61804 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 

this document invites comments on the 

issuance of EFPs to allow a maximum 

of six commercial fishing vessels in 

possession of Federal lobster permits to 

remove a maximum of six eggs each 

time any one of the 120 tagged berried 

lobsters are captured during the course 

of normal fishing operations in the 

designated study areas.

DATES: Comments on this lobster EFP 

notification for berried lobster 

monitoring and data collection must be 

received on or before November 5, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be sent to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, Northeast 

Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930–2298. Mark the 

outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments - 

Lobster EFP Proposal’’. Comments also 

may be sent via facsimile (fax) to 978–

281–9117. Comments on the Lobster 

EFP Proposal may be submitted by email. The mailbox address for providing 

e-mail comments is Lob0204@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: ‘‘Comments - Lobster EFP 

Proposal’’.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob 

Ross, Fishery Management Specialist, 

(978) 281–9234, fax (978)-281–9117.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The regulations that govern exempted 

fishing, at 50 CFR 600.745(b) and 697.22 

allow the Regional Administrator to 

authorize for limited testing, public 

display, data collection, exploration, 

health and safety, environmental cleanup, and/or hazardous removal purposes, 

and the targeting or incidental harvest of 

managed species that would otherwise 

be prohibited. An EFP to authorize such 

activity may be issued, provided there is 

adequate opportunity for the public to 

comment on the EFP application, the 

conservation goals and objectives of 

Federal management of the American 

lobster resource are not compromised, 

and issuance of the EFP is beneficial to 

the management of the species.

The American lobster fishery is the 

most valuable fishery in the 

northeastern United States. In 2002, 

approximately 82 million pounds 

(37,324 metric tons (mt)) of American 

lobster were landed with an ex-vessel 

value of approximately 293 million 

dollars. Operating under the Atlantic 

States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 

interstate management process, 

American lobster are managed in state 

waters under Amendment 3 to the 

American Lobster Interstate Fishery 

Management Plan (Amendment 3). In 

Federal waters of the Exclusive 

Economic Zone (EEZ), lobster is 

managed under Federal regulations at 

50 CFR part 697. Amendment 3, and 

compatible Federal regulations 

established a framework for area 

management, which includes industry 

participation in the development of a 

management program which suits the 

needs of each lobster management area 

while meeting targets established in the 

Interstate Fisheries Management 

Program. The industry, through area 

management teams, with the support of 

state agencies, have played a vital role 

in advancing the area management 

program.

American lobster experience very 

high fishing mortality rates and are 

overfished throughout their range, from 

Canada to Cape Hatteras. Although 

harvest and population abundance are 

near record levels due to high recent 

recruitment and favorable 

environmental conditions, there is 

significant risk of a sharp drop in 

abundance, and such a decline would 

have serious implications. To facilitate 

the development of effective 

management tools, extensive monitoring 

and detailed abundance and size 

frequency data on the composition of 

lobsters throughout the range of the 

resource are necessary. This proposed 

EFP would monitor tagged berried 

lobsters in four study areas using 

traditional lobster trap gear.

Proposed EFP

The EFP proposes to collect statistical 

and scientific information as part of a 

project designed to monitor the 

movement of tagged berried lobsters to 

collect data that will assist in the 

assessment of the lobster resource and 

in the development of management 

practices appropriate to the fishery. 

Participants in this project are funded 

by, and under the direction of the 

Northeast Consortium, a group of four 

research institutions (University of New 

Hampshire, University of Maine, 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

and Woods Hole Oceanographic 

Institution) which are working together 

to foster this initiative.

Each of the six commercial fishing 

vessels in possession of Federal lobster 

permits involved in this monitoring and 

data collection program would collect 

temperature data and a maximum of six 

eggs from each tagged berried lobster 

harvested using traditional lobster trap 

gear. Participating vessels would collect 

data from each of the four general study 

areas in the vicinity of Portsmouth, New 

Hampshire, and Friendship, Maine, the 

northern edge of Georges Bank and in 

the vicinity of Corsair and Lydonia 

Canyons. This EFP would not involve 

the authorization of any additional 

lobster trap gear in the study areas. The 

participating vessels may retain on deck 

tagged egg bearing female lobsters, in 

addition to legal lobsters, for the 

purpose of collecting temperature data 

from the attached Tidbit temperatureloggers, and for the purpose of 

collecting a maximum of six eggs from 

each tagged berried lobster to allow 

researchers to estimate the egg 

developmental stage and time to 

maturity. All sub-legal lobsters, berried 

females, and v-notched females would 

be returned to the sea as quickly as 

possible after data collection. Pursuant 

to 50 CFR 600.745(3)(v), the Regional 

Administrator may attach terms and 

conditions to the EFP consistent with 

the purpose of the exempted fishing.

This project would not involve the 

authorization of any additional lobster 

trap gear. All traps fished by the 

participating vessels would comply 

with all applicable lobster regulations 

specified at 50 CFR 697. To allow for 

the collection of temperature data and 

the removal of a maximum of six of eggs 

from each tagged berried lobster, the 

EFP would waive the American lobster 

prohibition on removal of eggs specified 

at 50 CFR 697.7(c)(iv). All sample 

collections would be conducted by six 

federally permitted commercial fishing 

vessels, during the course of regular 

commercial fishing operations. There 

would not be observers or researchers 

onboard every participating vessel.

This project, including the lobster 

handling protocols, was initially 

developed in consultation with 

University of New Hampshire scientists. 

To the greatest extent practicable, these 

handling protocols are designed to 

avoid unnecessary adverse 

environmental impact on lobsters 

involved in this project, while achieving 

the data collection objectives of this 

project.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: October 18, 2004.

Alan D. Risenhoover,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. E4–2783 Filed 10–20–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Technology Administration 

Request for Comments on Electronics 

Recycling

AGENCY: Technology Administration, 

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice, request for comments.

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2004 / Notices 61805

SUMMARY: The Technology 

Administration (TA) publishes this 

notice to solicit comments on the 

following specific issues regarding 

electronics recycling: (1) Definition of 

covered products; (2) collection and the 

role of government in collection; (3) 

financing collection, transportation and 

recycling, financing for orphan 

products, financing historical products 

versus future products, and the role of 

government, the electronics industry, 

and intermediaries in financing; and (4) 

the role of the federal government in 

creating a national recycling plan. This 

solicitation is intended to give those 

who were unable to comment at the 

September 21, 2004, roundtable on 

electronics recycling, entitled 

Technology Recycling: Achieving 

Consensus for Stakeholders, an 

opportunity to submit a statement 

regarding these issues.

DATES: Comments and statements 

should be received by the Technology 

Administration no later than October 

27, 2004, in order to receive 

consideration.

ADDRESSES: Electronic statements are 

preferred, but written comments will be 

accepted. Please submit your comments 

electronically to 

technologyrecycling@doc.gov either in 

Microsoft Word (specify version) or 

WordPerfect (version 5 or 6, specify 

version). 

Paper submissions should include an 

electronic copy of the comments on a 

diskette in one of the formats specified 

above. Mail to Laureen Daly, Office of 

Technology Policy, Technology 

Administration HCHB 4817, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, 

DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions to 

technologyrecycling@doc.gov or call 

Laureen Daly at (202) 482–0336.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Technology Administration, 

Office of Technology Policy held a 

roundtable on September 21, 2004, 

entitled Technology Recycling: 

Achieving Consensus for Stakeholders, 

that included representatives of 

electronics manufacturers, retailers, 

recyclers, and environmental 

organizations. At the roundtable, 

participants discussed that: (1) A list of 

products for recycling should be limited 

to a small number of items to start with, 

such as cathode ray tubes and flat panel 

monitors over a certain size, and have 

a timetable for expansion of the list; (2) 

a collection process may include but 

should not mandate participation from 

retailers, local governments, 

manufacturers and third parties; (3) 

there exists several different financing 

models including extended producer 

responsibility and an advanced recovery 

fee, as well as financing the recycling of 

orphan products and transportation 

from collection to recyclers; and (4) 

there exists a need for a national 

approach as opposed to a state-by-state 

approach. The purpose of the 

roundtable was to obtain information for 

a report on electronics recycling that 

will be released in 2005. 

Request for Comments 

The Office of Technology Policy of 

TA is soliciting comments on the 

following specific issues regarding 

electronics recycling: (1) Definition of 

covered products; (2) collection and the 

role of government in collection; (3) 

financing collection, transportation and 

recycling, financing for orphan 

products, financing historical products 

versus future products, and the role of 

government, the electronics industry, 

and intermediaries in financing; and (4) 

the role of the federal government in 

creating a national recycling plan. This 

solicitation is intended to give those 

who were unable to comment at the 

roundtable an opportunity to submit a 

statement regarding these issues. 

Statements may propose a specific 

scenario or model for electronics 

recycling; give examples of existing 

programs in similar or unrelated areas 

that could serve as a model for an 

electronics recycling program; or 

comment on the pros and cons of 

existing or proposed models. TA is 

interested in specific scenarios that 

would enhance the competitiveness of 

U.S. industry and encourage 

conservation of resources. 

We request, but do not require, that 

commentors provide their name, 

affiliation, and contact information and 

whether the comments represent the 

views of an individual or an 

organization. The Department reserves 

the right to use comments received, 

either partially or wholly, in subsequent 

reports or publications. Any comments 

become the property of the U.S. 

Department of Commerce. 

For further information on the 

roundtable and the report, check the 

http://www.technology.gov website 

under Events and Activities, September 

21, 2004, Technology Recycling 

Roundtable.

Dated: October 13, 2004. 

Phillip J. Bond, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology.

[FR Doc. 04–23499 Filed 10–20–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary 

Establishment of a New Standard Form

AGENCY: Under Secretary of Defense for 

Personnel and Readiness, Federal 

Voting Assistance Program.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense, 

Under Secretary of Defense for 

Personnel and Readiness, Federal 

Voting Assistance Program is 

establishing a new form, Standard Form 

186A, Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot 

(Electronic). This form is an alternative 

to the current Standard Form 186, 

Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. 

Since this form is only electronic, 

users can get it from the following 

Federal Voting Assistance Program Web 

site: http://www.fvap.gov.

DATES: Effective upon publication in the 

Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Glynda Hughes, Department of Defense 

(703) 604–4578.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following is a list of differences between 

the hard copy SF 186 and the electronic 

SF 186A. 

Paragraphs 2b. and 2c. of the 

Instructions are not on the hard copy SF 

186. These paragraphs are added to 

provide the citizen instructions on how 

to package the ballot since no envelopes 

are provided with the electronic 

version. 

Paragraph 3. of the electronic version 

does not include the instruction, 

‘‘Remove tape from the Security 

Envelope and seal.’’

Paragraph 4. of the electronic version 

contains additional instructions for the 

citizens to prepare the voter supplied 

envelopes for mailing.

Dated: October 18, 2004. 

Patricia L. Toppings, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense.

BILLING CODE 5001–06–M