National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration October 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the National Sea Grant Advisory Board (Board). Board members will discuss and provide advice on the National Sea Grant College Program (Sea Grant) in the areas of program evaluation, strategic planning, education and extension, science and technology programs, and other matters as described in the agenda found on the Sea Grant website.

Notice is hereby given that individuals and institutions have been issued Letters of Confirmation for activities conducted under the General Authorization for Scientific Research on marine mammals. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a list of names and address of recipients.

Notice is hereby given that a public meeting will be held for the purpose of providing information and receiving comments on the preliminary recommendation by the State of Connecticut that portions of the Lower Connecticut River and Eastern Long Island Sound be proposed to NOAA for designation as a National Estuarine Research Reserve. The public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on November 13, 2018 in the Academic Building Auditorium at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus, located at 1084 Shennecossett Rd, Groton, CT 06340. The state agencies holding the meeting: The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Coastal Management Program; the University of Connecticut; and Connecticut Sea Grant. NOAA's Office for Coastal Management will assist with the meeting. The proposed research reserve site is comprised of the following state-owned properties: Lord Cove Wildlife Management Area; Great Island Wildlife Management Area; Bluff Point State Park and Coastal Reserve and Natural Area Preserve; Haley Farm State Park; and the public trust portions of waterbodies defined by: (a) Long Island Sound ranging approximately west to east from the mouth of the Connecticut River to Mason's Island and north to south waterward of the mean high water shoreline to just shy of the Connecticut state boundary in Long Island Sound; (b) the area waterward of the mean high shoreline of the lower Thames River from approximately the Gold Star Bridge south to the area described in (a); (c) the area waterward of the mean high shoreline of the lower Connecticut River from approximately Lord Cove south to the area described in (a). The views of interested persons and organizations regarding the proposed site recommendation are solicited. This information may be expressed orally and in written statements. A presentation about the proposed site and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System will be provided. Written comments may be also be sent to: Kevin O'Brien, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental ProtectionLand & Water Resources Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106-5127 or to: kevin.obrien@ct.gov. All written comments must be received no later than seven calendar days following the public meeting. All comments received will be considered by the State in formally nominating a site to NOAA. The research reserve system is a federal and state partnership program administered by the federal government, specifically the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The research reserve system currently has 29 sites and protects more than 1.3 million acres of estuarine and Great Lakes habitat for long-term research, monitoring, education, and stewardship. Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, each reserve is managed by a lead state agency or university, with input from local partners. NOAA provides partial funding and national programmatic guidance. This particular site selection effort is a culmination of several years of local, grassroots-support for a research reserve site in Connecticut. The preliminary site recommendation follows a comprehensive evaluation process that sought the views of the public, affected landowners, and other interested parties. State and local agency representatives, as well as estuarine experts, served as committee members and evaluated site proposals. The committee is recommending the Lower Connecticut River and Eastern Long Island Sound as the preferred site for the state to nominate to NOAA.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee will hold a public 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.

On October 17, 2018, NOAA published a notice in the Federal Register soliciting nominations for members of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The closing date for receiving nominations in that notice was incorrect. This document corrects that date to November 30, 2018.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Groundfish Plan Teams will meet November 13, 2018 through November 16, 2018.

We are finalizing specifications for the 2019 commercial golden tilefish fishery, including the annual catch and total allowable landings limits. This action establishes allowable harvest levels and other management measures to prevent overfishing while allowing optimum yield, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in the Gulf For-hire Electronic Reporting Amendment, as prepared and submitted by the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council) and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic Council). The Gulf For-hire Reporting Amendment includes amendments to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Reef Fish FMP) and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region (CMP FMP). If implemented, this proposed rule would revise reporting requirements for federally permitted charter vessels and headboats (for-hire vessels). This proposed rule would require an owner or operator of a for-hire vessel with a Federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf Reef Fish or Gulf CMP to submit an electronic fishing report for each fishing trip before offloading fish from the vessel, using NMFS-approved hardware and software. The proposed rule would also require that a for- hire vessel owner or operator use NMFS-approved hardware and software with global positioning system (GPS) capabilities that, at a minimum, archive vessel position data during a trip. Lastly, prior to departing for any trip, this proposed rule would require the owner or operator of a federally permitted charter vessel or headboat to notify NMFS and declare whether they are departing on a for-hire trip, or on another trip type. The purpose of this proposed rule is to increase and improve fisheries information collected from federally permitted for-hire vessels in the Gulf. The information is expected to improve recreational fisheries management of the for-hire component in the Gulf.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

This final rule implements the decision in United States v. Washington, 2:09-sp-00001-RSM, (W.D. Wash. March 5, 2018) (Order Regarding Boundaries of Quinault and Quileute U&As), which revised the western boundaries of the usual and accustomed (U&A) fishing areas of the Quileute Indian Tribe and Quinault Indian Nation.

NMFS proposes to implement management measures described in Amendment 49 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) (Amendment 49), as prepared by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council). This proposed rule would add three new devices to the Federal regulations as options for fishermen to meet requirements for sea turtle release gear and would update the regulations to simplify and clarify the requirements for other sea turtle release gear. The new devices would provide additional options to fulfill existing requirements for carrying sea turtle release gear on board vessels with Federal Gulf commercial or charter vessel/headboat reef fish permits. This proposed rule would also modify the FMP framework procedure to allow for future changes to release gear and handling requirements for sea turtles and other protected resources. The purpose of Amendment 49 is to allow the use of new devices to safely handle and release incidentally captured sea turtles, clarify existing requirements, and streamline the process for making changes to the release devices and handling procedures for sea turtles and other protected species.

The Department of Commerce (Department) is seeking nominations for membership on the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (Committee). The Committee advises the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior on implementing Section 4 of Executive Order 13158, focusing mainly on strategies and priorities for the design, monitoring and adaptive management of effective MPAs in U.S. waters. Nominations are sought for 11 highly qualified non-Federal scientists (natural and social), resource managers, and people representing other interests or organizations involved with, or affected by, marine protected areas, including in the Great Lakes. Additionally, notice is hereby given of a Committee meeting to be held via teleconference on Thursday, November 8, 2018, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (12:00-1:00 p.m. Pacific Time). The teleconference is open to members of the public.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2019, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The LOF for 2019 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. NMFS must classify each commercial fishery on the LOF into one of three categories under the MMPA based upon the level of mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that occurs incidental to each fishery. The classification of a fishery on the LOF determines whether participants in that fishery are subject to certain provisions of the MMPA, such as registration, observer coverage, and take reduction plan (TRP) requirements.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Habitat Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

Notice is hereby given that permits or permit amendments have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Ad Hoc Red Snapper and Grouper-Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Advisory Panel.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel (AP).

Notice is hereby given that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published an errata document for the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (FEIR/EIS) for a permit application to NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) submitted by California American Water Company (CalAm) to construct and operate Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project, a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination facility project (Project) in Monterey County, California. A notice of availability (NOA) of the final EIR/EIS was published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2018 (83 FR 13737).

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this notice announces that NMFS is preparing a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) to supplement information in the 2017 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for 10 Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (HGMP) for salmon and steelhead hatchery programs jointly submitted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe (referred to as the co-managers), for NMFS's evaluation and determination under Limit 6 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 4(d) Rule for threatened salmon and steelhead. The HGMPs specify the propagation of salmon and steelhead in the Duwamish-Green River basin in Washington State. The DSEIS will analyze an additional alternative reflecting an increase in hatchery production of juvenile Chinook salmon.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the individual fishing quota (IFQ) and Federal dealer reporting programs specific to the commercial reef fish fishery in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and the coastal migratory pelagic (CMP) fisheries in the Gulf, the Regional Administrator (RA), Southeast Region, NMFS has determined that Hurricane Michael has caused catastrophic conditions in multiple counties. This temporary rule announcing the determination of catastrophic conditions and authorization to use alternative methods for completing required IFQ and other dealer reporting administrative functions is intended to facilitate continuation of IFQ and dealer reporting operations during the period of catastrophic conditions. NMFS will continue to monitor and evaluate conditions and a subsequent Federal Register document will be published, if needed to address any changes.

NOAA is soliciting nominations for members of the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB is the only Federal Advisory Committee with the responsibility to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans, Atmosphere, and NOAA Administrator on long- and short-range strategies for research, education, and application of science to resource management and environmental assessment and prediction. The SAB consists of approximately fifteen members reflecting the full breadth of NOAA's areas of responsibility and assists NOAA in maintaining a complete and accurate understanding of scientific issues critical to the agency's missions.

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.