78998 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 8, 2020 / Notices 

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act and 

regulations at 50 CFR 665.17. HLA 

would test the use of tori lines in the 

Hawaii deep-set longline fishery, 

without using strategic offal discharge 

(discharging bait and fish offal) when 

seabirds are present or blue-dyed bait, 

both of which are normally required 

while deploying longline gear (setting) 

north of 23° N (50 CFR 665.815(a)(2)). If 

approved, the EFP would allow up to 

four stern-setting vessels to test tori 

lines north of 23° N. The EFP would be 

effective for no longer than one year 

from the date of issuance, unless earlier 

revoked, suspended, or modified. 

Nearly all of the seabird interactions 

observed in the fishery are with blackfooted and Laysan albatrosses. 

Interaction rates for both species are 

higher in the first and second quarters 

(January through June). Accordingly, the 

applicant would focus fishing effort 

during periods of higher seabird 

abundance, as practicable. 

In 2017, the Western Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) held a 

workshop to explore the cause of higher 

than typical fishery interactions with 

black-footed albatross. The workshop 

suggested that a positive (warm) Pacific 

Decadal Oscillation, with its cooler sea 

surface in the western Pacific and 

stronger westerly winds, may increase 

the overlap of fishing effort and blackfooted albatross foraging grounds, 

leading to more seabird interactions in 

the fishery. 

In 2018, the Council held a workshop 

to review seabird mitigation 

requirements and identify research 

needed to inform future fishing 

requirements to reduce interactions 

with seabirds. That workshop identified 

certain mitigation measures, including 

tori lines, as a high priority for further 

research and development due to their 

potential to provide an effective 

alternative to blue-dyed bait. Workshop 

participants also identified blue-dyed 

bait as a candidate for removal from the 

existing suite of seabird mitigation 

measures due to concerns with efficacy 

and practicality. 

The Council recommended the EFP 

research at its September 2020 meeting, 

based on results from a cooperative 

research project conducted in 2019– 

2020. Results from that project had 

indicated that tori lines, when used in 

conjunction with blue-dyed bait, 

significantly reduced albatross feeding 

attempts and contact with longline gear. 

Project results also indicated the 

potential for offal discharge to increase 

bird interactions during gear setting. 

The project results led the Council to 

identify the need for additional research 

to test the effectiveness of tori lines 

without blue-dyed bait and strategic 

offal discharge. 

With the exception of using tori lines 

without blue-dyed bait and strategic 

offal discharge, vessels participating 

under the EFP would carry out fishing 

operations consistent with conventional 

deep-set longline fishing targeting 

bigeye tuna, and would continue to 

employ all other required seabird 

mitigation measures, including 

weighted branch lines, line shooters, 

and safe handling practices. 

HLA anticipates that fishing under the 

EFP would have similar environmental 

impacts on target fish species, nontarget fish species, and non-seabird 

protected species to conventional deepset fishing, and hypothesizes that 

seabird interaction rates for the tori line 

treatment sets would be lower. The EFP 

application provides additional 

information about these anticipated 

impacts. 

Each vessel would carry an electronic 

monitoring system. A stern-mounted 

video camera would monitor the 

number of birds present, and seabird 

attacks and contacts, during gear setting. 

After a vessel returns to port, scientists 

would review the video recordings, and 

would verify seabird captures through 

logbook data. 

At the completion of the project, EFP 

findings would be available to support 

Council decision-making about 

measures to reduce seabird interactions. 

NMFS seeks comments on the 

proposed experimental activity. We will 

consider comments received when 

deciding whether to approve the permit, 

and whether to attach any additional 

terms and conditions. 

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

Dated: December 3, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26966 Filed 12–7–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA693] 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; 

Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To 

Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement for Amendment 21 to the 

Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 

Management Plan 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council is drafting 

Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea 

Scallop Fishery Management Plan, 

which considers measures related to the 

Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop 

Management Area and various Limited 

Access General Category management 

measures. Based on the range of 

alternatives developed for this action, 

the Council has developed an 

environmental assessment to analyze 

the impacts. The purpose of this notice 

is to announce that the Council no 

longer intends to develop an 

environmental impact statement for 

Amendment 21. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Travis Ford, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

978–281–9233, travis.ford@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The New England Fishery 

Management Council initiated 

development of Amendment 21 to the 

Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 

Management Plan on January 29, 2019. 

Amendment 21 considers measures 

related to the Northern Gulf of Maine 

Scallop Management Area, Limited 

Access General Category (LAGC) 

individual fishing quota (IFQ) 

possession limits, and the ability of 

Limited Access vessels with LAGC IFQ 

permits to transfer quota to LAGC IFQonly vessels. At the recommendation of 

the Council, NMFS published a notice 

of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register 

on March 1, 2019 (84 FR 7041), to 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act to 

analyze the impacts on the human 

environment resulting from Amendment 

21. Additional details about the range of 

alternatives considered in this action are 

included in the March 1, 2019, NOI and 

are not repeated here. NMFS solicited 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 236 / Tuesday, December 8, 2020 / Notices 78999 

public input on the scope of the analysis 

through a public comment period on the 

NOI from March 1, 2019, to April 15, 

2019. 

Based on the range of alternatives 

developed for this action, the Council 

has determined that it is not necessary 

to prepare an EIS for Amendment 21 

and, instead, is developing an 

environmental assessment to analyze 

the impacts of the Amendment. 

Consequently, we are informing the 

public that the Council will not be 

developing an EIS for Amendment 21 

and that we are withdrawing the NOI 

published on March 1, 2019. 

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

Dated: December 3, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26944 Filed 12–7–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Office of the Secretary 

[Transmittal No. 20–35] 

Arms Sales Notification 

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation 

Agency, Department of Defense. 

ACTION: Arms sales notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is 

publishing the unclassified text of an 

arms sales notification. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karma Job at karma.d.job.civ@mail.mil 

or (703) 697–8976. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

36(b)(1) arms sales notification is 

published to fulfill the requirements of 

section 155 of Public Law 104–164 

dated July 21, 1996. The following is a 

copy of a letter to the Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, Transmittal 

20–35 with attached Policy Justification 

and Sensitivity of Technology. 

Dated: November 25, 2020. 

Kayyonne T. Marston, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICESEN08DE20.023</GPH>