National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration July 16, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting Mid-Atlantic fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This will be conducted as a hybrid meeting, with options to participate in person or virtually. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Bluefish Management Board, Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board, and Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board.

NMFS has received a request from the U.S. Navy (Navy) to take marine mammals incidental to training and testing activities conducted in the Point Mugu Sea Range (PMSR) Study Area. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue regulations and subsequent Letter of Authorization (LOA) to the Navy to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS will consider public comments prior to issuing any final rule and making final decisions on the issuance of the requested LOA. Agency responses to public comments will be summarized in the notice of the final decision in the final rule. The Navy's activities qualify as military readiness activities pursuant to the MMPA, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (2004 NDAA).