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

This emergency rule temporarily allows at-sea Pacific whiting processing platforms to operate as both a mothership and a catcher- processor during the 2020 Pacific whiting fishery. This action is necessary to ensure catcher vessels in the mothership cooperative sector are able to fully harvest sector allocations. Emergency measures under this rule will allow catcher-processors to operate as motherships later in the year, and replace mothership processing platforms that have chosen not to operate in the cooperative in response to high economic uncertainty in 2020.

Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received one Incidental Take Permit application and one Enhancement of Survival Permit application for Sierra Pacific Land & Timber Company's (SPL&T) Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA). The HCP/SHA has been submitted pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(B) and Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. NMFS has also prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) describing the potential effects of NMFS' proposed issuance of the Permits associated with the submitted HCP/SHA. SPL&T is the largest private forestland owner in the state of California, with ownership currently encompassing approximately 1.64 million acres of timberland throughout the northern and central portions of the state. Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is the authorized representative and manager of SPL&T lands. Rivers and streams on portions of SPL&T lands in the Trinity River and Sacramento River basins provide habitat for anadromous salmonids, including species listed under the ESA. NMFS is furnishing this notice in order to allow other agencies and the public an opportunity to review and comment on these documents. All comments and other information received will become part of the public record and will be available for review.

The NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would allow six commercial lobster vessels to participate in a lobster growth and abundance study, under the direction of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notice to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on Exempted Fishing Permit applications.

In accordance with the regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), as amended, notification is hereby given that NMFS has issued a Renewal incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Chevron Products Company (Chevron) to incidentally harass marine mammals incidental to the Long Wharf Maintenance and Efficiency Project (LWMEP) in San Francisco Bay, California.

NMFS issues this final rule to establish 2020 harvest specifications and management measures for Pacific whiting, shortbelly rockfish, and cowcod caught in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Pacific Whiting Act of 2006, and other applicable laws. For Pacific whiting, this rule establishes the 2020 adjusted U.S. Total Allowable Catch level, tribal and non-tribal allocations, and research and bycatch set- asides. This final rule also adjusts the 2020 harvest specifications for shortbelly rockfish and cowcod. The catch limits in this rule are intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Pacific whiting, shortbelly rockfish, and cowcod stocks.

NMFS is opening the Summer Herring Savings Area 2 in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent the underharvest of the 2020 pollock total allowable catch (TAC) and facilitate pollock harvest by the American Fisheries Act (AFA) inshore sector, AFA mothership sector, and Community Development Quota (CDQ) program in the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI.

NMFS announces a consolidation of the public meeting of the Scientific Advisory Subcommittee (SAS) to the General Advisory Committee (GAC) scheduled on June 17, 2020, with the public meeting of the GAC to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) scheduled on June 18, 2020. This newly consolidated SAS and GAC meeting will be held on June 18, 2020, via webinar. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

NMFS has received a revised application from Virginia Electric and Power Company, D.B.A. Dominion Virginia Power for an incidental take permit, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act for activities associated with the otherwise lawful continued operation and maintenance of the Dominion Chesterfield Power Station in Chesterfield, VA. We are publishing this notice to inform the public that we are considering issuing a 5-year permit to the applicant that would authorize take of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) from the Chesapeake Bay.

The SEDAR 70 stock assessment process for Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack will consist of a series of data and assessment webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

NMFS publishes for public review and comment information regarding a permit application for transshipment of farmed salmon from aquaculture operations in Maine to processing plants in Canada by Canadian flagged vessels. The application for a transshipment permit is submitted under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This action is necessary for NMFS to make a determination that the permit application can be approved.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is soliciting applications for membership on the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System Advisory Committee (the Committee), which is a Federal advisory committee. Members of the Committee will fulfill the requirements of the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 (the Act). The Committee provides advice to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and to the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee on the planning, integrated design, operation, maintenance, enhancement, and expansion of the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS). U.S. IOOS promotes research to develop, test, and deploy innovations and improvements in coastal and ocean observation technologies and modeling systems, addresses regional and national needs for ocean information, gathers data on key coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes variables and ensures timely and sustained dissemination and availability of these data for societal benefits. U.S. IOOS benefits national safety, the economy, and the environment through support for national defense, marine commerce and forecasting, navigation safety, weather, climate, energy siting and production, economic development, ecosystem-based management of marine and coastal areas, conservation of ocean and coastal resources and public safety. The Act requires the establishment and administration of this Committee by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. NOAA will hereby accept applications for membership on the Committee to fill two vacancies that occurred in late 2019. These vacancy appointments shall be for the remainder of the unexpired term of the vacancy, which ends August 15, 2021. An individual so appointed may subsequently be appointed for an additional three-year term. The Act states: ``Members shall be qualified by education, training, and experience to evaluate scientific and technical information related to the design, operation, maintenance, or use of the [Integrated Ocean Observing] System, or use of data products provided through the System.'' NOAA encourages individuals with expertise in oceanographic data, products, and services; coastal management; fisheries management; coastal and marine spatial planning; geodesy; water levels; and other science-related fields to submit applications for Committee membership. To apply for membership on the Committee, applicants should submit a resume highlighting their qualifications as indicated in the ADDRESSES section. NOAA is an equal-opportunity employer.

This action provides participants in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Trawl Rationalization Program (Trawl Program), Shorebased Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program with the updated 2020 fee percentage needed to calculate the required payments for the cost recovery fees due for the remainder of 2020. For the remainder of calendar year 2020, NMFS announces that the Shorebased IFQ Program fee percentage will be 2.88 percent.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management will hold a public meeting to solicit comments on the performance evaluation of the Maryland Coastal Management Program and Chesapeake Bay Maryland National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Climate and Communities Core Team (CCCT) will hold an online meeting, which is open to the public.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (the Federal agencies) invite public comment on the agencies' proposed finding that Washington has satisfied all conditions the agencies established as part of their 1998 approval of the State's coastal nonpoint pollution control program (coastal nonpoint program). The Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA) directs states and territories with coastal zone management programs previously approved under Section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act to develop and implement coastal nonpoint programs, which must be submitted to the Federal agencies for approval. Prior to making such a finding, NOAA and the EPA invite public input on the two Federal agencies' rationale for this proposed finding.

NMFS issues regulations to implement Regulatory Amendment 29 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP) (Regulatory Amendment 29), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This final rule requires descending devices to be on board vessels and requires the use of specific fish hook types while fishing for or possessing snapper-grouper species. This rule also allows the use of powerheads in Federal waters off South Carolina to harvest snapper- grouper species. The purpose of this rule is to modify fishing gear requirements to promote best fishing practices and to ensure consistent regulations for the dive component of the snapper-grouper fishery.

NMFS has received a request from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental to Mukilteo Multimodal Construction Project in Washington State. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to issue an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to incidentally take marine mammals during the specified activities. NMFS is also requesting comments on a possible one-year renewal that could be issued under certain circumstances and if all requirements are met, as described in Request for Public Comments at the end of this notice. NMFS will consider public comments prior to making any final decision on the issuance of the requested MMPA authorizations and agency responses will be summarized in the final notice of our decision.

Notice is hereby given that permits and permit modifications have been issued to the following entities under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as applicable.

This rule revises reporting and monitoring provisions for vessels participating in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. This would: Increase the position transmission rate for certain vessels using NMFS type-approved vessel monitoring system units; allow midwater trawl vessels participating in the Pacific whiting fishery to change their landing declarations while at sea; exempt groundfish trawl vessels from observer coverage while testing authorized fishing gear; and allow shorebased Individual Fishing Quota fixed gear vessels to deploy pot gear in one management area while retrieving gear from another management area on a single trip. This action will increase monitoring efficiency and effectiveness, improve enforcement of restricted areas, and increase operational flexibility for groundfish fishery participants.

Notice is hereby given that Oregon State University, Marine Mammal Institute, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365 (Responsible Party: Bruce Mate, Ph.D.)., has applied for an amendment to Scientific Research Permit No. 21585.

NMFS announces approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of collection-of-information requirements contained in regulations published in a final rule on December 20, 2019. The final rule implements International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements in Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C-18-06 (Resolution (Amended) on a Regional Vessel Register) and amendments to existing regulations governing inclusion on the IATTC Regional Vessel Register (Vessel Register) by purse seine vessels fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The intent of this final rule is to inform the public of the effectiveness of the collection-of-information requirements associated with the final rule. This final rule also corrects the regulatory text to implement two collection-of-information requirements that were included in the December 20, 2019, final rule and inadvertently set to become effective on January 21, 2020, before being approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Those two collection-of-information requirements were corrected in a correcting amendment in a final rule published on February 13, 2020 and are made effective in this final rule.

NMFS is closing the directed fishery for Herring Management Area 3. This closure is required because NMFS projects that 92 percent of the catch amount for Management Area 3 has been caught. This action is intended to prevent overharvest of Atlantic herring in Management Area 3, which will result in additional quota reductions next year.

The SEDAR 65 assessment of the Atlantic stock of blacktip shark will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Data Workshop; Assessment Webinars; and a Review workshop.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Citizen Science Operations Committee via webinar.

NMFS has received a request from the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society (Society) for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals incidental to Lighthouse Repair and Tour Operations at Northwest Seal Rock, California over the course of five years from the date of issuance. Pursuant to regulations implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt of the Society's request for the development and implementation of regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals. NMFS invites the public to provide information, suggestions, and comments on the Society's application and request.