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

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will hold public meetings February 6-14, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel, 18740 Pacific Highway South, Seattle, WA 98188.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the Hawaii-based members of the Council Bottomfish Plan Team (BPT) to consider alternatives to end bottomfish overfishing in the Main Hawaiian Islands.

The Groundfish Stock Assessment Review (STAR) Panel for yelloweye rockfish will hold a work session which is open to the public.

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 National Marine Fisheries Service publishes IFQ standard prices for the Individual Fishing Quota(IFQ) Cost Recovery Program in the halibut and sablefish fisheries of the North Pacific. NMFS published a standard price notice for 2005 on December 15, 2005. NMFS subsequently discovered calculation errors in the published standard prices. This notice corrects the calculation errors and replaces the December 15, 2005, Federal Register document. This action is intended to provide holders of halibut and sablefish IFQ permits information to calculate the payments required for IFQ cost recovery fees due by January 31, 2006.

This document provides notice of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) approved by NOAA for use by vessels participating in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery and sets forth relevant features of the VMS.

NMFS is notifying the owners and operators of registered vessels of their assignments for the 2006 A season Atka mackerel fishery in harvest limit area (HLA) 542 and/or 543 of the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the harvest of the 2006 A season HLA limits established for area 542 and area 543 pursuant to the 2005 and 2006 harvest specifications for groundfish in the BSAI.

Notice is hereby given that John Glass, (Principal Investigator), REMSA, Inc., 124 West Queens Way, Hampton, Virginia 23669 has been issued a modification to scientific research Permit No. 1266-01.

The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) Product Development Committee for Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.1 (CPDCS&A 1.1) was established by a Decision Memorandum dated October 7, 2005. CPDCS&A 1.1 is the Federal Advisory Committee charged with responsibility to develop a draft Synthesis and Assessment Product that addresses CCSP Topic 1.1: ``Temperature trends in the lower atmospheresteps for understanding and reconciling differences''. Time and Date: The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 8, 2006, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, February 9, 2006, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. These times and the agenda topics described below are subject to change. Refer to the Web page https://www.ogp.noaa.gov/ccsp/11.html for the most up-to-date meeting agenda. Place: The meeting will be held both days at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois, 60666. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 60- minute public comment period on February 8 from 8:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. (check Web site to confirm this time). The CPDCS&A 1.1 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. Written comments (at least 35 copies) should be received by the CPDCS&A 1.1 Designated Federal Official by February 1, 2006 to provide sufficient time for review. Written comments received after February 1 will be distributed to the CPDCS&A 1.1, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) Resolution of public comments received on the 2nd Draft of Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.1 (2) Discussion of plans for completion and submission of 3rd Draft of Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.1 to the CCSP Interagency Committee.

NMFS issues this temporary rule to amend, and extend the effective date of, the grouper bag limit provisions implemented by a temporary rule published by NMFS on July 25, 2005, to reduce overfishing of red grouper in Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This temporary rule amends the bag limit provision consistent with the October 31, 2005, ruling of the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida (Court). The intended effect is to reduce overfishing of red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Special Management Zone (SMZ) Monitoring Team.

The Council/BOF will meet on February 3, 2006 at the Fourth Avenue Theatre.

Notice is hereby given that the following individual has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on marine mammals: Dr. Terrie Williams, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Center for Ocean Health - Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Observer Advisory Committee will meet at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) announces availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Findings of Approvability (Findings) for OCRM's Review of Amendments to the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). On June 2, 2005, OCRM received the State of Alaska's request to incorporate Executive Order 106, House Bills 191, 69, 86, Senate Bill 102, revisions to statute AS 46, and new implementing regulations at 11 AAC 110, 11 AAC 112, and 11 AAC 114 as an amendment to the ACMP. The new implementing regulations replace the existing consistence review procedure regulations previously found at 6 AAC 50, the statewide standards previously found at 6 AAC 80, and the district program guidelines previously found at 6 AAC 85 as the enforceable policies of the ACMP. The final EIS was released to the public for 30 days after the publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on November 25, 2005 (79 FR 71139). The ROD documents the selection of Alternative 1 (the NOAA preferred alternative) in the final EIS. The Findings make a final determination that the ACMP, as amended by the June 2, 2005, ACMP Amendment Document, still constitutes an approvable program and that procedural requirements of the CZMA and its implementing regulations have been met. The ROD and Findings were signed by the Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service (NOS) on December 29, 2005. Federal consistency applies to the revised ACMP enforceable policies as of December 29, 2005.

This notice responds to the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act Amendments of 2002, Public Law 107-372, which requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to solicit nominations for membership on the Hydrographic Services Review Panel (the Panel). This advisory committee will advise the Under Secretary on matters related to the responsibilities and authorities set forth in section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998, (the Act) and such other appropriate matters as the Under Secretary refers to the Panel for review and advice.

The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (AA), NOAA, announces temporary restrictions consistent with the requirements of the ALWTRP's implementing regulations. These regulations apply to lobster trap/pot and anchored gillnet fishermen in an area totaling approximately 2,404 nm\2\ (4,452 km\2\), southeast of Portland, ME, for 15 days. The purpose of this action is to provide protection to an aggregation of northern right whales (right whales).

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene scoping hearings to solicit comments on two joint amendments: Joint Reef Fish Amendment 27/Shrimp 14 and Joint Reef Fish Amendment 28/Shrimp 15.

NMFS issues a final rule to open the Cape Sarichef Research Restriction Area in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI) to directed fishing for groundfish using trawl, pot, and hook- and-line gear from March 15, 2006, through March 31, 2006. Because NMFS' Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) will not conduct research in this area in 2006, closure of the Cape Sarichef Research Restriction Area is not needed. This action is intended to relieve an unnecessary restriction on groundfish fisheries and allow the optimum utilization of fishery resources, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This final rule also will remove the regulations for the Cape Sarichef Research Restriction Area, and regulations for the Chiniak Gully Research Area because both research projects have ended.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) previously published a notice of intent in the Federal Register (70 FR 57859, October 5, 2005) to prepare a DSEIS for a joint Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Shrimp FMP) and Amendment 27 to the FMP for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Reef Fish FMP). This notice supplements the previous notice and provides notice of the Council's intent to prepare a second DSEIS for a subsequent joint Amendment 15 to the Shrimp FMP and Amendment 28 to the Reef Fish FMP. The alternatives in the two joint amendments will consider measures to reduce red snapper fishing mortality and bycatch in the shrimp and reef fish fisheries, and to achieve optimum yield (OY) in the shrimp fishery. The purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DSEISs.

NMFS has determined that the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category daily retention limit for five previously designated restricted fishing days (RFD) should be adjusted. These General category RFDs are being waived to provide reasonable opportunity for utilization of the coastwide General category BFT quota. Therefore, NMFS waives five RFDs scheduled for January 2006, and increases the daily retention limit from zero to two large medium or giant BFT on these previously designated RFDs.

Notice is hereby given that Molly Lutcavage, Department of Biology, 177 A Spaulding Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824-2617, has applied in due form for a permit to take leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.

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.