Department of Commerce March 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the B season allowance of the 2012 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 620 in the GOA.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a meeting of the Socioeconomic Scientific and Statistical Committee.

NMFS announces a 5-year review of North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended. A 5-year review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any such information on these whales that has become available since the last status review in 2006.

NMFS issues a final rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to modify retention limits for swordfish harvested in the U.S. West Coast-based deep-set tuna longline (DSLL) fishery. The DSLL fishery is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP). The final rule implements the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) recommendation to modify HMS FMP regulations governing the possession and landing limits of swordfish captured in the DSLL fishery as follows: if a vessel without an observer onboard uses any J-hooks (tuna hooks), the trip limit is 10 swordfish; if a vessel without an observer onboard uses only circle hooks, the trip limit is 25 swordfish; if the vessel carries a NMFS- approved observer during the entire fishing trip, there is no limit on swordfish retained.

Notice is hereby given that Molly Lutcavage, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 108 Main Street, Gloucester MA 01930 has been issued a permit to take leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) for purposes of scientific research.

The 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 strategies for research, education, and application of science to operations and information services. SAB activities and advice provide necessary input to ensure that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) science programs are of the highest quality and provide optimal support to resource management. Time and Date: The meeting will be held Thursday, April 5, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Friday, April 6, 2012, from 9:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. These times and the agenda topics described below are subject to change. Please refer to the Web page https://www.sab.noaa.gov/ Meetings/meetings.html for the most up-to-date meeting agenda. Place: The meeting will be held at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, Washington, DC 20005 Please check the SAB Web site https://www.sab.noaa.gov for directions to the meeting location. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 15 minute public comment period on April 5 at 5 p.m. (check Web site to confirm time). The SAB expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted verbal or written statements. In general, each individual or group making a verbal presentation will be limited to a total time of five (5) minutes. Individuals or groups planning to make a verbal presentation should contact the SAB Executive Director by March 29, 2012 to schedule their presentation. Written comments should be received in the SAB Executive Director's Office by March 29, 2012 to provide sufficient time for SAB review. Written comments received by the SAB Executive Director after March 29, 2012 will be distributed to the SAB, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. Seating at the meeting will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Special Accommodations: These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12 p.m. on March 29, 2012, to Dr. Cynthia Decker, SAB Executive Director, SSMC3, Room 11230, 1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) Update from the SAB Research and Development Portfolio Review Task Force; (2) External Review of the Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS), Princeton University; (3) Proposed New Members for the Data Archive and Access Requirements Working Group (DAARWG); (4) Update from the SAB Satellite Task Force; (5) NOAA Response to the SAB Report on Fisheries Enterprise Data Management; (6) NOAA Response to Congress on Compensation Policy for Specialized Satellite Data Products and Services; (7) NOAA Report on Needs Assessment for Science Advisory Board Working Groups; (8) Use of the NOAA Logo by Affiliated Partners; and (9) Updates from SAB Working Groups.

NMFS proposes 2012 quota specifications for the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) fishery. This action is necessary to implement binding recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as required by the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

NMFS has issued permit 15542 to Normandeau Associates, Incorporated [Responsible Party: Tim Salamunovich], 890 L Street, Arcata, CA 95521; permit 16608 to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) [Responsible Party: Michelle Banonis], 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-1727 Sacramento, CA 95825; and permit 16531 to FISHBIO Environmental, LLC [Responsible Party: Andrea Fuller], 599 Hi-Tech Pkwy, Oakdale, CA 95361; for purposes of scientific research.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) will hold a meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to review and discuss the following items: Fishery Management Plan (FMP) amendments under development; current landings and Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) values for managed stocks including the effect of revised recreational catch estimates; ABC control rule approaches; research priorities; peer review procedures; and planning for update assessments of vermilion snapper and red porgy. The meeting will be held in Savannah, GA. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel 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.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council's) Groundfish Plan Teams and Crab Plan Team will hold a workshop on Assessment/Management Issues Related to Recruitment, April 4-5, 2012 at the Alaska Fishery Science Center.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will hold a free public workshop titled ``Conformity AssessmentApproaches and Best Practices'' on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The purpose of the NIST public workshop is (1) to examine current approaches to conformity assessment among Federal agencies and the private sector and (2) to provide a forum for discussion with NIST on conformity assessment practices, challenges and the means by which these challenges are being addressed.

NMFS is correcting a temporary rule that published on February 29, 2012, reallocating the projected unused amounts of pollock directed fishing allowances from the Aleut Corporation and the Community Development Quota from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea directed fisheries. There are errors in the table for the pollock allocation in the Aleutian Island subarea and the Bogoslof District.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to Ocean Renewable Power Company Maine, LLC (ORPC), allowing the take of small numbers of marine mammals, by Level B harassment only, incidental to pile driving in Cobscook Bay, Maine.

In order to update the system of records the Department of Commerce (DOC) publishes this notice to announce the effective date of an amended Privacy Act System of Records titled ``COMMERCE/DEPT-12, OIG Investigative Records.'' The notice of proposed amendment to this system of records was published in the Federal Register, 77 FR 2692- 2697, on January 19, 2012.

This notice sets forth the schedule and topics of an upcoming workshop hosted by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Invited participants will discuss topics as outlined below. Members of the administrative public, private and academic sectors are invited to attend the workshop, and are required to fulfill a request to RSVP to Karen.L.Miller@noaa.gov by 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 27, 2012 if they wish to attend. The workshop is to be held in a federal facility; building-security restrictions preclude attendance for those who do not RSVP by the deadline. Space is also limited to the first 35 responses, but remote access via webinar will be made available for the first 50 participants requesting webinar participation. The remote access participation information will be provided on an individual basis once participation has been confirmed through RSVP. Workshop Date and Time: The workshop will be held on May 3, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 4, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP Deadline: Anyone wishing to attend the workshop must RSVP no later than 5:00 pm EDT on April 27, 2012.

NMFS announces final 2012 and 2013 harvest specifications, apportionments, and Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2012 and 2013 fishing years and to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the GOA. The intended effect of this action is to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the GOA in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

This notice announces the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the application from PacifiCorp Energy (PacifiCorp or applicant) for an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for take of a threatened species in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). NMFS and PacifiCorp have also developed an implementing agreement (IA) which details how NMFS and PacifiCorp will work together to implement the HCP. This notice also announces that NMFS has made a decision to issue an ITP to PacifiCorp for the covered activities described in their HCP, and has authorized the incidental take of Southern Oregon/ Northern California Coast (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as a result of operation and maintenance of its Klamath Hydroelectric Project (Project) in and near the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California, and implementation of the HCP during a ten-year period. This notice is provided under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations and NMFS ESA permit regulations to inform the public that the Final EA HCP, responses to public comments, and associated documents are available for review; and NMFS has made a decision to issue the ITP.

NMFS has received an application from AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, on behalf of Fishermen's Atlantic City Windfarm, LLC (Fishermen's) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to pile driving off the New Jersey coast. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is proposing to issue an IHA to take, by Level B harassment, bottlenose dolphins, harbor porpoises, and harbor seals during the specified activity within a specific geographic region and is requesting comments on its proposal.

NMFS increases the possession limits for Georges Bank (GB) cod and Southern New England (SNE)/Mid-Atlantic (MA) yellowtail flounder for Northeast (NE) multispecies common pool vessels for the remainder of the 2011 fishing year (FY), through April 30, 2012. This is intended to facilitate the harvest of GB cod and SNE/MA yellowtail flounder to allow the total catch of these stocks to approach their pertinent common pool sub-annual catch limits (sub-ACLs).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC).

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this revision of a currently approved collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).