National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration March 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

NMFS proposes revised specifications for the 2014 summer flounder fishery; specifications for the 2015 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries; an increase in the commercial scup Winter II possession limit; and provides notice of two projects for which exempted fishing permits may be requested as part of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Research Set-Aside Program. The implementing regulations for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan require NMFS to publish specifications for the upcoming fishing year for each of these species and to provide an opportunity for public comment. Furthermore, regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require that NMFS allow the public an opportunity to comment on applications for exempted fishing permits. Accordingly, in addition to proposing catch specifications, NMFS announces exempted fishing permit requests, in accordance with the fishery management plan and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

On March 21, 2014, the Federal Register published a notice informing the public that NMFS had received 10 scientific research permit application requests relating to Pacific salmon, sturgeon, rockfish, and eulachon. In that notice, one of the prospective permits was accidentally given an incorrect identifying number: the number given was Permit 18620, the text should have read Permit 18260.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS[supreg]) Advisory Committee (Committee) in Washington, DC.

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 Tuesday, April 15, 2014, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. EDT and Wednesday, April 16, 2014, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT. 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 at the Sheraton Silver Spring, 8777 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Please check the SAB Web site https://www.sab.noaa.gov/Meetings/meetings.html for directions to the meeting location. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 15- minute public comment period on April 15 from 5:05-5:20 p.m. (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 two (2) minutes. Individuals or groups planning to make a verbal presentation should contact the SAB Executive Director by April 11, 2014, to schedule their presentation. Written comments should be received in the SAB Executive Director's Office by April 11, 2014, to provide sufficient time for SAB review. Written comments received by the SAB Executive Director after April 11, 2014, will be distributed to the SAB, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. Seating at the meeting will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Special Accommodations: These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12:00 p.m. on April 11, 2014, to Dr. Cynthia Decker, SAB Executive Director, SSMC3, Room 11230, 1315 East-West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910; Email: Cynthia.Decker@noaa.gov. Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) Ecosystem Sciences and Management Working Group (ESMWG Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Recommendations (2) Review Report on the Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystems and Climate (CIMEC3) NOAA Observing System Integrated Analysis Capability II (NOSIA II); (4) NOAA Science Talk: Improving Prediction of Extreme Weather Events using Multi-Model Ensembles; (5) NOAA Response to the SAB Portfolio Review Task Force Report; (6) NOAA Response to the SAB External Review of the Ocean Exploration Program; (7) NOAA Science Career Track; (8) Ecosystem Sciences and Management Working Group (ESMWG) Coastal Habitat Restoration Recommendations; (9) NOAA Update and (10) Working Group Updates.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Joint VMS/Enforcement Committee and Advisory Panel will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NOAA Fisheries announces three inseason actions in the ocean salmon fisheries. These inseason actions modified the commercial salmon fisheries in the area from Cape Falcon, Oregon to Point Arena, California.

Notice is hereby given that the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC; Responsible Party, Tara Jones, Ph.D.) 301 Railway Avenue, P.O. Box 1329, Seward, AK 99664, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct research on captive Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) of the Eastern stock.

On March 18, 2013 (78 FR 16622), NOAA proposed to prohibit the introduction of introduced species into the state waters of Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries (GFNMS and MBNMS, respectively). The proposed prohibition included exceptions for the catch and release of striped bass and for introduced species as part of mariculture activities in the Tomales Bay region of GFNMS (the only geographic area within sanctuaries offshore of California where mariculture occurs). NOAA is now amending the March 2013 proposed rule to allow GFNMS and MBNMS to authorize certain introduced species of shellfish from commercial mariculture projects in all state waters of the sanctuaries.

NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils have submitted Amendment 3 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan for review by the Secretary of Commerce. NMFS is requesting comments from the public on the Amendment, which was developed by the Councils to improve the efficiency of the spiny dogfish fishery. Amendment 3 would implement a research set-aside program, update essential fish habitat definitions for spiny dogfish, allow carryover of management measures from one year to the next, and remove the seasonal allocation of the commercial quota.

NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Michael Fatzinger, on behalf of the North Carolina Aquariums at Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, Fort Fisher, and Jennette's Pier, NC. If granted, the EFP would authorize North Carolina Aquariums to collect, with certain conditions, various species of reef fish, dolphin, and live rock in Federal waters, along the North Carolina coast. The specimens would be used in educational exhibits displaying North Carolina native species at the aquariums.

NMFS withdraws a proposed rule considering an emergency action that would have partially exempted the scallop fishery from fishing year 2012-related Georges Bank yellowtail flounder accountability measures. Because annual catch limit thresholds were not exceeded, there are no accountability measures from which to exempt the scallop fishery. As a result, the proposed rule is no longer necessary.

NMFS announces a 5-year review of essential fish habitat (EFH) for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The purpose of the 5-year review is to evaluate the EFH provisions of the fishery management plan (FMP) and revise or amend them as warranted. A 5-year review is based on the best data available regarding Atlantic HMS and their habitats; therefore, NMFS is requesting submission of any such information on Atlantic HMS EFH that has become available since publication of Final Amendment 1 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP in 2009; Final Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP; and the interpretive rule and final action that published on September 22, 2010, and defined EFH for roundscale spearfish.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 149th meeting.

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.

NOAA has developed a draft programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) to analyze the potential impacts of anticipated research and education projects in the next five years and that may have the potential to affect White Sharks within Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) and the northern portion of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The anticipated types of research and education projects described in the document have been evaluated for consistency with the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, sanctuary goals and objectives, and ONMS permitting regulations. The draft PEA is available for download on the Web site: https:// farallones.noaa.gov/eco/sharks/sharkspea.html. Proposed projects that are outside the scope of this PEA would be further evaluated on a case- by-case basis during their individual permit review phase.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public information meeting to gather fishery industry perspectives on the likely impacts of alternative spiny dogfish trip limits.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold public meetings.

NMFS has received an application from Deepwater Wind Block Island Transmission, LLC (DWBIT) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to construction of the Block Island Transmission System. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an IHA to DWBIT to incidentally take, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during the specified activity.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its advisory committees will hold public meetings, April 7-14, 2014.

NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is transferring a portion of its 2014 commercial summer flounder quota to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of New Jersey. NMFS is adjusting the quotas and announcing the revised commercial quota for each state involved.

NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 20A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources (CMP) in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region (FMP) (Amendment 20A), as prepared and submitted by the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils). If implemented, this rule would restrict sales of king and Spanish mackerel caught under the bag limit (those fish harvested by vessels that do not have a valid commercial vessel permit for king or Spanish mackerel and are subject to the bag limits specified in 50 CFR 622.382) and remove the income qualification requirements for king and Spanish mackerel commercial vessel permits. The purpose of this rule is to obtain more accurate landings data while ensuring the CMP fishery resources are utilized efficiently.

This action adjusts 2014 annual catch limits (ACLs) for the Atlantic herring (herring) fishery to account for catch overages and underharvest in 2012. NMFS is decreasing three of the four ACLs and increasing one ACL. This results in a reduction to the overall catch available to the herring fleet.

The proposed action modifies the existing chafing gear regulations for midwater trawl gear. This action includes regulations that affect all trawl sectors (Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota Program, Mothership Cooperative Program, Catcher/Processor Cooperative Program, and tribal fishery) managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP).

The Council and its advisory entities will hold public meetings. This notice corrects the list of items to be considered by the Council and its advisory bodies.

This action corrects a mistake in the effective dates in the final rule for Amendment 14 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.