National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration August 31, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Marine Mammals; File No. 21476
Document Number: 2020-19080
Type: Notice
Date: 2020-08-31
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice is hereby given that Lars Bejder, Ph.D., University of Hawaii at Manoa, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, HI 96744, has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 21476.
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota (IBQ) Tracking and Appeals
Document Number: 2020-19078
Type: Notice
Date: 2020-08-31
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements, and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Guidelines for Safely Deterring Marine Mammals
Document Number: 2020-18718
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2020-08-31
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) allows for specified persons to employ measures to deter marine mammals from damaging fishing gear and catch, damaging personal or public property, or endangering personal safety, as long as these measures do not result in death or serious injury of marine mammals. The MMPA directs the Secretary of Commerce, through NOAA's NMFS, to publish a list of ``guidelines'' for use in safely deterring marine mammals under NMFS' jurisdiction and to recommend ``specific measures,'' which may be used to nonlethally deter marine mammals listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). While the guidelines and specific measures are not mandatory, the MMPA provides protection from liability under the MMPA for take resulting from such deterrence measures by specifying that any actions taken to deter marine mammals that are consistent with the guidelines or specific measures are not a violation of the act. NMFS has not evaluated these deterrents for effectiveness. This rulemaking also includes prohibitions on certain deterrent methods that NMFS has determined, using the best available scientific information, would have a significant adverse effect on marine mammals.
2020 Annual Determination To Implement the Sea Turtle Observer Requirement
Document Number: 2020-17201
Type: Rule
Date: 2020-08-31
Agency: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes the final Annual Determination (AD) for 2020, pursuant to its authority under the Endangered Species Act (ESA or Act). Through the AD, NMFS identifies U.S. fisheries operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that will be required to take fisheries observers upon NMFS' request. The purpose of observing identified fisheries is to learn more about sea turtle bycatch in a given fishery, evaluate measures to prevent or reduce sea turtle bycatch, and implement the prohibition against sea turtle takes. Fisheries identified on the 2020 AD (see Table 1) will remain on the AD for a five-year period from the effective date of the final determination and will be required to carry observers upon NMFS' request.
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