Marine Mammals and Endangered Species, 78330-78331 [2023-25171]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Notices
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hunting areas, (ii) directly displacing
subsistence users, or (iii) placing
physical barriers between the marine
mammals and the subsistence hunters,
and (2) that cannot be sufficiently
mitigated by other measures to increase
the availability of marine mammals to
allow subsistence needs to be met.
In the Haines area sea lions and
harbor seals are available for subsistence
harvest under the MMPA. Limited
subsistence harvests of marine
mammals near the community of Haines
has occurred in the past, with the most
recent recorded/documented harvests of
marine mammals in Haines in 2012 and
in nearby Klukwan in 2014. The
proposed activity will take place in
Lutak Inlet, and no activities overlap
with current subsistence hunting areas;
therefore, there are no relevant
subsistence uses of marine mammals
adversely impacted by this action. The
proposed project is not likely to
adversely impact the availability of any
marine mammal species or stocks that
are commonly used for subsistence
purposes or to impact subsistence
harvest of marine mammals in the
region.
Based on the description of the
specified activity, the measures
described to minimize adverse effects
on the availability of marine mammals
for subsistence purposes, and the
proposed mitigation and monitoring
measures, NMFS has preliminarily
determined that there will not be an
unmitigable adverse impact on
subsistence uses from Haines Borough’s
proposed activities.
Endangered Species Act
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal
agency insure that any action it
authorizes, funds, or carries out is not
likely to jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or
threatened species or result in the
destruction or adverse modification of
designated critical habitat. To ensure
ESA compliance for the issuance of
IHAs, NMFS consults internally
whenever we propose to authorize take
for endangered or threatened species, in
this case with the Alaska Regional
Office.
NMFS is proposing to authorize take
of Mexico DPS of humpback whales and
western DPS of Steller sea lions, which
are listed under the ESA.
The Office of Protected Resources has
requested initiation of section 7
consultation with the Alaska Regional
Office for the issuance of this IHA.
NMFS will conclude the ESA
consultation prior to reaching a
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determination regarding the proposed
issuance of the authorization.
Proposed Authorization
As a result of these preliminary
determinations, NMFS proposes to issue
an IHA to Haines Borough for
conducting pile driving and removal
activities in, Lutak Alaska from 1-year of
the date of issuance of the final IHA,
provided the previously mentioned
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting
requirements are incorporated. A draft
of the proposed IHA can be found at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
national/marine-mammal-protection/
incidental-take-authorizationsconstruction-activities.
Request for Public Comments
We request comment on our analyses,
the proposed authorization, and any
other aspect of this notice of proposed
IHA for the proposed action. We also
request comment on the potential
renewal of this proposed IHA as
described in the paragraph below.
Please include with your comments any
supporting data or literature citations to
help inform decisions on the request for
this IHA or a subsequent renewal IHA.
On a case-by-case basis, NMFS may
issue a one-time, 1-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
Proposed Activity section of this notice
is planned or (2) the activities as
described in the Description of
Proposed Activity section of this notice
would not be completed by the time the
IHA expires and a renewal would allow
for completion of the activities beyond
that described in the Dates and Duration
section of this notice, provided all of the
following conditions are met:
• 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
cannot extend beyond 1-year from
expiration of the initial IHA); and
• The request for renewal must
include the following:
(1) An explanation that the activities
to be conducted under the requested
renewal IHA are identical to the
activities analyzed under the initial
IHA, are a subset of the activities, or
include changes so minor (e.g.,
reduction in pile size) that the changes
do not affect the previous analyses,
mitigation and monitoring
requirements, or take estimates (with
the exception of reducing the type or
amount of take); and
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(2) A preliminary monitoring report
showing the results of the required
monitoring to date and an explanation
showing that the monitoring results do
not indicate impacts of a scale or nature
not previously analyzed or authorized.
Upon review of the request for
renewal, the status of the affected
species or stocks, and any other
pertinent information, NMFS
determines that there are no more than
minor changes in the activities, the
mitigation and monitoring measures
will remain the same and appropriate,
and the findings in the initial IHA
remain valid.
Dated: November 8, 2023.
Shannon Bettridge,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–25097 Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD516]
Marine Mammals and Endangered
Species
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits and
permit amendments.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
permits and permit amendments have
been issued to the following entities
under the Marine Mammal Protection
Act (MMPA) and the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), as applicable.
ADDRESSES: The permits and related
documents are available for review
upon written request via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., (Permit No.
27155), Amy Hapeman (Permit No.
22156–05), and Jennifer Skidmore
(Permit No. 27459); at (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notices
were published in the Federal Register
on the dates listed below that requests
for a permit or permit amendment had
been submitted by the below-named
applicants. To locate the Federal
Register notice that announced our
receipt of the application and a
complete description of the activities, go
to https://www.federalregister.gov and
search on the permit number provided
in Table 1 below.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 15, 2023 / Notices
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TABLE 1—ISSUED PERMITS AND PERMIT AMENDMENTS
Permit No.
RTID
Applicant
Previous Federal Register notice
Issuance Date
22156–05 .......
0648–XC660 ....
88 FR 2070, January 12, 2023 ...
October 16, 2023.
27155 .............
0648–XD227 .....
88 FR 55017, August 14, 2023 ...
October 11, 2023.
27459 .............
0648–XD322 .....
Douglas Nowacek, Ph.D., Duke University Marine
Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516.
Jamie Lloyd-Smith, Ph.D., University of California,
Los Angeles, 610 Charles East Young Drive
South, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Robin Trayler, Ph.D., University of California,
Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Science and
Engineering 1, 283, Merced, CA 95343.
88 FR 60650, September 5, 2023
October 23, 2023.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final
determination has been made that the
activities proposed for Permit Nos.
27155 and 27459 are categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment
(EA) or environmental impact statement
(EIS).
For Permit No. 22156–05, an EA was
prepared analyzing the effects of the
permitted activities on the human
environment in compliance with NEPA.
Based on the analyses in the EA, NMFS
determined that issuance of the permit
amendment would not significantly
impact the quality of the human
environment and that preparation of an
EIS was not required. That
determination is documented in a
Finding of No Significant Impact, signed
on October 16, 2023.
As required by the ESA, as applicable,
issuance of these permit was based on
a finding that such permits: (1) were
applied for in good faith; (2) will not
operate to the disadvantage of such
endangered species; and (3) are
consistent with the purposes and
policies set forth in Section 2 of the
ESA.
Authority: The requested permits
have been issued under the MMPA of
1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.), the regulations governing the
taking and importing of marine
mammals (50 CFR part 216), the ESA of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), and the regulations governing the
taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50
CFR parts 222–226), as applicable.
Dated: November 9, 2023.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–25171 Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD520]
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a meeting of its Scallop
Advisory Panel via webinar to consider
actions affecting New England fisheries
in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Recommendations from this group will
be brought to the full Council for formal
consideration and action, if appropriate.
DATES: This meeting will be held on
Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at 8:30
a.m.
ADDRESSES:
Webinar URL information: https://
attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/
8294085035285445472.
Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate
O’Keefe, Ph.D., Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council;
telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Agenda
The Advisory Panel will review
Framework 38 (FW38): review
specifications alternatives in FW38 and
select final preferred alternatives. FW38
will set specifications including the
overfishing limit (OFL), acceptable
biological catch/annual catch limit
(ABC/ACLs), days-at-sea (DAS), access
area allocations for Limited Access (LA)
vessels, quota and access area trip
allocation to the Limited Access General
Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing
Quota (IFQ) component, Total
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Allowable Landings (TAL) for Northern
Gulf of Maine (NGOM) management
area, a target-TAC for LAGC incidental
catch and set-asides for the observer and
research programs for fishing year 2024,
and default specifications for fishing
year 2025. This action also considers
increasing VMS ping rates for scallop
vessels to improve enforcement in the
scallop fishery. Other business will be
discussed, if necessary.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained on the agenda may come
before this Council for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Council
action 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 the public has
been notified of the Council’s intent to
take final action to address the
emergency. The public also should be
aware that the meeting will be recorded.
Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy
of the recording is available upon
request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Cate
O’Keefe, Ph.D., Executive Director, at
(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 9, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–25241 Filed 11–14–23; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78330-78331]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25171]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD516]
Marine Mammals and Endangered Species
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permits and permit amendments.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that permits and permit amendments have
been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as
applicable.
ADDRESSES: The permits and related documents are available for review
upon written request via email to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., (Permit No.
27155), Amy Hapeman (Permit No. 22156-05), and Jennifer Skidmore
(Permit No. 27459); at (301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notices were published in the Federal
Register on the dates listed below that requests for a permit or permit
amendment had been submitted by the below-named applicants. To locate
the Federal Register notice that announced our receipt of the
application and a complete description of the activities, go to https://www.federalregister.gov and search on the permit number provided in
Table 1 below.
[[Page 78331]]
Table 1--Issued Permits and Permit Amendments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Federal
Permit No. RTID Applicant Register notice Issuance Date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22156-05............. 0648-XC660............. Douglas Nowacek, 88 FR 2070, October 16, 2023.
Ph.D., Duke January 12, 2023.
University Marine
Laboratory, 135
Duke Marine Lab
Road, Beaufort,
NC 28516.
27155................ 0648-XD227............. Jamie Lloyd-Smith, 88 FR 55017, October 11, 2023.
Ph.D., University August 14, 2023.
of California,
Los Angeles, 610
Charles East
Young Drive
South, Los
Angeles, CA 90095.
27459................ 0648-XD322............. Robin Trayler, 88 FR 60650, October 23, 2023.
Ph.D., University September 5, 2023.
of California,
Merced, 5200
North Lake Road,
Science and
Engineering 1,
283, Merced, CA
95343.
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In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final determination has been made that
the activities proposed for Permit Nos. 27155 and 27459 are
categorically excluded from the requirement to prepare an environmental
assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS).
For Permit No. 22156-05, an EA was prepared analyzing the effects
of the permitted activities on the human environment in compliance with
NEPA. Based on the analyses in the EA, NMFS determined that issuance of
the permit amendment would not significantly impact the quality of the
human environment and that preparation of an EIS was not required. That
determination is documented in a Finding of No Significant Impact,
signed on October 16, 2023.
As required by the ESA, as applicable, issuance of these permit was
based on a finding that such permits: (1) were applied for in good
faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered
species; and (3) are consistent with the purposes and policies set
forth in Section 2 of the ESA.
Authority: The requested permits have been issued under the MMPA of
1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations governing
the taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the ESA
of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the regulations
governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and
threatened species (50 CFR parts 222-226), as applicable.
Dated: November 9, 2023.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-25171 Filed 11-14-23; 8:45 am]
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