Marine Mammals; File No. 27973, 22127-22128 [2024-06727]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 62 / Friday, March 29, 2024 / Notices
Resilience Workshop and other habitatrelated updates. The Monkfish
Committee report will be next. The
Council will take final action on
Framework Adjustment 15 to the
Monkfish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP). This framework is a joint action
with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council to reduce
monkfish and spiny dogfish large-mesh
gillnet fishery interactions with Atlantic
sturgeon. Next, the Council will receive
a progress report on Amendment 10 to
the Atlantic Herring FMP, which is an
action to: (1) minimize user conflicts; (2)
contribute to optimum yield; (3) support
rebuilding of Atlantic herring; and (4)
enhance river herring and shad
avoidance and catch reduction. The full
Council then will adjourn for the day.
Shortly afterward, at 6 p.m., in the same
meeting room, the Council will hold a
public scoping meeting on Atlantic
Herring Amendment 10.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Council will lead off the third
day of its meeting with the Northeast
Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) report,
which will include overviews of: (1)
NTAP’s recent Bigelow Continency Plan
Working Group meeting; (2) continued
discussions on the Industry-Based
Survey Pilot Project; and (3) other
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
continency options. Next, members of
the public will have the opportunity to
speak during an open comment period
on issues that relate to Council business
but are not included on the published
agenda for this meeting. The Council
asks the public to limit remarks to 3–5
minutes. These comments will be
received both in person and through the
webinar. A guide for how to publicly
comment through the webinar is
available on the Council website at
https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/
NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_
generic.pdf. The comment period will
be followed by the Groundfish
Committee report. The Council will
receive an SSC subpanel report on an
Atlantic cod stock structure
management strategy evaluation (MSE)
review. The Council then will receive
an update on upcoming public
workshops and the proposed phases of
work related to its Atlantic Cod
Management Transition Plan. The
Council also will discuss options for
incorporating the four biological stock
units of Atlantic cod into the Northeast
Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery
Management Plan. Finally, the Council
will receive an update on work to
review flatfish sub-annual catch limits
and accountability measures. The
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Mar 28, 2024
Jkt 262001
Council then will close out the meeting
with other business.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained on this agenda may come
before the 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 Fishery Conservation and
Management 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
Executive Director Cate O’Keefe (see
ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the
meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 26, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–06746 Filed 3–28–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD829]
Marine Mammals; File No. 27973
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
the Texas A&M University—Corpus
Christi, Department of Life Sciences,
Tidal Hall 231, Corpus Christi, TX
78412 (Responsible Party: Dara Orbach,
Ph.D.), has applied in due form for a
permit to conduct research on
bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus).
SUMMARY:
Written comments must be
received on or before April 29, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The application and related
documents are available for review by
selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
22127
Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on
the Applications and Permits for
Protected Species home page, https://
apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting
File No. 27973 from the list of available
applications. These documents are also
available upon written request via email
to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please
include File No. 27973 in the subject
line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov. The request should set forth
the specific reasons why a hearing on
this application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Hapeman or Erin Markin, Ph.D.,
(301) 427–8401.
The
subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the
regulations governing the taking and
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR
part 216).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The applicant proposes to continue to
study the population biology, behavior,
and health of common bottlenose
dolphins in Central and South Texas
waters (bays, sounds, estuaries). The
research aims to: (1) establish dolphin
spatiotemporal patterns; (2) maintain a
photo-identification catalog of dolphins;
(3) analyze dolphin behavior relative to
anthropogenic disturbance; and (4)
determine the health condition of
dolphins. Researchers would harass up
to 3,081 dolphins annually during
unmanned aircraft surveys and vesselbased surveys for photo-identification,
observations, and passive acoustic
monitoring. A subset of 90 dolphins
would also be biopsy sampled annually.
The permit would be valid for 5 years.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of
this notice in the Federal Register,
NMFS is forwarding copies of the
application to the Marine Mammal
Commission and its Committee of
Scientific Advisors.
E:\FR\FM\29MRN1.SGM
29MRN1
22128
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 62 / Friday, March 29, 2024 / Notices
Dated: March 26, 2024.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–06727 Filed 3–28–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD826]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Phase II of the
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Restoration Project in Richmond,
California
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of renewal
incidental harassment authorization.
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 California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) to incidentally
harass marine mammals incidental to
Phase II of the Richmond-San Rafael
Bridge Restoration Project in Richmond,
California.
DATES: This renewal IHA is valid from
April 1, 2024 through March 30, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Craig Cockrell, 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: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
incidental-take-authorization-californiadepartment-transportations-richmondsan-rafael. In case of problems accessing
these documents, please call the contact
listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Background
The 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Mar 28, 2024
Jkt 262001
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
promulgated or, if the taking is limited
to harassment, an IHA 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’’). NMFS must also prescribe
requirements pertaining to monitoring
and reporting of such takings. The
definition of key terms such as ‘‘take,’’
‘‘harassment,’’ and ‘‘negligible impact’’
can be found in the MMPA and NMFS’s
implementing regulations (see 16 U.S.C.
1362; 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
1 year for each reauthorization. In the
notice of proposed IHA for the initial
IHA, 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 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 Detailed Description of
Specified Activities section of the initial
IHA issuance notice is planned or (2)
the activities as described in the
Description of the Specified Activities
and Anticipated Impacts section of the
initial IHA issuance 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
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
renewal IHA effective date (recognizing
that the renewal IHA expiration date
cannot extend beyond 1 year from
expiration of the initial IHA).
2. The request for renewal must
include the following:
• 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).
• 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.
3. 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.
An additional public comment period
of 15 days (for a total of 45 days), with
direct notice by email, phone, or postal
service to commenters on the initial
IHA, is provided to allow for any
additional comments on the proposed
renewal. A description of the renewal
process may be found on our website at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
national/marine-mammal-protection/
incidental-harassment-authorizationrenewals.
History of Request
On July 31, 2023, NMFS issued an
IHA to Caltrans to take marine mammals
incidental to Phase II of the RichmondSan Rafael Bridge Restoration Project in
Richmond, California (88 FR 51778,
August 4, 2023), effective from August
1, 2023 through March 30, 2024. On
February 7, 2023, NMFS received an
application for the renewal of that
initial IHA. As described in the
application for renewal, the activities
for which incidental take is requested
consist of activities that are covered by
the initial authorization but will not be
completed prior to its expiration. As
required, the applicant also provided a
preliminary monitoring report (available
at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
action/incidental-take-authorizationcalifornia-department-transportationsrichmond-san-rafael) which confirms
E:\FR\FM\29MRN1.SGM
29MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 62 (Friday, March 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22127-22128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06727]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD829]
Marine Mammals; File No. 27973
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Texas A&M University--Corpus
Christi, Department of Life Sciences, Tidal Hall 231, Corpus Christi,
TX 78412 (Responsible Party: Dara Orbach, Ph.D.), has applied in due
form for a permit to conduct research on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops
truncatus).
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 29, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for
review by selecting ``Records Open for Public Comment'' from the
``Features'' box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species
home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No.
27973 from the list of available applications. These documents are also
available upon written request via email to [email protected].
Written comments on this application should be submitted via email
to [email protected]. Please include File No. 27973 in the
subject line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a
written request via email to [email protected]. The request
should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application
would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Hapeman or Erin Markin, Ph.D.,
(301) 427-8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations governing the
taking and importing of marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
The applicant proposes to continue to study the population biology,
behavior, and health of common bottlenose dolphins in Central and South
Texas waters (bays, sounds, estuaries). The research aims to: (1)
establish dolphin spatiotemporal patterns; (2) maintain a photo-
identification catalog of dolphins; (3) analyze dolphin behavior
relative to anthropogenic disturbance; and (4) determine the health
condition of dolphins. Researchers would harass up to 3,081 dolphins
annually during unmanned aircraft surveys and vessel-based surveys for
photo-identification, observations, and passive acoustic monitoring. A
subset of 90 dolphins would also be biopsy sampled annually. The permit
would be valid for 5 years.
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial determination has been made that
the activity proposed is categorically excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, NMFS is forwarding copies of the application to the Marine
Mammal Commission and its Committee of Scientific Advisors.
[[Page 22128]]
Dated: March 26, 2024.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-06727 Filed 3-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
