Department of Commerce May 4, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NOAA announces the implementation, under the authorities of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) of 1998, as reauthorized in 2004, of a new competitive research program on Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms (PCM HAB). This third national competitive program is a companion to the two existing national harmful algal bloom (HAB) programs, Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) and Monitoring and Event Response of Harmful Algal Blooms (MERHAB), already implemented under the authorities of HABHRCA. PCM HAB will transition promising technologies and strategies for prevention, control, and mitigation, arising from these and other HAB research programs, to end-users. In addition, NOAA is announcing that funding opportunity announcements for ECOHAB, MERHAB, and HAB PCM will be rotated regionally on a three year basis. The three regional groupings are: Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean/ Pacific Islands; West Coast, Alaska, and Great Lakes; and South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Maine.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) extends the comment period on its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess potential effects on the human environment of alternative

NMFS issues final specifications for the 2009 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including state-by-state commercial quotas, a recreational harvest limit, and recreational possession limits for Atlantic bluefish off the east coast of the United States. The intent of these specifications is to establish the allowable 2009 harvest levels and possession limits to attain the target fishing mortality rate (F), consistent with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

The NOAA Office of Education (OEd) is issuing a request for applications to support education projects designed to engage the public in activities that increase ocean and/or climate literacy and the adoption of a stewardship ethic. Funded projects will be between one and five years in duration and will support ocean education projects led by eligible applicants. Eligible applicants are only 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that are either aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or have a legally sanctioned affiliation with an AZA-accredited aquarium. There is a required 50 percent non-Federal cost-share of the total Federal request, e.g., if the Federal request is $1,000,000, the applicant is required to submit a non-Federal match equal to $500,000. This solicitation meets NOAA's mission goal to protect, restore, and manage the use of coastal and ocean resources through an ecosystem approach to management. It is anticipated that recommendations for funding under this announcement will be made by August 30, 2009, and that projects funded under this announcement will have a start date no earlier than October 1, 2009. Note: A PDF version of this announcement is available at https:// www.oesd.noaa.gov/funding_opps.html.