National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration June 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Salmon Technical Team (STT) will hold a meeting to initiate planning and make assignments for developing an overfishing review for Queets River and Strait of Juan de Fuca natural coho. STT meeting to be held June 30, 2009 to plan development of an assessment of the causes and implications of Queets River and Strait of Juan de Fuca natural coho stocks failing to meet their conservation objective for three consecutive years. This meeting of the STT is open to the public.

NMFS issues a proposed rule that would implement the Fishery Management Plan for Fish Resources of the Arctic Management Area (Arctic FMP) and Amendment 29 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (Crab FMP). The Arctic FMP and Amendment 29 to the Crab FMP, if approved, would establish sustainable management of commercial fishing in the Arctic Management Area and move the northern boundary of the Crab FMP out of the Arctic Management Area south to Bering Strait. This action is necessary to establish a management framework for commercial fishing and to provide consistent management of fish resources in the Arctic Management Area before the potential onset of unregulated commercial fishing in the area. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, and implementing regulations, notification is hereby given that a letter of authorization (LOA) has been issued to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, U.S. Navy (Navy), to take three species of seals and sea lions incidental to missile launch activities from San Nicolas Island (SNI), California, a military readiness activity.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a document in the Federal Register of June 3, 2009, entitled Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting. The information concerning the HSRP Web page is incorrect. The correct Web page is https:// www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ocs/hsrp/hsrp.htm.

Notice is hereby given that Russell Fielding, Louisiana State University, Room 227, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, has applied in due form for a permit to import samples from Risso's (Grampus griseus), spinner (Stenella longirostris), and spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) for the purpose of scientific research.

NMFS announces that the percentage of the tilefish annual total allowable landings (TAL) available to the Full-time Tier 2 permit category for the 2009 fishing year will be harvested prior to the end of the fishing year. Commercial vessels fishing under the tilefish Full-time Tier 2 permit may not harvest tilefish from within the Golden Tilefish Management Unit for the remainder of the 2009 fishing year. Regulations governing the tilefish fishery require publication of this notification to advise the public of this closure.

Notice is hereby given that LGL Alaska Research Associates (Dr. Tamara McGuire, Principal Investigator), 1101 E. 76th Ave. Suite B, Anchorage, Alaska 99518 (File No. 14210), and the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (Dr. Phillip J. Clapham, Principal Investigator), 7600 Sand Point Way, NE., Seattle, Washington 98115 6349 (File No. 782 1719) have been issued a permit and a permit amendment, respectively, to conduct research on the Cook Inlet stock of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).

The SEDAR assessments of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico stocks of black grouper and South Atlantic red grouper will consist of a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the fifteenth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a document in the Federal Register of May 15, 2009, entitled Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting. The information concerning the teleconference dial-in number and passcode were incorrect. The correct teleconference dial-in number and passcode are dial-in number: 888-829-8675 and passcode: 47777 .

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 15B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper- Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 15B proposes actions to require a private recreational vessel that fishes in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), if selected by NMFS, to maintain and submit fishing records; require a vessel that fishes in the EEZ, if selected by NMFS, to carry an observer and install an electronic logbook (ELB) and/or video monitor provided by NMFS; prohibit the sale of snapper- grouper harvested under the bag limits by a vessel for which a Federal charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, regardless of where the snapper-grouper were harvested; require an owner and operator of a vessel for which a commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit has been issued and that has on board any hook-and-line gear to comply with sea turtle and smalltooth sawfish release protocols, possess on board specific gear to ensure proper release of such species that are incidentally caught; expand the allowable transfer of a commercial vessel permit under the limited access program and extend the allowable period for renewal of such a permit. Amendment 15B also proposes to revise the stock status determination criteria for golden tilefish and specify commercial/ recreational allocations for snowy grouper and red porgy. The intended effects of this amendment are to provide additional information for, and otherwise improve the effective management of, the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery; minimize the impacts on incidentally caught threatened and endangered sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish.

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for species that comprise the deep-water species fishery by catcher processor rockfish cooperatives subject to sideboard limits established under the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program in the GOA. This action is necessary because the 2009 Pacific halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) sideboard limit specified for the deep-water species fishery by catcher processor rockfish cooperatives subject to sideboard limits established under the Central GOA Rockfish Program in the GOA is insufficient to support directed fishing for the deep-water species fisheries.

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.

Notice is hereby given that Natural Resource Scientists, Incorporated (NRS), P.O. Box 1210, Red Bluff, CA, 96080, has been issued a permit to take Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha), and California steelhead (O. mykiss) for purposes of scientific research.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received applications for scientific research from the Fishery Foundation of California (FFC) in Elk Grove, CA (13675), and from the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) in Sacramento, CA (14240). These permits would affect the federally endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon and the threatened Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs), the federally threatened Central Valley steelhead Distinct Population Segment (DPS), and the federally threatened southern DPS of North American green sturgeon (North American green sturgeon). This document serves to notify the public of the availability of the permit applications for review and comment.

The Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) was established by the Secretary of Commerce to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on matters related to the responsibilities and authorities set forth in section 303 of the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998, its amendments, and such other appropriate matters as the Under Secretary refers to the Panel for review and advice.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NMFS announces its decision to deny a petition for emergency or interim rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act). Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce to immediately promulgate an emergency

NMFS issues this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to request public comment on potential adjustments to the regulations governing the U.S. Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT), north Atlantic swordfish (SWO), and shark fisheries to enable more thorough utilization of the available U.S. quotas for BFT and SWO and to improve highly migratory species (HMS) permit structure. Potential action(s) taken may to increase opportunities for U.S. fisheries to fully harvest the U.S. quotas recommended by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) while balancing continuing efforts to end BFT overfishing by 2010 and rebuild the stock by 2019; to continue efforts to revitalize the SWO fishery while minimizing bycatch to the extent practicable; and to clarify and simplify the current HMS permit structure. NMFS is also requesting public comment regarding the potential implementation of catch shares, limited access privilege programs (LAPPs), and individual bycatch caps (IBCs) in highly migratory species fisheries. This ANPR provides background information to inform the public on several actions that NMFS is considering to accomplish these objectives.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 33 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (FMP). If approved, Amendment 33 would allow NMFS to reduce the amount of fees collected under the Crab Rationalization Program to the amount needed to finance the Federal loan program for quota share purchase. The amendment would allow NMFS to reserve only the amount of fees necessary to support the loan program, including no fees if none are needed. This action is necessary to ensure that fishery participants do not pay fees for loan program financing in excess of the fees needed to support the loan program. This FMP amendment would not result in modifications to Federal regulations.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) for review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 7 proposes actions to rename the commercial vessel permit and the limited access endorsement; remove the requirement for a minimum level of landings for the renewal of a limited access endorsement; allow the reissue of a limited access endorsement that had been terminated because of failure to meet that minimum level; allow the reissue of an endorsement that had been terminated because of failure to renew it in a timely manner; and require the submission of economic data by participants in the fishery. The measures contained in the subject amendment are intended to maintain a viable rock shrimp fishery in the South Atlantic region.