National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration February 21, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 Wednesday, March 12, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Thursday, March 13, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 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 both days at the Hilton Washington DC/Silver Spring, 8727 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Please check the SAB Web site https://www.sab.noaa.gov for confirmation of the venue. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 30- minute public comment period on March 12 (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. Written comments should be received in the SAB Executive Director's Office by March 7, 2008 to provide sufficient time for SAB review. Written comments received by the SAB Executive Director after March 7, 2008, will be distributed to the SAB, 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) Draft Report from the Working Group to Examine Advisory Options for Improving Communications among NOAA's Partners (Partnerships WG or PWG); (2) Final Report from the Extension, Outreach & Education Working Group (EOEWG); (3) Report on the Final Results from the Ocean Exploration Advisory Working Group workshops; (4) NOAA Response to the SAB High-Performance Computing Recommendations and the Way Forward; (5) Discussion of a proposed SAB standing working group on ecosystems; (6) NOAA Monitoring Research Committee process updates and SAB Benchmark Review Discussion; (7) Discussion of SAB Strategic Planning; (8) the Census of Marine Life (CoML) Program; (9) the NOAA Hydrographic Services Review Panel; (10) results of the Review of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program; (11) Report on NOAA Activities in Support of the International Year of the Reef (IYR); (12) Report on NOAA Activities in Support of the International Polar Year (IPY); and (13) the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC).

In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) to take marine mammals, by Level-B harassment, incidental to conducting on-ice marine geophysical research and seismic surveys by CGGVeritas (Veritas) and Shell Offshore, Inc. (SOI) in the U.S. Beaufort Sea, have been issued for a period of one year from the IHAs effective date.

NMFS announces that on February 7, 2008, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) found the State of New Jersey out of compliance with the Commission's Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog (ISFMP). Subsequently, the Commission referred the matter to NMFS, under delegation of authority from the Secretary of Commerce, for federal non-compliance review under the provisions of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act). The Atlantic Coastal Act mandates that NMFS must review the Commission's non-compliance referral and make specific findings within thirty (30) days after receiving the referral. If NMFS determines that New Jersey failed to carry out its responsibilities under the Tautog ISFMP, and if the measures it failed to implement are necessary for conservation, then, according to the Atlantic Coastal Act, NMFS must declare a moratorium on fishing for tautog in New Jersey waters.