National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May 15, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received applications to renew and modify permits from U. S. Geological Survey, Arcata, CA (Permit 1093). This permit would affect Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Central California Coast (CCC) coho salmon, Northern California (NC) steelhead (O. mykiss), and California Coastal (CC) Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). This document serves to notify the public of the availability of the permit application for review and comment before a final approval or disapproval is made by NMFS.

NMFS proposes measures contained in Framework Adjustment 6 (Framework 6) to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that would allow regional conservation equivalency in the summer flounder recreational fishery. The intent is to provide flexibility and efficiency to the management of the summer flounder recreational fishery, specifically by expanding the suite of management tools available when conservation equivalency is implemented.

NMFS manages Gulf of Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries through the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Congress granted NMFS specific regulatory authority to manage Central GOA rockfish fisheries in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004. Congress provided additional guidance to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in the development of a program to allocate harvesting privileges to fishermen and permit a defined group of processors to form associations with these harvesters for the exclusive use of specific rockfish and other groundfish in the Central GOA. The Council adopted Amendment 68 in June 2005. Amendment 68 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP) would establish a program to allocate Central GOA groundfish resources among harvesters and processors (Program). Amendment 68 would modify the FMP to increase resource conservation, improve economic efficiency, and improve safety in the Central GOA rockfish fisheries and other fisheries that are subject to the Program. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the FMP, and other applicable laws.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a joint meeting of its Habitat and Environmental Protection Advisory Panel and Coral Advisory Panel in Coconut Grove, FL.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Atlantic Mackerel, Loligo and Illex Squid, and Butterfish Monitoring Committee will hold a public meeting.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Research Steering 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.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is cancelling the previously-published meeting of the Ad Hoc Shrimp Effort Working Group (SEWG) scheduled for May 23-24, 2006.

NMFS has received an application from the University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a marine seismic survey in the Arctic Ocean from approximately July 15 - August 25, 2006. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an authorization to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of several species of marine mammals during the seismic survey.