National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 12, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces the date, time, and location of the public meeting being held prior to the 65th International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting.

NMFS plans to issue a permit for a period of three years to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, taking of three stocks of marine mammals listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the Hawaii deep-set and shallow-set longline fisheries. In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS must issue this permit provided that it can make the determinations that: The incidental take will have a negligible impact on the affected stocks; a recovery plan for all affected stocks of threatened or endangered marine mammals has been developed or is being developed; and as required by the MMPA, a take reduction plan and monitoring program have been implemented and vessels in the Hawaii deep-set and shallow-set longline fisheries are registered. NMFS has made a preliminary determination that incidental taking from commercial fishing will have a negligible impact on the endangered humpback whale, Central North Pacific (CNP) stock; sperm whale, Hawaii stock; and false killer whale, Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) insular stock. Recovery plans have been completed for humpback and sperm whales, and a recovery plan has been initiated for MHI insular false killer whales. NMFS solicits public comments on the draft negligible impact determination and on the proposal to issue a permit to vessels that operate in these fisheries for the taking of affected endangered stocks of marine mammals.