Department of Commerce March 16, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972, as amended, requires the Secretary of Commerce to prepare a conservation plan for any species or stock designated as depleted under that Act. The Cook Inlet stock of beluga whales was designated as depleted on May 31, 2000, and this Conservation Plan is being written to promote the conservation and recovery of these whales. The goal of this Conservation Plan (Plan) will be met when the Cook Inlet stock of beluga whales are no longer considered depleted under the MMPA.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processor vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2005 first seasonal allowance of the Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) specified for catcher/processor vessels using trawl gear in the BSAI.

The NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) was established by a Decision Memorandum dated September 25, 1997, and is the only Federal Advisory Committee with responsibility to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on long- and short-range strategies for research, education, and application of science to resource management and environmental assessment and prediction. SAB activities and advice provide necessary input to ensure that science programs are of the highest quality and provide optimal support the NOAA mission. Time and Date: The meeting will be held Tuesday, March 22, 2005, from 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Wednesday, March 23, 2005, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. These times and the agenda topics described below may be subject to change. Refer to the Web page listed below for the most up- to-date meeting agenda. Place: The meeting will be held both days in the Staff Auditorium at the National Geographic Society Headquarters, 1145 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 30- minute time period set aside on Wednesday, March 23, 2005, for direct oral statements or questions from the public. The SAB expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or written statements. In general, each individual or group making an oral presentation will be limited to a total time of five (5) minutes. Approximately thirty (30) seats will be available for the public including five (5) seats reserved for the media. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Matters to be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) Status of NOAA Responses to SAB Actions and Recommendations Overview of NOAA Response to SAB/ Research Review Team Report; (2) Review NOAA's Draft Policy to Formalize the Transition of Research to Operations and Information Services; (3) Progress Reports: External Ecosystem Task Team and the Physical and Social Science Task Team; (4) Draft NOAA Cooperative Institute Policy; (5) Report on the Review of the National Sea Grant College Extension Program and a Call for Greater National Commitment to Engagement; (6) Administration Response to Ocean Commission Report; (7) NOAA's plans for the International Polar Year (IPY); (8) Briefing on the Integrated Surface Observing System (ISOS) Working Group; (9) Transitioning from the Integrated Ocean Observing System, NPOESS, GOES-R, NEXRAD, etc. to Integrated Earth Observing System (IEOS); (10) NOAA Role in Implementing the President's Executive Order on the Great Lakes; (11) Overview of Predictions/Monitoring of 2004 Hurricanes (12) TsunamisResearch and Observations; (13) Global Earth Observing Systems of Systems (GEOSS) Update; (14) 2006-2011 Strategic planning; (15) public statements.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) and longer using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2005 first seasonal allowance of the Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) specified for catcher vessels using hook-and-line gear in the BSAI.