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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices
expected to be impacted by the
proposed survey.
Mitigation measures are expected to
reduce the number and/or severity of
takes by (1) giving animals the
opportunity to move away from the
sound source before HRG survey
equipment reaches full energy; (2)
preventing animals from being exposed
to sound levels that may otherwise
result in injury. Additional vessel strike
avoidance requirements will further
mitigate potential impacts to marine
mammals during vessel transit to and
within the survey area.
NMFS concludes that exposures to
marine mammal species and stocks due
to Dominion’s proposed survey would
result in only short-term (temporary and
short in duration) effects to individuals
exposed. Marine mammals may
temporarily avoid the immediate area,
but are not expected to permanently
abandon the area. Major shifts in habitat
use, distribution, or foraging success are
not expected. NMFS does not anticipate
the authorized take estimates to impact
annual rates of recruitment or survival.
In summary and as described above,
the following factors primarily support
our determination that the impacts
resulting from this activity are not
expected to adversely affect the species
or stock through effects on annual rates
of recruitment or survival:
• No mortality or serious injury is
anticipated or authorized;
• No injury is anticipated or
authorized;
• The anticipated impacts of the
proposed activity on marine mammals
would be limited to temporary
behavioral changes due to avoidance of
the area around the survey vessel;
• Alternate areas of similar habitat
value for marine mammals to
temporarily vacate the survey area
during the proposed survey and avoid
exposure to sounds from the activity are
available;
• The proposed project area does not
contain areas of significance for feeding,
mating or calving;
• Effects on species that serve as prey
species for marine mammals from the
proposed survey are expected to be
minimal;
• Mitigation measures, including
visual and acoustic monitoring and
shutdowns, are expected to minimize
potential impacts to marine mammals.
Based on the analysis contained
herein of the likely effects of the
specified activity on marine mammals
and their habitat, and taking into
consideration the implementation of the
monitoring and mitigation measures,
NMFS finds that the total marine
mammal take from the proposed activity

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will have a negligible impact on all
affected marine mammal species or
stocks.
Small Numbers
As noted above, only small numbers
of incidental take may be authorized
under Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA
for specified activities other than
military readiness activities. The MMPA
does not define small numbers and so,
in practice, where estimated numbers
are available, NMFS compares the
number of individuals taken to the most
appropriate estimation of abundance of
the relevant species or stock in our
determination of whether an
authorization is limited to small
numbers of marine mammals.
Additionally, other qualitative factors
may be considered in the analysis, such
as the temporal or spatial scale of the
activities.
The numbers of marine mammals that
we authorized to be taken would be
considered small relative to the relevant
stocks or populations for all species and
stocks (less than 10 percent of
bottlenose dolphin stocks, and less than
1 percent of each of the other species
and stocks). See Tables 6 and 7. Based
on the analysis contained herein of the
proposed activity (including the
mitigation and monitoring measures)
and the anticipated take of marine
mammals, NMFS finds that small
numbers of marine mammals will be
taken relative to the population size of
the affected species or stocks.
Unmitigable Adverse Impact Analysis
and Determination
There are no relevant subsistence uses
of the affected marine mammal stocks or
species implicated by this action.
Therefore, NMFS has determined that
the total taking of affected species or
stocks would not have an unmitigable
adverse impact on the availability of
such species or stocks for taking for
subsistence purposes.
National Environmental Policy Act
To comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
NOAA Administrative Order (NAO)
216–6A, NMFS must review our
proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an
incidental harassment authorization)
with respect to potential impacts on the
human environment.
This action is consistent with
categories of activities identified in
Categorical Exclusion B4 (incidental
harassment authorizations with no
anticipated serious injury or mortality)
of the Companion Manual for NOAA
Administrative Order 216–6A, which do

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not individually or cumulatively have
the potential for significant impacts on
the quality of the human environment
and for which we have not identified
any extraordinary circumstances that
would preclude this categorical
exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has
determined that the issuance of the IHA
qualifies to be categorically excluded
from further NEPA review. We have
reviewed all comments submitted in
response to the proposed IHA notice
prior to concluding our NEPA process
and making this final decision on the
IHA request.
Endangered Species Act
Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.) requires that each Federal agency
insure that any action it authorizes,
funds, or carries out is not likely to
jeopardize the continued existence of
any endangered or threatened species or
result in the destruction or adverse
modification of designated critical
habitat.
The NMFS Office of Protected
Resources is proposing mitigation to
avoid the incidental take of the species
of marine mammals which are likely to
be present and are listed under the ESA:
The North Atlantic right and fin whales.
Therefore, consultation under section 7
of the ESA is not required.
Authorization
NMFS has issued an IHA to Dominion
for conducting UXO surveys offshore
Virginia for a period of one year,
provided the previously mentioned
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting
requirements are incorporated.
Dated: July 31, 2018.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–16885 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Northeast
Multispecies Amendment 16
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, as part of its continuing
effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, invites the general

SUMMARY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices

sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES

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.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before October 9, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6616,
14th and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
internet at [email protected]).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to Liz Sullivan, (978) 282–8493
or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for an extension of a
current information collection. Under
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(MSA), the Secretary of Commerce has
the responsibility for the conservation
and management of marine fishery
resources. We, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA)
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), and the Regional Fishery
Management Councils are delegated the
majority of this responsibility. The New
England Fishery Management Council
(Council) develops management plans
for fishery resources in New England.
In 2010, we implemented a new suite
of regulations for the Northeast (NE)
multispecies fishery through
Amendment 16 to the NE Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This
action updated status determination
criteria for all regulated NE multispecies
or ocean pout stocks; adopted
rebuilding programs for NE multispecies
(groundfish) stocks newly classified as
being overfished and subject to
overfishing; revised management
measures, including significant
revisions to the sector management
measures (established under
Amendment 13) necessary to end
overfishing, rebuild overfished
regulated NE multispecies and ocean
pout stocks, and mitigate the adverse
economic impacts of increased effort
controls. It also implemented new
requirements under Amendment 16 for
establishing acceptable biological catch
(ABC), annual catch limits (ACLs), and
accountability measures (AMs) for each
stock managed under the FMP, pursuant
to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act).

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Sectors are a management tool in the
NE groundfish fishery. A sector consists
of three or more limited access NE
multispecies vessel permits, with
distinct ownership, who voluntarily
enter into a contract to manage their
fishing operations and to share liability.
A sector is granted an annual allocation
of most stocks of fish managed by the
NE Multispecies FMP. In return for
increased operational flexibility, such as
exemptions from certain effort controls
and the ability to pool and trade quota,
sectors have additional reporting and
monitoring requirements. The sector
reporting and monitoring requirements,
as established by Amendment 16 and
revised by subsequent framework
adjustments to the NE Multispecies
FMP, are contained within this
information collection.
II. Method of Collection
Respondents must submit either
paper forms via postal service, or
electronic forms submitted via the
internet or a vessels’ vessel monitoring
system (VMS).
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0605.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(revision and extension of a current
information collection).
Affected Public: Business or for-profit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,334.
Estimated Time per Response: Sector
operations plan and membership list
updates, 176 hr/response; Monitoring
service provider initial application, 10
hr/response; Monitoring service
provider response to application
disapproval, 10 hr/response; Data entry
for sector discard monitoring system, 3
min/response; Sector weekly catch
report, 4 hr/response; Sector annual
report, 12 hr/response; Notification of
expulsion from a sector, 30 min/
response; Request to transfer Annual
Catch Entitlement (ACE), 5 min/
response; Request to lease day-at-sea
(DAS), 5 min/response; request to
downgrade, 5 min/response; VMS
certification form, 10 min/response;
VMS confirmation call, 5 min/response;
VMS area and DAS declaration, 5 min/
response; VMS trip-level catch report;
VMS daily catch reports when fishing in
multiple broad stock areas, 15 min/
response; Daily VMS catch reports when
fishing in the U.S./Canada Management
Area and CA II SAPs, 15 min/response;
Daily VMS catch reports when fishing
in the CA I Hook Gear Haddock SAP, 15
min/response; Daily VMS catch reports
when fishing in the Regular B DAS

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Program, 15 min/response; Pre-trip hail
report, 2 min/response; Trip-end hail
report, 15 min/response; Forward trip
start/end hails to NMFS, 2 min/
response; ASM Pre-Trip Notification, 2
min/response; Vessel notification of
selection for at-sea monitoring coverage,
5 min/response; at-sea monitor
deployment report, 10 min/response; atsea monitoring service provider catch
report to NMFS upon request, 5 min/
response; at-sea monitor report of
harassment and other issues, 30 min/
response; at-sea monitoring service
provider contract upon request, 30 min/
response; at-sea monitoring service
provider information materials upon
request, 30 min/response; OLE
debriefing of at-sea monitors, 2 hr/
response; ASM Database and Data Entry
Requirements, 3 min/response; Observer
program pre-trip notification, 2 min/
response; DAS Transfer Program, 5min/
response; Expedited Submission of
Proposed SAPs, 20 hr/response; NAFO
Reporting Requirements, 10 min/
response.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 39,351.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $ 4,466,172 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: August 3, 2018.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018–16955 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am]
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