30-day FRN

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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 193 / Friday, October 6, 2023 / Notices

accept applications received after that
date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 3, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–22295 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration

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Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Electronic Monitoring
Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite 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. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on October 19,
2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Electronic Monitoring Systems
for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0372.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular.
Number of Respondents: 132.
Average Hours per Response: 4 hours
for initial VMS installation; 5 minutes
per VMS initial activation checklist; 2
minutes per hail-out/hail-in declaration;
6 hours for initial electronic monitoring
installation; 1 hour for camera boom
installation; 5 minutes for pelagic
longline and greenstick bluefin tuna
catch records; 1 minute for dockside
review of bluefin tuna catch records; 1
hour for electronic monitoring data
retrieval.
Burden Hours: 2,697.
Needs and Uses: Vessel monitoring
systems (VMS) and other electronic
monitoring systems collect important
information on fishing effort, catch, and

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the geographic location of fishing effort
and catch for certain sectors of the
Atlantic HMS fleet. Data collected
through these systems are used in both
domestic and international fisheries
management, including for law
enforcement, stock assessments, and
quota management purposes. Atlantic
HMS vessels required to use VMS are
pelagic longline, bottom longline
(directed shark permit holders in North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia),
and gillnet (directed shark permit
holders consistent with the
requirements of the Atlantic large whale
take reduction plan requirements at 50
CFR 229.39.(h)) vessels. In addition to
VMS, pelagic longline vessels are also
required to have electronic monitoring
systems to monitor catch and account
for bluefin tuna interactions, and, when
appropriate, monitoring the harvest of
shortfin mako sharks.
NMFS Office of Law Enforcement
monitors fleet adherence to gear- and
time-area restrictions with VMS
position location data. Gear restricted
areas and time-area closures are
important. Atlantic HMS management
tools that have been implemented to
reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish,
sea turtles, and bluefin tuna, among
other species. Electronic monitoring
data from the pelagic longline fleet are
used by NMFS to accurately monitor
bluefin tuna catch by the pelagic
longline fleet, to ensure compliance
with Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ)
limits and requirements, and to ensure
that the Longline category bluefin tuna
quota is not over-harvested.
Additionally, electronic monitoring is
used to verify disposition of retained
shortfin mako sharks, when retention is
allowed, consistent with binding
international agreements. VMS
reporting of bluefin tuna catch is used
to monitor IBQ allocations in real-time.
Atlantic HMS fisheries are managed
under the dual authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(MSA) and the Atlantic Tunas
Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the
MSA, management measures must be
consistent with the National Standards,
and fisheries must be managed to
maintain optimum yield, rebuild
overfished fisheries, and prevent
overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary
of Commerce shall promulgate
regulations, as necessary and
appropriate, to implement measures
adopted by the International
Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit organizations (vessel owners).

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Frequency: VMS reports at the start
and end of each trip; VMS set reports at
the end of each day of fishing; EM data
retrieval after every other trip, unless
the hard drive is full after the first trip.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: Under the provisions
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible
for management of the Nation’s marine
fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate
regulations, as necessary and
appropriate, to carry out obligations the
United States (U.S.) undertakes
internationally regarding tuna
management through the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 971 et
seq.).
This information collection request
may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow
the instructions to view Department of
Commerce collections currently under
review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0372.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary of Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–22323 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; NOAA Marine Fisheries
Advisory Committee Survey on Marine
Mammal Deterrents
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing

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lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 193 / Friday, October 6, 2023 / Notices
information collections, which helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on June 23,
2023 (88 FR 41081) during a 60-day
comment period. This notice allows for
an additional 30 days for public
comments.
Agency: National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: NOAA Marine Fisheries
Advisory Committee Survey on Marine
Mammal Deterrents.
OMB Control Number: 0648–XXXX.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: New Information
Collection.
Number of Respondents: 15,000.
Average Hours per Response: 5
minutes.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,250.
Needs and Uses: This is a request for
a new collection of information.
A recent summary of a series of
marine mammal deterrent workshops by
NOAA Fisheries states, ‘‘under a recent
proposed rule, NOAA Fisheries
developed guidelines for deterring
marine mammals under its jurisdiction,
and recommended specific measures for
species listed under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). The guidelines focus
on how to safely use deterrents to avoid
injuring or killing marine mammals.
However, evaluation of the efficacy of
each deterrent was beyond the scope of
the rulemaking process, and available
data on deterrent effectiveness is
lacking.’’ 1
Consequently, the Protected
Resources Subcommittee of the Marine
Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC)
was asked to help NOAA Fisheries
narrow down the scope for assessing the
effectiveness of the marine mammal
deterrents listed in the proposed
guidelines and create a decision-making
process to prioritize areas to begin
characterizing the effectiveness. To
achieve this, the Subcommittee plans to
rank relative risk of expected losses
from interactions with marine mammals
by various user groups nationwide,
which will identify where the biggest
impacts of marine mammals are likely
to be occurring. The information for the
relative risk and expected loss analysis
will be generated through a survey of
five user groups (commercial fishermen,
recreational fishermen, tribal fishermen
(inclusive of tribal nations and other
coastal indigenous populations),
aquaculture operators, and waterfront

property managers (e.g. harbormasters
and harbor facility assistants)).
Affected Public: Individuals/
Households, Private Sector, State, Local,
or Tribal Government.
Frequency: One-time use.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: The Secretary of
Commerce approved the establishment
of the Marine Fisheries Advisory
Committee (MAFAC or Committee) on
December 28, 1970. The Committee was
initially chartered on February 17, 1971,
and has been renewed periodically
under the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, as amended (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App.
It has been determined the Committee’s
continuance is in the public interest in
accordance with the duties and the laws
imposed on the Department. The
Committee advises the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) on all living
marine resource matters that are the
responsibility of the Department of
Commerce. Specifically, the Committee
draws on the expertise of its members,
its task forces, and other appropriate
sources, such as the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration’s
(NOAA) National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), to evaluate and
recommend priorities and needed
changes in national program direction.
Its objective is to ensure the Nation’s
living marine resource policies and
programs meet the needs of commercial
and recreational fishermen, aquaculture
activities, and environmental,
consumer, academic, tribal,
governmental, and other national
interests.
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering the title of the collection.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–22322 Filed 10–5–23; 8:45 am]

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69623

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD377]

Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys
Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the
Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of letter of
authorization.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, its implementing
regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA
Regulations for Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Geophysical
Surveys Related to Oil and Gas
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico,
notification is hereby given that a Letter
of Authorization (LOA) has been issued
to Cantium, LLC (Cantium) for the take
of marine mammals incidental to
geophysical survey activity in the Gulf
of Mexico.
DATES: The LOA is effective from
October 1, 2023 through December 31,
2023.
ADDRESSES: The LOA, LOA request, and
supporting documentation are available
online at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/
incidental-take-authorization-oil-andgas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rachel Wachtendonk, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–
8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
An authorization for incidental
takings shall be granted if NMFS finds

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