Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 62342-62343 [2023-19512]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices
and threatened CCC Distinct Population
Segment (DPS) of steelhead (O. mykiss).
Background
The City of Santa Cruz’s operation,
maintenance, rehabilitation, and
management of their water supply and
water system facilities, municipal
facilities, and City lands are essential to
the welfare of the City’s citizens and
visitors. Normal, otherwise lawful
operation of the City of Santa Cruz
facilities could result in take of ESAlisted species. Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
ESA authorizes NMFS to issue an ITP to
non-Federal parties for the potential
incidental taking of endangered and
threatened species. In support of their
ITP application, the City of Santa Cruz
has prepared an ASHCP to address
effects of water diversions and for
operation, rehabilitation, replacement,
repair and maintenance of conveyance
facilities and other existing
infrastructure (covered activities) on
salmonids listed under the ESA. The
ASHCP plan area includes watershed
and water service/urban areas that total
approximately 176 square miles (∼455.8
km2) in Santa Cruz County, California
across three geographically distinct
areas: (1) North Coast watersheds
(Liddell, Laguna, and Majors); (2) San
Lorenzo River watershed; and (3) City
Urban Center. The ASHCP provides an
assessment of impacts; measures to
monitor, minimize, and mitigate for
those impacts; and procedures to
account for unforeseen or extraordinary
circumstances.
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Preliminary Proposed Action and
Alternatives
NMFS has prepared a draft EA, in
accordance with the requirements of
NEPA, to analyze the potential impacts
on the human (biological, physical,
social, and economic) environment
caused by the City of Santa Cruz ASHCP
(proposed action). Under the proposed
action, NMFS would approve the
ASHCP and issue an ITP with a 30-year
permit term to the City of Santa Cruz for
incidental take of covered species from
covered activities in the plan area.
Under the no action alternative, NMFS
would not issue an ITP to the City, and
the ASHCP would not be implemented.
Under the no action alternative, the City
would need to evaluate individual
operations and maintenance activities to
determine whether incidental take of
listed salmonid species could be
avoided through seasonal restrictions
and other modifications to the activity,
or whether an activity-specific
incidental take authorization would
instead be required.
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Summary of Expected Impacts
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Incidental take is expected to result
from covered activities described in the
ASHCP. Expected impacts are less than
what occurs under the City of Santa
Cruz’s current practices. The City of
Santa Cruz is proposing a conservation
strategy as part of their ASHCP that is
intended to fully offset the impacts of
the take.
Under the no action alternative, the
City would conduct project-by-project
reviews. It is anticipated that activities,
if permitted, would occur at a slower
pace and avoidance, minimization, and
mitigation measures may be less
comprehensive and more site-specific,
compared to the proposed action. This
type of mitigation can also be more
expensive and time-consuming and
provide less conservation benefit than a
regional or watershed-level approach, as
provided by the proposed action.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Authority
Section 9 of the ESA and Federal
regulations prohibit the taking of a
species listed as endangered or
threatened. The ESA defines ‘‘take’’ to
mean harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or
to attempt to engage in any such
conduct. NMFS may issue permits,
under limited circumstances to take
listed species incidental to, and not the
purpose of, otherwise lawful activities.
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA and
implementing regulations (50 CFR
222.307) provide for authorizing
incidental take of listed species. The
final permit decision will not be made
until after the end of the 30-day
comment period. NMFS will publish
notice of its final action in the Federal
Register.
NEPA requires Federal agencies to
conduct an environmental analysis of
their proposed actions to determine if
the actions may affect the human
environment (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40
CFR parts 1500 through 1508; and
Companion Manual for NOAA
Administrative Order 216–6A, 82 FR
4306, January 13, 2017). Therefore,
NMFS is seeking public input on the
scope of the required NEPA analysis in
the EA, including the range of
reasonable alternatives and associated
impacts of any alternatives.
Dated: September 5, 2023.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office
of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–19425 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am]
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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 two-day in-person meeting of its
Standing, Reef Fish, Socioeconomic,
and Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical
Committees (SSC).
DATES: The meeting will be held
Wednesday, September 27 and
Thursday, September 28, 2023; 8:30
a.m.–5 p.m., EDT both days.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place
at the Gulf Council office. Registration
information will be available on the
Council’s website by visiting
www.gulfcouncil.org and clicking on the
‘‘meeting tab’’.
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: Mr.
Ryan Rindone, Lead Fishery Biologist,
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; ryan.rindone@gulfcouncil.org,
telephone: (813) 348–1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Wednesday, September 27, 2023; 8:30
a.m.–5 p.m., EDT
The meeting will begin with
Introductions and Adoption of Agenda,
Approval of Verbatim Minutes and
Meeting Summary from the July 19–20,
2023, meeting, and a review of the
Scope of Work. The Committees will
select an SSC Representative for the
October 23–26, 2023, Gulf Council
meeting in Panama City Beach, FL.
Following, the Committees will
review Gag Grouper Abundance,
Movement, Spawning Behavior, Discard
Mortality, and Environment Influences;
presentations, background
documentation and references will be
provided to support SSC discussion.
The Committees will review Possible
Management Modifications for Gag and
Black Grouper, with presentations,
background documentation and
references for SSC recommendations
and discussion. The Committees will
also discuss the SEDAR 94 Florida
Hogfish Scope of Work. Public comment
will be heard at the end of the day.
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 174 / Monday, September 11, 2023 / Notices
Thursday, September 28, 2023; 8:30
a.m.–5 p.m., EDT
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
The Committees will review and
discuss the Gulf of Mexico Gag Health
Check, Vermilion Snapper Interim
Analysis, Southeast Region Best
Scientific Information Available
Framework, Incorporating Social
Science Theory and Methods into
Ecosystem Assessments, and the Lane
Snapper Updated Catch Analysis,
including presentations and background
materials for SSC discussions.
The Committees will receive public
comment, if any, before addressing any
items under Other Business.
—Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will also be broadcast via
webinar. You may register for the
webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org
and clicking on the SSC meeting on the
calendar.
The agenda is subject to change, and
the latest version along with other
meeting materials will be posted on
www.gulfcouncil.org as they become
available.
Although other non-emergency issues
not on the agenda may come before the
Scientific and Statistical Committees for
discussion, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
those issues may not be the subject of
formal action during this meeting.
Actions of the Scientific and Statistical
Committee will be restricted to those
issues specifically identified in the
agenda 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 notified of
the Council’s intent to take-action to
address the emergency.
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Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aid
should be directed to Kathy Pereira,
(813) 348–1630, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 6, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–19512 Filed 9–8–23; 8:45 am]
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Review of Nomination for Mariana
Trench National Marine Sanctuary
Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
On January 21, 2022, NOAA
requested written comments to facilitate
the Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries’ (ONMS) five-year review of
the nomination for a proposed Mariana
Trench National Marine Sanctuary
(NMS). On March 10, 2022, NOAA
reopened the public comment period for
an additional 45 days, ending on April
25, 2022. In those notices, NOAA
requested relevant information as it
pertains to its 11 evaluation criteria for
inclusion in the inventory of sites
eligible to be considered for designation
as national marine sanctuaries. NOAA
has synthesized the information
gathered through the public process,
completed an internal analysis, and the
ONMS Director has made the
determination that the Mariana Trench
NMS nomination will be removed from
the inventory.
DATES: This determination took effect on
September 7, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Kristina Kekuewa, Pacific
Islands Regional Director, NOAA Office
of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1845
Wasp Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, or
at kristina.kekuewa@noaa.gov, or at
808–725–5252.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristina Kekuewa, Pacific Islands
Regional Director, NOAA Office of
National Marine Sanctuaries, 1845
Wasp Blvd., Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, or
at kristina.kekuewa@noaa.gov, or at
808–725–5252.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background Information
In 2014, NOAA issued a final rule reestablishing the sanctuary nomination
process (SNP), which details how
communities may submit nominations
of areas of the marine and Great Lakes
environment for NOAA to consider for
designation as national marine
sanctuaries (79 FR 33851). NOAA
moves successful nominations to an
inventory of areas that could be
considered for national marine
sanctuary designation. The final rule reestablishing the SNP included a fiveyear limit on any nomination added to
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62343
the inventory that NOAA does not
advance for designation. The
nomination for Mariana Trench NMS
was accepted to the national inventory
on March 13, 2017, and was therefore
scheduled to expire in March 2022.
In November 2019, NOAA issued a
notice (84 FR 61546) to clarify
procedures for evaluating and updating
a nomination as it approaches the fiveyear mark on the inventory of areas that
could be considered for national marine
sanctuary designation. This notice
explained that if a nomination remains
responsive to the 11 evaluation criteria
for inclusion on the inventory, it may be
appropriate to allow the nomination to
remain on the inventory for another five
years. The notice also established a
process for NOAA to consider the
continuing viability of nominations
nearing the five-year expiration mark.
The 11 evaluation criteria can be found
at https://nominate.noaa.gov.
On January 21, 2022, NOAA
published a notice in the Federal
Register to request written comments to
facilitate ONMS’ five-year review of the
nomination of the Mariana Trench NMS
(87 FR 3284). On March 10, 2022,
following requests from the public for
additional time to comment on the fiveyear review, NOAA reopened the public
comment period for an additional 45
days, ending on April 25, 2022 (87 FR
13709). NOAA requested relevant
information pertaining to the 11
evaluation criteria that NOAA applied
to evaluate the Mariana Trench NMS
nomination for inclusion in the national
inventory of areas that NOAA may
consider for future designation as a
national marine sanctuary. During the
two comment periods, 62 online
comments were received, and the
nominator provided additional
information, which NOAA has
considered in evaluating the nomination
against the criteria. Submitted
comments can be found at
www.regulations.gov (search for Docket
Number NOAA–NOS–2022–0005).
Additionally, the nominating
organization subsequently submitted a
letter to NOAA requesting that the
nomination be withdrawn and removed
from the inventory.
In analyzing this material, particular
attention was given to new scientific
information about the national
significance of natural and cultural
resources, increases or decreases in the
threats to resources proposed for
protection, and changes to the
management framework of the area.
NOAA also assessed the level of
community-based support for the
nomination from a broad range of
interests.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 174 (Monday, September 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62342-62343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19512]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD299]
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 two-day in-person meeting of its Standing, Reef Fish,
Socioeconomic, and Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committees
(SSC).
DATES: The meeting will be held Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday,
September 28, 2023; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., EDT both days.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the Gulf Council office.
Registration information will be available on the Council's website by
visiting www.gulfcouncil.org and clicking on the ``meeting tab''.
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: Mr. Ryan Rindone, Lead Fishery
Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council;
[email protected], telephone: (813) 348-1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Wednesday, September 27, 2023; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., EDT
The meeting will begin with Introductions and Adoption of Agenda,
Approval of Verbatim Minutes and Meeting Summary from the July 19-20,
2023, meeting, and a review of the Scope of Work. The Committees will
select an SSC Representative for the October 23-26, 2023, Gulf Council
meeting in Panama City Beach, FL.
Following, the Committees will review Gag Grouper Abundance,
Movement, Spawning Behavior, Discard Mortality, and Environment
Influences; presentations, background documentation and references will
be provided to support SSC discussion. The Committees will review
Possible Management Modifications for Gag and Black Grouper, with
presentations, background documentation and references for SSC
recommendations and discussion. The Committees will also discuss the
SEDAR 94 Florida Hogfish Scope of Work. Public comment will be heard at
the end of the day.
[[Page 62343]]
Thursday, September 28, 2023; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., EDT
The Committees will review and discuss the Gulf of Mexico Gag
Health Check, Vermilion Snapper Interim Analysis, Southeast Region Best
Scientific Information Available Framework, Incorporating Social
Science Theory and Methods into Ecosystem Assessments, and the Lane
Snapper Updated Catch Analysis, including presentations and background
materials for SSC discussions.
The Committees will receive public comment, if any, before
addressing any items under Other Business.
--Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will also be broadcast via webinar. You may register
for the webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org and clicking on the SSC
meeting on the calendar.
The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version along with
other meeting materials will be posted on www.gulfcouncil.org as they
become available.
Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come
before the Scientific and Statistical Committees for discussion, in
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action
during this meeting. Actions of the Scientific and Statistical
Committee will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in
the agenda 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
notified of the Council's intent to take-action to address the
emergency.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aid should be directed to Kathy Pereira, (813) 348-1630, at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 6, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-19512 Filed 9-8-23; 8:45 am]
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