National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration September 19, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS is reopening the comment period on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) published on May 3, 2012, on potential adjustments to the National Standard 1 Guidelines, one of 10 national standards for fishery conservation and management contained in Section 301 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The current comment period is scheduled to end on September 15, 2012. Because of the importance of NS1 to U.S. fishery management and the complexity of the issues, NMFS feels reopening the comment period will provide for a fuller range of public input on the NS1 Guideline issues. The comment period will close on October 12, 2012.

NMFS has received an application from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (L-DEO), in cooperation with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a marine geophysical (seismic) survey off the central coast of California, November to December, 2012. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to L-DEO and PG&E to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, 25 species of marine mammals during the specified activity.