National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration May 3, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), announces the availability of our draft Update to: Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing (Version 3.0): Underwater and In-Air Criteria for Onset of Auditory Injury and Temporary Threshold Shifts (draft Updated Technical Guidance) for public comment. The draft Updated Technical Guidance assesses the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal species under NMFS's jurisdiction. The draft Updated Technical Guidance provides updated received levels and auditory weighting functions, or acoustic criteria, above which individual marine mammals, in-air and underwater, are predicted to experience changes in their hearing sensitivity (auditory injury or temporary threshold shift) for all anthropogenic sound sources. Once finalized, the Updated Technical Guidance will replace NMFS's current 2018 Revisions to: Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammal Hearing (Version 2.0): Underwater Thresholds for Onset of Permanent and Temporary Threshold Shifts (2018 Revised Technical Guidance).

NMFS announces the availability of a scoping document to consider changes to gear regulations and requirements in fisheries targeting Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS). While management measures implemented since 1999 have helped achieve fishery management and conservation goals, the combination of over two decades of gear- specific measures may have had unanticipated consequences. Changes in species distribution, fishing gears, fishing techniques, market conditions, and fishing interests may warrant a reexamination of some gear-specific management measures to see if they are still meeting applicable goals. NMFS requests comments on the options presented in the scoping document as well as additional ideas that may warrant consideration.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Pacific Council) Ecosystem Advisory Subpanel (EAS) is holding an online meeting, which is open to the public.

Notice is hereby given that Heather E. Liwanag, Ph.D., California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0401, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 27514.