisheries. The SEP will also
provide feedback on Council research
recommendations. The SEP will receive
two presentations, one from NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
(SERO) on socio-economic impacts of
COVID, and one from NOAA Fisheries
Southeast Fishery Science Center
(SEFSC) on red snapper discard
research. SEP members also will receive
updates on recent Council amendments
and the Council’s Citizen Science
Program. The SEP will provide
recommendations for SSC and Council
consideration.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Scientific and Statistical Committee
The SSC meeting agenda includes the
review and catch level
recommendations for the SEDAR
(Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review) 76 Black Sea Bass Operational
Assessment, SEDAR 78 Spanish
Mackerel Operational Assessment, and
SEDAR 68 Atlantic Scamp Operational
Assessment. The SSC will review the
Council’s Research and Monitoring
Plan, a new SEFSC landings and
discards projections methodology, the
deep-water coral distribution model,
and a portfolio analysis for ecosystem
approaches. The SSC will receive
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:18 Mar 23, 2023
Jkt 259001
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for auxiliary aids should be
directed to the Council office (see
ADDRESSES) 5 days prior to the meeting.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 21, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–06110 Filed 3–23–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC793]
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and
South Atlantic; Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR);
Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 79 Data
Scoping webinar for Gulf of Mexico and
South Atlantic mutton snapper.
AGENCY:
The SEDAR 79 assessment
process of Gulf of Mexico and South
Atlantic mutton snapper will consist of
a Data Workshop, and a series of
assessment webinars, and a Review
Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
The SEDAR 79 Data Scoping
webinar will be held April 13, 2023,
from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Eastern Time.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting address: The meeting will be
held via webinar. The webinar is open
to members of the public. Those
interested in participating should
contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to
request an invitation providing webinar
access information. Please request
webinar invitations at least 24 hours in
advance of each webinar.
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC
29405.
Julie
A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571–
4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Gulf
of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data
Workshop, (2) a series of assessment
webinars, and (3) a Review Workshop.
The product of the Data Workshop is a
report that compiles and evaluates
potential datasets and recommends
which datasets are appropriate for
assessment analyses. The assessment
webinars produce a report that describes
the fisheries, evaluates the status of the
stock, estimates biological benchmarks,
projects future population conditions,
and recommends research and
monitoring needs. The product of the
Review Workshop is an Assessment
Summary documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are
appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office,
HMS Management Division, and
Southeast Fisheries Science Center.
Participants include data collectors and
database managers; stock assessment
scientists, biologists, and researchers;
constituency representatives including
fishermen, environmentalists, and
NGO’s; International experts; and staff
of Councils, Commissions, and state and
Federal agencies.
The items of discussion during the
Data Scoping webinar are as follows:
Participants will discuss what data
may be available for use in the
assessment.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM
24MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 57 / Friday, March 24, 2023 / Notices
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
business days prior to each workshop.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 21, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–06108 Filed 3–23–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC840]
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys
Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the
Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of Letter of
Authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, its implementing
regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA
Regulations for Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Geophysical
Surveys Related to Oil and Gas
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico,
notification is hereby given that a Letter
of Authorization (LOA) has been issued
to CGG for the take of marine mammals
incidental to geophysical survey activity
in the Gulf of Mexico.
DATES: The LOA is effective from May
1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The LOA, LOA request, and
supporting documentation are available
online at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
incidental-take-authorization-oil-andgas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Laws, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:18 Mar 23, 2023
Jkt 259001
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 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 authorization for incidental
takings 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.
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).
On January 19, 2021, we issued a final
rule with regulations to govern the
unintentional taking of marine
mammals incidental to geophysical
survey activities conducted by oil and
gas industry operators, and those
persons authorized to conduct activities
on their behalf (collectively ‘‘industry
operators’’), in Federal waters of the
U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the
course of 5 years (86 FR 5322, January
19, 2021). The rule was based on our
findings that the total taking from the
specified activities over the 5-year
period will have a negligible impact on
the affected species or stock(s) of marine
mammals and will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of those species or stocks for
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
17819
subsistence uses. The rule became
effective on April 19, 2021.
Our regulations at 50 CFR 217.180 et
seq. allow for the issuance of LOAs to
industry operators for the incidental
take of marine mammals during
geophysical survey activities and
prescribe the permissible methods of
taking and other means of effecting the
least practicable adverse impact on
marine mammal species or stocks and
their habitat (often referred to as
mitigation), as well as requirements
pertaining to the monitoring and
reporting of such taking. Under 50 CFR
217.186(e), issuance of an LOA shall be
based on a determination that the level
of taking will be consistent with the
findings made for the total taking
allowable under these regulations and a
determination that the amount of take
authorized under the LOA is of no more
than small numbers.
Summary of Request and Analysis
CGG plans to conduct a 3D ocean
bottom node (OBN) survey over
approximately 200 lease blocks in the
Walker Ridge and Green Canyon areas
of the central GOM, with approximate
water depths ranging from 1,000 to
3,200 meters (m). See Section F of the
LOA application for a map of the area.
CGG anticipates using two dual source
vessels, towing airgun array sources
consisting of 32 elements, with a total
volume of 5,040 cubic inches (in3).
Please see CGG’s application for
additional detail.
Consistent with the preamble to the
final rule, the survey effort proposed by
CGG in its LOA request was used to
develop LOA-specific take estimates
based on the acoustic exposure
modeling results described in the
preamble (86 FR 5398, January 19,
2021). In order to generate the
appropriate take number for
authorization, the following information
was considered: (1) survey type; (2)
location (by modeling zone); 1 (3)
number of days; and (4) season.2 The
acoustic exposure modeling performed
in support of the rule provides 24-hour
exposure estimates for each species,
specific to each modeled survey type in
each zone and season.
No 3D OBN surveys were included in
the modeled survey types, and use of
existing proxies (i.e., 2D, 3D NAZ, 3D
WAZ, Coil) is generally conservative for
use in evaluation of 3D OBN survey
effort, largely due to the greater area
1 For purposes of acoustic exposure modeling, the
GOM was divided into seven zones. Zone 1 is not
included in the geographic scope of the rule.
2 For purposes of acoustic exposure modeling,
seasons include Winter (December–March) and
Summer (April–November).
E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM
24MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 57 (Friday, March 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17818-17819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06108]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC793]
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Southeast
Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 79 Data Scoping webinar for Gulf of Mexico and
South Atlantic mutton snapper.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The SEDAR 79 assessment process of Gulf of Mexico and South
Atlantic mutton snapper will consist of a Data Workshop, and a series
of assessment webinars, and a Review Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
DATES: The SEDAR 79 Data Scoping webinar will be held April 13, 2023,
from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Eastern Time.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting address: The meeting will be held via webinar. The webinar
is open to members of the public. Those interested in participating
should contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT) to request an invitation providing webinar access information.
Please request webinar invitations at least 24 hours in advance of each
webinar.
SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston,
SC 29405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator;
(843) 571-4366; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and
Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions
have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks
in the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multi-step process including: (1)
Data Workshop, (2) a series of assessment webinars, and (3) a Review
Workshop. The product of the Data Workshop is a report that compiles
and evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are
appropriate for assessment analyses. The assessment webinars produce a
report that describes the fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock,
estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population conditions,
and recommends research and monitoring needs. The product of the Review
Workshop is an Assessment Summary documenting panel opinions regarding
the strengths and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico,
South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, HMS Management Division, and
Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants include data
collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists,
biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including
fishermen, environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and
staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and Federal agencies.
The items of discussion during the Data Scoping webinar are as
follows:
Participants will discuss what data may be available for use in the
assessment.
Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to
those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public has been
[[Page 17819]]
notified of the intent to take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
business days prior to each workshop.
Note: The times and sequence specified in this agenda are
subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 21, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-06108 Filed 3-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
