Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2011 / Notices 3097 

viewed at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ 

pr/permits/incidental.htm. 

Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring 

Report 

The 2010 LOA required that the Navy 

update the ICMP Plan to reflect 

development in three areas, specifically: 

(1) Identifying more specific monitoring 

sub-goals under the major goals that 

have been identified; (2) Characterizing 

Navy Range Complexes and study areas 

within the context of the prioritization 

guidelines described in the ICMP Plan; 

and (3) Continuing to develop data 

management, organization, and access 

procedures. The Navy has updated the 

ICMP Plan as required. Because the 

ICMP is an evolving Program, we have 

posted the ICMP on NMFS Web site: 

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ 

incidental.htm and are specifically 

requesting input, which the Navy and 

NMFS will consider and apply as 

appropriate. 

Further, the Navy convened a 

monitoring meeting in October, 2010 to 

solicit input from NMFS and marine 

mammal and acoustic scientists 

regarding the comprehensive 

development and improvement of the 

more specific monitoring that should 

occur across the Navy’s training areas. 

Subsequent to those discussions, the 

Navy has developed a scientific 

advisory group composed of individuals 

from the research community and 

academia that will develop a proposed 

Strategic Plan for Navy monitoring that 

better considers the biological, 

logistical, and resource-specific factors 

that are applicable in each training area 

(and which are summarized in the 

updated ICMP) to maximize the 

effectiveness of Navy monitoring within 

the context of the information that is 

most needed. Subsequently, NMFS and 

MMC representatives will review this 

proposed Strategic Plan for marine 

species monitoring, which may reflect 

monitoring differences in some Navy 

training areas from what is required in 

the 2010 LOA. 

This Navy-wide Strategic Monitoring 

Plan will then be available for review 

and discussion at the required 2011 

Navy Monitoring Meeting, which will 

take place in mid-2011. The Navy and 

NMFS will then modify the Navy-wide 

Strategic Plan for monitoring based on 

applicable input from the 2011 

Monitoring Meeting and propose 

appropriate changes to the monitoring 

measures in specific LOAs for the 

different Range Complexes and training 

areas. For training areas with 

substantive monitoring modifications, 

NMFS will subsequently publish 

proposed LOAs, with the modifications, 

in the Federal Register and solicit 

public input. After addressing public 

comments and making any necessary 

changes, NMFS would, as appropriate, 

issue new LOAs for the different 

training areas that reflect the updated 

ICMP and associated new Strategic Plan 

for Navy monitoring. 

NOAA Workshops 

In a January 19, 2010 letter to the 

Council on Environmental Quality, 

NOAA identified the need for two 

interrelated workshops on marine 

mammals and sound in the ocean. To 

address this commitment, NOAA is 

convening two parallel, focused, 

relatively small, and product-driven 

working groups. One will identify and 

map cetacean ‘‘hot spots,’’ defined as 

areas of known, or reasonably 

predictable, biological importance (i.e., 

for reproduction, feeding, migration) 

and/or high densities. The second 

working group will be directed toward 

developing a comprehensive data 

collection and analysis plan for 

describing and predicting underwater 

sound fields in different areas. The 

outcomes of these working groups will 

be integrated and analyzed in a broader 

symposium to include a larger audience 

of scientists, industries, Federal 

agencies, conservation managers, and 

environmental NGOs. The final 

products and analyses will provide a 

more robust, comprehensive, and 

context-specific biological and acoustic 

basis by which to inform subsequent 

management decisions regarding human 

noise in our oceans. The steering 

committee has been convened and met 

for the first time in October, 2010. The 

working group efforts should take about 

a year to complete, and we expect the 

final symposium to be held in early 

2012. The results of these working 

groups will be analyzed by NMFS in an 

adaptive management context, as related 

to the January 5, 2009 (74 FR 1484, 

January 12, 2009) HRC final rule, and 

mitigation or monitoring measures may 

be modified, as appropriate. 

Authorization 

The Navy complied with the 

requirements of the 2010 LOA. Based on 

our review of the record, NMFS has 

determined that the marine mammal 

takes resulting from the 2010 military 

readiness training and research 

activities falls within the levels 

previously anticipated, analyzed, and 

authorized. Further, the level of taking 

authorized in 2011 for the Navy’s HRC 

training and research activities is 

consistent with our previous findings 

made for the total taking allowed under 

the HRC regulations. Finally, the record 

supports NMFS’ conclusion that the 

total number of marine mammals taken 

by the 2011 HRC activities will have no 

more than a negligible impact on the 

affected species or stock of marine 

mammals and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of these species or stocks for 

taking for subsistence uses. 

Accordingly, NMFS has issued a oneyear LOA for Navy training exercises 

conducted in the HRC from January 15, 

2011, through January 14, 2012. 

Dated: January 13, 2011. 

Helen M. Golde, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–1035 Filed 1–18–11; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed 

Forces Code Committee Meeting 

AGENCY: DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

forthcoming public meeting of the Code 

Committee established by Article 146(a), 

Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 

U.S.C. 946(a), to be held at the 

Courthouse of the United States Court of 

Appeals for the Armed Forces, 450 E 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20442– 

0001, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 1, 

2011. The agenda for this meeting will 

include consideration of proposed 

changes to the Uniform Code of Military 

Justice and the Manual for CourtsMartial, United States, and other matters 

relating to the operation of the Uniform 

Code of Military Justice throughout the 

Armed Forces. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

William A. DeCicco, Clerk of Court, 

United States Court of Appeals for the 

Armed Forces, 450 E Street, Northwest, 

Washington, DC 20442–0001, telephone 

(202) 761–1448. 

Dated: January 11, 2011. 

Morgan F. Park, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2011–961 Filed 1–18–11; 8:45 am] 

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