9734 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 35 / Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

February 8, 2011, and then extended the 

comment period to March 25, 2011. 

NMFS has received requests for public 

hearings on this issue. In response, we 

announce that public hearings will be 

held at three locations in Alaska 

(Anchorage, Barrow, and Nome) to 

provide additional opportunities and 

formats to receive public input. 

DATES: A hearing will be held on March 

7, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 

Anchorage, and on March 22, 2011, 

from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Barrow, AK. 

The date and time for a hearing in Nome 

will be announced in a forthcoming 

notice in the Federal Register. As 

previously noted, we will consider 

written comments received on or before 

March 25, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: The March 7, 2011, hearing 

will be held at the Egan Center (Lower 

Level), 555 West Fifth Avenue, 

Anchorage, AK. The March 22, 2011, 

hearing will be held at the In ̃upiat 

Heritage Center, 5421 North Star Street, 

Barrow, AK. As noted above, we will 

announce the address for a hearing in 

Nome in a forthcoming notice in the 

Federal Register. 

Send written comments to Kaja Brix, 

Assistant Regional Administrator, 

Protected Resources Division, Alaska 

Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. 

You may submit comments, identified 

by RIN 0648–XZ59, by any one of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submissions: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

• Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 

99802. 

• Fax: (907) 586–7557. 

• Hand delivery to the Federal 

Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room 

420A, Juneau, AK. 

All comments received are a part of 

the public record. Comments will 

generally be posted without change. All 

Personal Identifying Information (for 

example, name, address, etc.) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

We will accept anonymous comments 

(enter N/A in the required fields, if you 

wish to remain anonymous). You may 

submit attachments to electronic 

comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, 

WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats 

only. 

The proposed rule, status review 

report, and other materials relating to 

this proposal can be found on the 

Alaska Region Web site at: http:// 

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tamara Olson, NMFS Alaska Region, 

(907) 271–5006; Kaja Brix, NMFS 

Alaska Region, (907) 586–7235; or Marta 

Nammack, Office of Protected 

Resources, Silver Spring, MD (301) 713– 

1401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On December 10, 2010 (75 FR 77476), 

we published a proposed rule to list the 

Arctic, Okhotsk, Baltic, and Ladoga 

subspecies of the ringed seal as 

threatened under the ESA. Based on the 

status of these subspecies, we also 

proposed protective regulations 

pursuant to section 4(d) of the ESA for 

these subspecies to include all of the 

prohibitions in section 9(a)(1) of the 

ESA. The original due date for 

comments on these proposed actions 

(February 8, 2011) was extended to 

March 25, 2011 (76 FR 6754; February 

8, 2011). 

Public Hearings 

Joint Commerce-Interior ESA 

implementing regulations state that the 

Secretary shall promptly hold at least 

one public hearing if any person 

requests one within 45 days of 

publication of a proposed regulation to 

list a species or to designate critical 

habitat (see 50 CFR 424.16(c)(3)). In 

response to requests from various 

parties to hold public hearings in a 

number of locations in Alaska, we will 

hold three public hearings: One in 

Anchorage, one in Barrow, and one in 

Nome. We will accept oral and written 

comments on both the proposed rule for 

ringed seals and the proposed rule for 

bearded seals (75 FR 77496; December 

10, 2010) during these hearings. 

People wishing to make an oral 

statement for the record at a public 

hearing are encouraged to provide a 

written copy of their statement and 

present it to us at the hearing. In the 

event that attendance at the public 

hearings is large, the time allotted for 

oral statements may be limited. Oral and 

written statements receive equal 

consideration. There are no limits on 

the length of written comments 

submitted to us. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1533 et seq. 

Dated: February 15, 2011. 

Helen Golde, 

Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources. 

[FR Doc. 2011–3883 Filed 2–16–11; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 223 

[Docket No. 101126591–0588–01] 

RIN 0648–XZ58 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Proposed Threatened Status for 

Distinct Population Segments of the 

Bearded Seal 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public hearings. 

SUMMARY: On December 10, 2010, we, 

NMFS, published a proposed rule to list 

the Beringia and Okhotsk Distinct 

Population Segments (DPSs) of the 

bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) as 

threatened under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). 

As part of that proposal, we announced 

a public comment period to end on 

February 8, 2011, and then extended the 

comment period to March 25, 2011. 

NMFS has received requests for public 

hearings on this issue. In response, we 

announce that public hearings will be 

held at three locations in Alaska 

(Anchorage, Barrow, and Nome) to 

provide additional opportunities and 

formats to receive public input. 

DATES: A hearing will be held on March 

7, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 

Anchorage, and on March 22, 2011, 

from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Barrow, AK. 

The date and time for a hearing in Nome 

will be announced in a forthcoming 

notice in the Federal Register. As 

previously noted, we will consider 

written comments received on or before 

March 25, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: The March 7, 2011, hearing 

will be held at the Egan Center (Lower 

Level), 555 West Fifth Avenue, 

Anchorage, AK. The March 22, 2011, 

hearing will be held at the In ̃upiat 

Heritage Center, 5421 North Star Street, 

Barrow, AK. As noted above, we will 

announce the address for a hearing in 

Nome in a forthcoming notice in the 

Federal Register. 

Send written comments to Kaja Brix, 

Assistant Regional Administrator, 

Protected Resources Division, Alaska 

Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. 

You may submit comments, identified 

by RIN 0648–XZ58, by any one of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submissions: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 35 / Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / Proposed Rules 9735 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

• Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 

99802. 

• Fax: (907) 586–7557. 

• Hand delivery to the Federal 

Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room 

420A, Juneau, AK. 

All comments received are a part of 

the public record. Comments will 

generally be posted without change. All 

Personal Identifying Information (for 

example, name, address, etc.) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

We will accept anonymous comments 

(enter N/A in the required fields, if you 

wish to remain anonymous). You may 

submit attachments to electronic 

comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, 

WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats 

only. 

The proposed rule, status review 

report, and other materials relating to 

this proposal can be found on the 

Alaska Region Web site at: http:// 

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tamara Olson, NMFS Alaska Region, 

(907) 271–5006; Kaja Brix, NMFS 

Alaska Region, (907) 586–7235; or Marta 

Nammack, Office of Protected 

Resources, Silver Spring, MD (301) 713– 

1401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On December 10, 2010 (75 FR 77476), 

we published a proposed rule to list the 

Beringia and Okhotsk Distinct 

Population Segments (DPSs) of the 

bearded seal as threatened under the 

ESA. Based on the status of these DPSs, 

we also proposed protective regulations 

pursuant to section 4(d) of the ESA for 

these DPSs to include all of the 

prohibitions in section 9(a)(1) of the 

ESA. The original due date for 

comments on these proposed actions 

(February 8, 2011) was extended to 

March 25, 2011 (76 FR 6754; February 

8, 2011). 

Public Hearings 

Joint Commerce-Interior ESA 

implementing regulations state that the 

Secretary shall promptly hold at least 

one public hearing if any person 

requests one within 45 days of 

publication of a proposed regulation to 

list a species or to designate critical 

habitat (see 50 CFR 424.16(c)(3)). In 

response to requests from various 

parties to hold public hearings in a 

number of locations in Alaska, we will 

hold three public hearings: one in 

Anchorage, one in Barrow, and one in 

Nome. We will accept oral and written 

comments on both the proposed rule for 

bearded seals and the proposed rule for 

ringed seals (75 FR 77476; December 10, 

2010) during these hearings. 

People wishing to make an oral 

statement for the record at a public 

hearing are encouraged to provide a 

written copy of their statement and 

present it to us at the hearing. In the 

event that attendance at the public 

hearings is large, the time allotted for 

oral statements may be limited. Oral and 

written statements receive equal 

consideration. There are no limits on 

the length of written comments 

submitted to us. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1533 et seq. 

Dated: February 15, 2011. 

Helen Golde, 

Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources. 

[FR Doc. 2011–3882 Filed 2–16–11; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 110207101–1097–01] 

RIN 0648–BA54 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red 

Snapper Management Measures 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this proposed 

rule that would implement a regulatory 

amendment to the Fishery Management 

Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the 

Gulf of Mexico (FMP) prepared by the 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council (Council). This proposed rule 

would increase the commercial and 

recreational quotas for red snapper in 

the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) reef fish 

fishery for the 2011 fishing year, 

provided that NMFS determines the 

total allowable catch (TAC) was not 

exceeded in the 2010 fishing year. This 

rule also proposes minor revisions to 

codified text, including revisions to the 

definition of ‘‘actual ex-vessel value,’’ 

extending the maintenance window for 

the Gulf individual fishing quota (IFQ) 

programs, and removing obsolete 

codified text for Gulf grouper. The 

intended effect of this proposed rule is 

to help achieve optimum yield (OY) for 

Gulf red snapper without increasing the 

risk of the red snapper resource 

experiencing overfishing, allow for 

better functioning and enforcement of 

the Gulf IFQ programs, and to 

implement a technical correction to the 

regulations. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before March 24, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the proposed rule, identified by 

0648–BA54, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic submissions: Submit 

electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Rich Malinowski, Southeast 

Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

Instructions: All comments received 

are a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov without change. 

All Personal Identifying Information (for 

example, name, address, etc.) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

To submit comments through the 

Federal e-rulemaking portal http:// 

www.regulations.gov, enter ‘‘NOAA– 

NMFS–2011–0018’’ in the keyword 

search, then check the box labeled 

‘‘Select to find documents accepting 

comments or submissions,’’ then select 

‘‘Send a comment or submission.’’ 

NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter N/A in the required 

field if you wish to remain anonymous). 

You may submit attachments to 

electronic comments in Microsoft Word, 

Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file 

formats only. 

Comments received through means 

not specified in this proposed rule will 

not be considered. 

Copies of the regulatory amendment, 

which includes an environmental 

assessment and a regulatory impact 

review, may be obtained from the Gulf 

of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 

2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, 

Tampa, FL 33607; telephone 813–348– 

1630; fax 813–348–1711; e-mail 

gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org; or may be 

downloaded from the Council’s Web 

site at http://www.gulfcouncil.org/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich 

Malinowski, 727–824–5308. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef 

fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico is 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS