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Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 2026 / Notices

Project Narrative
MA DMF is requesting the renewal of
an EFP in support of a continuing study
developing a genomic tool to evaluate
the population structure of Atlantic
herring. During the first year of
sampling, two trips were taken to
spawning areas in the GOM, and three
trips were made to GB and the Great
South Channel. Additional herring
samples were acquired from tuna
fishermen who had captured herring
with hook and line. Sampling in the
study’s first year captured
approximately 400 lb (181.4 kg) of
herring and did not obtain the target
sample size (970 lb (440.0 kg)), so a
second year of sampling is requested to
meet study objectives. The current
system of herring management sets areaspecific annual catch limits (ACL) that
are based on estimates of spawning
component abundance and seasonal
mixing rates. These estimates have not
been updated since implementation of
the Atlantic Herring Fishery
Management Plan in 2000. This study is
intended to improve scientific
understanding of the contributions of
genetically distinct sub-populations to
herring stocks in U.S. waters and,
therefore, may allow fisheries managers
to update area-specific ACLs to reflect
their spawning components.
This EFP would authorize 3 fishing
vessels to retain a total of 3,000 adult
herring (approximately 970 lb (440.4
kg)) from 5 spawning grounds during
the spring and fall spawning seasons.
The vessel sampling Eastern GOM and
Western GOM areas would primarily
use midwater trawl gear with the option
of switching to purse seine or bottom
trawl. The two vessels fishing Jeffreys
Ledge, the Great South Channel, and GB
would use small-mesh bottom trawl
gear. Spring sampling under the EFP
issued for the first year of sampling will
take place in April and May. A second
round of fall sampling would occur
under this renewed EFP from August to
November. These vessels are expected
to take 15 total trips, and trips to some
nearby spawning areas may be
combined. During each trip, the project
team plans to conduct short, 5–60minute tows to catch and retain 150–
300 adult herring from each area
sampled. Once the net is retrieved, the
crew will retain herring and discard all
other catch. If more than 150 herring are
captured, the crew would continue to
retain herring until they have no more
space in their insulated cooler. The
cooler would hold a maximum of
approximately 300 herring, and any
further captures would then be
discarded.

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After sampling, the research team
would use low-coverage, whole-genome
sequencing to identify a panel of small
genetic differences that can reliably
differentiate between herring subpopulations. Through a peer-reviewed
publication on their genomic tool and
their findings regarding Atlantic herring
genomic population structure, the
research team may enable fishery
managers to update area-specific ACLs
to support the sustainable harvest of
each spawning component.
Genomic tools require relatively small
sample sizes. The project team has
already harvested approximately 400 lb
(181.4 kg) of Atlantic herring in the first
year of Fall sampling. In their Spring,
2025 and Fall, 2026 sampling, they
propose to harvest an additional 570 lb
(258.5 kg) of Atlantic herring over 15
sampling trips, which is less than 9
percent of the 6,600-lb (2993.7-kg)
possession limit associated with an
Open Access Category D Permit.
Because the project requires sampling
spawning herring, vessels would sample
during the areas’ fall spawning closures.
The project team would work with
knowledgeable captains who are skilled
at capturing herring, so only a single
tow is expected to take place per area
sampled on most trips. Although the
MA DMF plans to conduct tows
between 30 and 60 minutes, vessel
operators would plan to capture
sufficient samples with the least amount
of fishing effort possible, including tows
as short as 5 minutes. Technologies
such as net-mounted echosounders, for
example, would be used to identify
herring entering the net and, therefore,
signal operators to end the tow. Because
of the low amount of fishing effort that
this sampling would require, discards of
incidentally captured species are
expected to be relatively low, around
10,000 lb (4,535.9 kg) total over 15 trips.
Based on observer data from the same
areas and gears, the highest volume of
bycatch is expected to be of silver hake,
with expected discards of around 7,000
lb (3,175.1 kg).
The applicants state that the
exemption allowing vessels to fish in
GOM Cod Protection Closure Areas is
necessary for sampling herring in the
Jeffreys Ledge spawning area. Based on
existing observer data and the project
team’s knowledge of herring spawning
locations, they are expecting to cause
nearly-zero Atlantic cod bycatch
mortality during their sampling. Based
on observer data collected from vessels
fishing in the same statistical areas
using the same gear, the research team
expects this sampling to catch a total of
4.4 lb (2.0 kg) cod. During the first year
of sampling, no cod were captured. In

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addition, the research team expects to
catch herring in deeper water and softer
substrate than where cod are abundant
and/or spawning. Finally, the research
team has previously measured a 93percent survival rate for cod captured
using short tows with bottom trawl gear
(Zemeckis et al., 2019). Therefore,
although a very small amount of cod
catch is possible, the applicant suggests
that cod would be returned to the water
as soon as possible and would be very
likely to survive.
If approved, the applicant may
request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
year. EFP modifications and extensions
may be granted without further notice if
they are deemed essential to facilitate
completion of the proposed research
and have minimal impacts that do not
change the scope or impact of the
initially approved EFP request. Any
fishing activity conducted outside the
scope of the exempted fishing activity
would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: April 29, 2026.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026–08600 Filed 5–1–26; 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; Reporting Requirements for
Commercial Fisheries Authorization
Under Section 118 of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act
AGENCY: National Oceanic &

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
SUMMARY: 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.

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Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 2026 / Notices
DATES: To ensure consideration,

comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before July 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0292 in the subject line of your
comments. All comments received are
part of the public record and will
generally be posted on https://
www.regulations.gov without change.
Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Jaclyn
Taylor, NOAA National Marine
Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Hwy.,
Silver Spring, MD 20910–3282, (301)
427–8402 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for the renewal of a
currently approved information
collection and is sponsored by National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office
of Protected Resources (OPR).
Reporting injury to and/or mortalities
of marine mammal’s incidental to
commercial fishing activities is
mandated under Section 118 of the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA). This information is required to
determine the impacts of commercial
fishing on marine mammal populations.
This information is also used to classify
commercial fisheries into Categories I,
II, or III on the annual Marine Mammal
Protection Act List of Fisheries.
Participants in the first two categories
must be authorized to take marine
mammals, while those in Category III
are exempt from that requirement. All
three categories must report injuries or
mortalities to the NMFS using the OMB
approved form.
II. Method of Collection

khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICE

Respondents have a choice of either
electronic or paper forms. Methods of
submittal include online forms, email of
electronic or scanned forms, mail and
facsimile transmission of paper forms.

households; State, local, or tribal
government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
200.
Estimated Time per Response: 15
minutes per response.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 50 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0.
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1387 Sec.
118.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information
collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office
of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.

III. Data

[FR Doc. 2026–08642 Filed 5–1–26; 8:45 am]

OMB Control Number: 0648–0292.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of currently approved
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; Individuals or

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

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23973

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XF661]

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Robert Storrs
Harbor Floats A&B Replacement
Project in Unalaska, Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of incidental
harassment authorization.
SUMMARY: In accordance with

regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given
that NMFS has issued an incidental
harassment authorization (IHA) to the
City of Unalaska (COU) for
authorization to take marine mammals
incidental to the Robert Storrs Harbor
Floats A&B Replacement Project in
Unalaska, Alaska.
DATES: This authorization is effective for
1 year from the date of notification by
the IHA-holder, not to exceed 1 year
from the date of issuance (April 30,
2026).
ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the

application and supporting documents,
as well as a list of the references cited
in this document, may be obtained
online at: https://www.fisheries.
noaa.gov/national/marine-mammalprotection/incidental-takeauthorizations-construction. In case of
problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Gatzke, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
MMPA Background and
Determinations
The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of
marine mammals, with certain
exceptions. Among the exceptions is
section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) which directs the
Secretary of Commerce (as delegated to
NMFS) to allow, upon request, the
incidental, but not intentional, taking by
harassment 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 the public has an
opportunity to comment on the
proposed IHA.

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