National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is reinstating missing paragraphs of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) regulations that pertain to the issuance of permits. NOAA inadvertently excluded the paragraphs in the publication of a November 2011 final rule revising OCNMS permitting regulations. The reinstatement of these paragraphs will ensure continued coordination with the treaty Indian tribes whose cultural and treaty resources may be affected by activities of regulated entities. In addition, these provisions provide notice to the regulated community of NOAA's responsibilities to treaty Indian tribes whose cultural and treaty resources may be affected by a permittee's proposed activities.

The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (LEAP) in conjunction with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission's Law Enforcement Committee (LEC).

Notice is hereby given that Dolphin World Productions Ltd, 59 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JR, United Kingdom, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial or educational photography on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

NMFS notifies the public of the aboriginal subsistence whaling quota for bowhead whales that it has assigned to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), and of limitations on the use of the quota deriving from regulations of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). For 2015, the quota is 75 bowhead whales struck. This quota and other applicable limitations govern the harvest of bowhead whales by members of the AEWC.

The New England Fishery Management Council announces its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an environmental impact statement in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. An environmental impact statement may be necessary to provide analytical support for Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 8 would specify a long-term acceptable biological catch control rule for the herring fishery and consider acceptable biological catch control rule alternatives that account for herring's role in the ecosystem. This notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process and potential development of a draft environmental impact statement and to outline opportunity for public participation in that process.

This document contains a correction to the final rule to implement Amendment 20B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in the exclusive economic zone of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Region (Amendment 20B) that was published in the Federal Register January 27, 2015.

NMFS will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) meeting in March 2015. The intent of the meeting is to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic HMS. The meeting is open to the public.

In accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) regulations, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) to take, by harassment, small numbers of two species of marine mammals incidental to pile driving and removal associated with the Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility Project in the City of Alameda, California, between December 1, 2015, through November 30, 2016.

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) through this temporary rule for commercial harvest of king mackerel in the Florida west coast southern subzone of the eastern zone of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) using run-around gillnet gear. NMFS has determined that the commercial annual catch limit (ACL; commercial quota) for king mackerel using run-around gillnet gear in the Florida west coast southern subzone of the Gulf EEZ will be reached on February 20, 2015. Therefore, NMFS closes the Florida west coast southern subzone to commercial king mackerel fishing using run-around gillnet gear in the Gulf EEZ. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf king mackerel resource.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its American Samoa, Hawaii, and Mariana Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panels (AP) by teleconference and webconference to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold scoping workshops for Reef Fish Amendment 36.

NMFS and the Northeast Regional Science Center (NEFSC) will convene a Peer Review meeting for the purpose of a review of the survey methods for the Sea Scallop. The scope of the review is broad and includes the statistical design and data collection methods and procedures for several survey systems, including scallop dredges, video drop cameras, and HabCam. The objectives of this review will be to assess the relative merits of each sampling method, to identify complementary aspects among the survey methodologies, and to determine areas of future research and collaboration. The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions.

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold meetings of its 118th Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), SSC sub-working group and its 162nd Council meeting to take actions on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. The Council will also convene meetings of the Pelagic and International Standing Committee and Executive and Budget Standing Committee.

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.

NMFS has received a request from Apache Alaska Corporation (Apache) for authorization to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to its proposed oil and gas exploration seismic survey program in Cook Inlet, Alaska, between March 1, 2015, and February 29, 2020. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue regulations and subsequent Letters of Authorization (LOAs) to Apache to incidentally harass marine mammals.

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council's District Advisory Panels (DAPs) for Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas, USVI, will hold meetings.

Notice is hereby given that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe have submitted three Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans, to be considered jointly, to NMFS pursuant to the limitation on take prohibitions for actions conducted under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead promulgated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The plans specify the propagation of three species of salmon in the Dungeness River watershed of Washington State. This document serves to notify the public of the availability for comment of the proposed evaluation of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) as to whether implementation of the joint plan will appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound steelhead. This notice further advises the public of the availability for review of a draft Environmental Assessment of the effects of the NMFS determination on the subject joint plans.

On March 18, 2013, NOAA proposed to prohibit the introduction of introduced species into the state waters of Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries (GFNMS and MBNMS, respectively). The proposed prohibition included exceptions for the catch and release of striped bass and for introduced species of shellfish as part of commercial aquaculture activities in the Tomales Bay region of GFNMS (the only geographic area within sanctuaries offshore of California where aquaculture occurs). On March 27, 2014, NOAA amended the proposal to allow GFNMS and MBNMS to consider authorizing the introduction of certain introduced species of shellfish, those considered to be non-invasive, from commercial aquaculture culture projects in all state waters of the sanctuaries. NOAA's final action allows MBNMS to authorize state of California permits or leases for commercial aquaculture projects in state waters involving introduced species of shellfish that a) the state management agencies and NOAA have determined to be non-invasive, and b) will not have significant adverse impacts to sanctuary resources or qualities. For GFNMS, NOAA will not adopt authorization authority for similar projects in state waters at this time and will revert to the proposal from March 2013, which prohibits introduction of introduced species, exempts state permitted commercial shellfish aquaculture activities within Tomales Bay only, and provides an exception for the catch and release of striped bass.

This proposed rule would adjust the 2015 fishing season quotas for North and South Atlantic swordfish based upon 2014 commercial quota underharvests and international quota transfers consistent with International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Recommendations 13-02 and 13-03. This proposed rule would apply to commercial and recreational fishing for swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. This action would implement ICCAT recommendations, consistent with the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and would further domestic management objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

We (NMFS) announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list yellowtail damselfish (Microspathodon chrysurus) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.

NMFS has approved five companies to provide at-sea monitoring services to Northeast multispecies vessels in fishing year 2015. Regulations implementing Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan require third-party at-sea monitoring service providers to apply to, and be approved by, NMFS in a manner consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act in order to be eligible to provide at-sea monitoring services to sectors.

As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Secretary of Commerce established three independent regional Scientific Review Groups (SRGs) to provide advice on a range of marine mammal science and management issues. NMFS has conducted a membership review of the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific SRGs and is soliciting nominations for new Members to fill vacancies on the Atlantic and Pacific SRGs. Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in the areas specified below, be able to conduct thorough scientific reviews of marine mammal science, and be able to fulfill the necessary time commitments associated with a thorough review of documents and attendance at one annual meeting.