National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration April 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that a request for a major amendment to Scientific Research Permit Number 800-1664, submitted by Dr. Randall Davis, Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas, for takes of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska, has been denied.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Ecosystem Committee will meet in Seattle, WA.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Steller Sea Lion Mitigation Committee (SSLMC) will meet in Seattle, WA.

NMFS announces the meeting of the General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the IATTC.

The following 2006 fishing year (FY) Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are implemented for the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Hard (i.e., the fishery or area closes when a TAC is reached) TACs for Eastern Georges Bank (GB) cod, Eastern GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder in the U.S./Canada Management Area; target TACs for all NE regulated multispecies; and hard Incidental Catch TACs for groundfish stocks of concern. The intent of this action is to provide for the conservation and management of groundfish management under the NE Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

The Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) was established by the Secretary of Commerce to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on matters related to the responsibilities and authorities set forth in section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998, its amendments, and such other appropriate matters that the Under Secretary refers to the Panel for review and advice. Date and Time: The meeting will be held Thursday, May 25, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Location: The Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, 1201 New York Avenue, NW., Suite 420, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 332- 0063. The times and agenda topics are subject to change. Refer to the Web site listed below for the most up-to-date meeting agenda.

NOAA publishes this notice to extend the solicitation period for proposals for NOAA's Faculty and Student Intern Research Program. Proposals are solicited from non-profit organizations who would design and provide administrative services, such as provide training, educational, and research opportunities to faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students pursuing degrees related to NOAA's mission. This solicitation was originally announced in the Federal Register on March 30, 2006. The solicitation period for this program was extended to provide the public more time to submit proposals.

NMFS will hold a meeting on a proposed cost recovery program for the Western Alaska Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act) requires that the Secretary of Commerce establish a fee collection program for the recovery of the actual costs directly related to the management and enforcement of the CDQ Program. NMFS is seeking public input about the development of such a CDQ cost recovery program.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Committee in May, 2006 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.

NMFS issues this final rule to implement regulatory and non- regulatory management measures to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of the western North Atlantic coastal bottlenose dolphin stock (dolphin) (Tursiops truncatus) in the mid- Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery and eight other coastal fisheries operating within the dolphin's distributional range. This final rule also revises the large mesh size restriction under the mid-Atlantic large mesh gillnet rule for conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles (mid-Atlantic large mesh gillnet rule) to provide consistency among Federal and state management measures. The measures contained in this final rule will implement gillnet effort reduction, gear proximity requirements, gear or gear deployment modifications, and outreach and education measures to reduce dolphin bycatch below the marine mammal stock's potential biological removal level (PBR).

This notice advises the public that a scientific research permit has been issued to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs for operation of the adult fish trap at Lower Granite Dam, Washington state, and that the decision documents are available upon request.

NMFS is closing directed fishing for yellowfin sole by vessels using trawl gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the second seasonal allowance of the 2006 halibut bycatch allowance specified for the trawl yellowfin sole fishery category in the BSAI.

Based on recommendations contained in Amendment 6 to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass (Amendment 6) and comments received from an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), NMFS previously announced its intent to begin a scoping process to gather information for the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS). Initial scoping occurred during nine public hearings in November-December 2003. Due to the significant time that had passed since these initial scoping hearings, NMFS is seeking additional scoping on its preliminary draft analyses of Federal management options to open the EEZ to the harvest of Atlantic Striped Bass. The purpose of this notice is to alert the interested public of this further scoping process and to provide for public participation in compliance with environmental documentation requirements.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Model Evaluation Workgroup (MEW) will hold a work session to develop and review documentation for the Chinook and Coho Fishery Regulation Assessment Models (FRAMs). The meeting is open to the public.

NMFS proposes changes to the regulations implementing the Crab Rationalization Program. This action is necessary to correct two discrepancies in the scope of the sideboard protections for Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries provided in a previous rulemaking. Specifically, this action would remove the sideboard restrictions from vessels that did not generate Bering Sea snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) quota share and would apply the sideboards to federally permitted vessels operating in the State of Alaska (State) parallel fisheries. This proposed rule is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) King and Tanner Crabs (FMP), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and other applicable law.

NMFS has received an application from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting RIMPAC ASW training events, in which submarines, surface ships, and aircraft from the United States and multiple foreign nations participate in ASW training exercises, utilizing mid-frequency sonar (1 kilohertz (kHz) to 10 kHz), in the U.S. Navy's Hawaiian Operating Area (OpArea) in the summer of 2006. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to the Navy to incidentally harass several species of marine mammals during the training exercises.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Habitat/MPA/Ecosystem Advisory Panel in May, 2006 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 Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Highly Migratory Species Management Team (HMSMT) will hold a work session, which is open to the public.

NOAA Research (OAR) publishes this notice on behalf of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to announce the availability of the preliminary report of the External Review of NOAA's Ecosystem Research and Science Enterprise panel (here called the External Ecosystem Task Team) for public comment. The preliminary report of the External Ecosystem Task Team is compiled pursuant to the request from the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to the SAB to conduct an external review of NOAA's ecosystem research and science enterprise.

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application submitted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The Assistant Regional Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under this EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies and Monkfish Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue an EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP be issued that would allow one commercial fishing vessel to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The EFP, which would enable researchers to study the biology of large monkfish, would grant exemptions from the NE Multispecies FMP as follows: Western Gulf of Maine (GOM) Closure Area; GOM Rolling Closure Areas I and II; and monkfish effort control measures. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.

Notice is hereby given that seven entities have been issued permits and amendments to conduct scientific research on marine mammal species and import marine mammal part specimens for scientific research purposes.

NMFS proposes to require that any offshore pound net leader in the Virginia waters of the mainstem Chesapeake Bay, south of 37[deg] 19.0' N. lat. and west of 76[deg] 13.0' W. long., and all waters south of 37[deg] 13.0' N. lat. to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and the James and York Rivers downstream of the first bridge in each tributary during the period of May 6 through July 15 meet the definition of a modified pound net leader. Existing regulations prohibit all offshore pound net leaders in that area during that time frame. An offshore pound net leader refers to a leader with the inland end set greater than 10 horizontal feet (3 m) from the mean low water line. This action, taken under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), responds to new information generated by gear research. It is intended to conserve sea turtles listed as threatened or endangered while enabling fishermen to use leaders, an important component of pound net gear, during the regulated period.

The Department of Commerce, 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 proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Department of Commerce, 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 proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its Precious Corals Plan Team (PCPT) meeting, in Honolulu, HI.