National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 21, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The intent of this notice is to inform the U.S. purse seine fleet fishing for tuna or tuna-like species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) about Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C-15-02 (Resolution on the Deadline Applicable to Revisions of Well Volume in Paragraph 6 of Resolution C-02-03).

NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. This action is necessary to fully use the 2016 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch specified for the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area.

NMFS announces the availability of the ``Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Effects of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic Ocean.'' The purpose of the FEIS is to evaluate, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing the alternative approaches for authorizing take of marine mammals incidental to oil and gas activities in the Arctic Ocean pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was a cooperating agency on this FEIS, and as such, this FEIS also evaluates the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing the alternative approaches for authorizing geological and geophysical (G&G) surveys and concurring on ancillary activities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) in the Arctic Ocean. The North Slope Borough (NSB) was also a cooperating agency on this FEIS. The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service were consulting agencies, and NMFS coordinated with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission pursuant to our co-management agreement under the MMPA.

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.

We, NMFS, announce proposed revisions to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to update the descriptions of Pacific salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus spp.) species currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Revisions include the addition or removal of specific hatchery programs, as well as clarifying changes to the names of specific hatchery programs included as part of the listings of certain Pacific salmon and steelhead species. These proposed changes are informed by our recently completed 5-year reviews under ESA. We do not propose to change the ESA-listing status of any species under NMFS' jurisdiction, or modify any critical habitat designation.