Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 15, 2020 / Notices 81183 

workshop originally scheduled for 

November 12, 2020, in Largo, FL, has 

been changed. The new date is January 

7, 2021. The workshop time and 

location remain unchanged: 12 p.m. to 

4 p.m. on January 7, 2021, in Largo, FL. 

Atlantic Shark Identification workshops 

are mandatory for Atlantic shark 

dealers. Additional free workshops will 

be conducted during 2021. 

DATES: The date for the Atlantic Shark 

Identification workshop originally 

scheduled for Largo, FL, on November 

12, 2020, is changed to January 7, 2021. 

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 

further details. 

ADDRESSES: The address of the Atlantic 

Shark Identification workshop to be 

held in Largo, FL, remains unchanged. 

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 

further details. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick 

Pearson by phone: (727) 824–5399, or by 

email at rick.a.pearson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

workshop schedules, registration 

information, and a list of frequently 

asked questions regarding the Atlantic 

Shark Identification workshops are 

posted online at: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/atlantic-sharkidentification-workshops. 

Correction 

In the Federal Register of August 24, 

2020, in FR Doc. 2020–18520, on page 

52094, in the third column, correct the 

date of the second Atlantic Shark 

Identification workshop listed under the 

heading ‘‘Workshop Dates, Times, and 

Locations’’ to read: 

‘‘2. January 7, 2021, 12 p.m.–4 p.m., 

Hampton Inn, 100 East Bay Drive, Largo, 

FL 33770.’’ 

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

Dated: December 9, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27501 Filed 12–14–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA690] 

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to 

Specified Activities; Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to the South Quay 

Wall Recapitalization Project, Mayport, 

Florida 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of incidental 

harassment authorization. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the United States Navy (Navy) for 

the re-issuance of a previously issued 

incidental harassment authorization 

(IHA) with the change being a 

modification to the effective dates. The 

initial IHA authorizes take of one 

species of marine mammal, by Level B 

harassment only, incidental to pile 

driving associated with the South Quay 

Wall Recapitalization Project, Naval 

Station Mayport, Florida. The project 

has been delayed and none of the work 

covered in the current IHA has been 

conducted. The Navy has requested the 

IHA be re-issued with the following 

effective dates: January 1, 2021, through 

December 31, 2021. The scope of the 

activities and anticipated effects remain 

the same, authorized take numbers are 

not changed, and the required 

mitigation, monitoring, and reporting 

remains the same as included in the 

initial IHA. Therefore, NMFS re-issued 

the IHA. 

DATES: The authorization is effective 

from January 1, 2021, through December 

31, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the 

original and re-issued IHAs, the Navy’s 

application, and the Federal Register 

notices proposing and issuing the 

previous and new IHAs may be obtained 

by visiting https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/ 

incidental-take-authorization-southquay-wall-recapitalization-projectnaval-station-mayport. In case of 

problems accessing these documents, 

please call the contact listed below (see 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jaclyn Daly, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA; 

16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct the 

Secretary of Commerce (as delegated to 

NMFS) to allow, upon request, the 

incidental, but not intentional, taking 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 either 

regulations are issued or, if the taking is 

limited to harassment, a notice of a 

proposed authorization is provided to 

the public for review. 

An authorization for incidental 

takings shall be granted if NMFS finds 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s), will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) for subsistence uses (where 

relevant), and if the permissible 

methods of taking and requirements 

pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring 

and reporting of such takings are set 

forth. 

NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible 

impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact 

resulting from the specified activity that 

cannot be reasonably expected to, and is 

not reasonably likely to, adversely affect 

the species or stock through effects on 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’ 

means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or 

attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill 

any marine mammal. 

Except with respect to certain 

activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 

defines ‘‘harassment’’ as any act of 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) 

has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has 

the potential to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (Level B 

harassment). 

Summary of Request 

On July 26, 2019, NMFS issued an 

IHA authorizing take of marine 

mammals incidental to the Navy’s South 

Quay Wall Recapitalization Project, 

Mayport, Florida (84 FR 37841; August 

2, 2019). The effective dates of that IHA 

were February 15, 2020 through 

February 14, 2021. On December 2, 

2019, the Navy notified us that the 

project was delayed and requested we 

reissue the IHA with effective dates of 

July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, 

which we did on February 18, 2020 (85 

FR 10153, February 21, 2020). However, 

on September 25, 2020, the Navy 

indicated the project was further 

delayed and none of the work 

considered under the original IHA has 

occurred; thus, they requested the IHA 

be re-issued again with new effective 

dates. The effective dates of this third 

IHA do not extend beyond one year 

from the effective dates of the initial 

IHA. The new effective dates are 

January 1, 2021 through December 31, 

2021. NMFS has issued a new IHA with 

modified effective dates. 

81184 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 15, 2020 / Notices 

Summary of Specified Activity and 

Anticipated Impacts 

The purpose of the Navy’s 

construction project is to support the 

existing bulkhead wall that has been 

weakened by the formation of voids 

within the wall, by constructing a new 

bulkhead immediately seaward of the 

existing bulkhead. The location, timing, 

and nature of the activities, including 

the types of equipment planned for use, 

are identical to those described in the 

previous IHAs. The authorized 

incidental take and anticipated impacts 

on the affected stocks are the same as 

those analyzed and authorized through 

the previously issued IHAs. The 

mitigation, monitoring and reporting 

measures are also identical to those 

prescribed in the previous IHAs. 

The only species of marine mammal 

expected to be taken by the planned 

activity is the bottlenose dolphin 

(Tursiops truncatus). The data inputs 

and methods of estimating take are 

identical to those used in the initial 

IHA. As such, the manner and amount 

of authorized take in the reissued IHA 

is identical to that in the initial IHA. 

NMFS has reviewed recent Stock 

Assessment Reports, information on 

relevant Unusual Mortality Events, and 

recent scientific literature, and 

determined that no new information 

affects our initial analysis of impacts or 

take estimate under the previous IHAs. 

We refer to the documents related to 

the previously issued IHAs, which 

include the Federal Register notice of 

the issuance of the initial IHA for the 

Navy’s construction work (84 FR 37841, 

August 2, 2019), the Navy’s application, 

the Federal Register notice of the 

proposed IHA (84 FR 23024, May 21, 

2019), the Federal Register notice of 

issuance of the second IHA (85 FR 

10153, February 21, 2020), and all 

associated references and documents. 

Determinations 

The Navy will conduct activities that 

have impacts equal to those analyzed in 

the previous IHAs. As described above, 

the number of authorized takes of the 

same species and stocks of marine 

mammals is identical to the number that 

we found met the small numbers 

standard for issuance of the initial and 

subsequent IHAs. There are no changes 

to the status of the stock or the 

conditions under which the taking 

would occur. Further, the re-issued IHA 

includes identical required mitigation, 

monitoring, and reporting measures as 

the initial IHA. For the initial and 

subsequent IHAs, NMFS found the 

authorized take would result in a 

negligible impact to the affected stocks 

of bottlenose dolphins. No new 

information has emerged that would 

suggest we should change or analysis or 

findings. 

Based on the information contained 

here and in the referenced documents, 

NMFS has determined the following: (1) 

The required mitigation measures will 

effect the least practicable impact on 

marine mammal species or stocks and 

their habitat; (2) the authorized takes 

will have a negligible impact on the 

affected marine mammal species or 

stocks; (3) the authorized takes 

represent small numbers of marine 

mammals relative to the affected stock 

abundances; and (4) the Navy’s 

activities will not have an unmitigable 

adverse impact on taking for subsistence 

purposes as no relevant subsistence uses 

of marine mammals are implicated by 

this action. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

To comply with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 

216–6A, NMFS must review our 

proposed action with respect to 

environmental consequences on the 

human environment. 

Accordingly, NMFS has determined 

that the issuance of the IHA qualifies to 

be categorically excluded from further 

NEPA review. This action is consistent 

with categories of activities identified in 

CE B4 of the Companion Manual for 

NOAA Administrative Order 216–6A, 

which do not individually or 

cumulatively have the potential for 

significant impacts on the quality of the 

human environment and for which we 

have not identified any extraordinary 

circumstances that would preclude this 

categorical exclusion. Because the only 

change to the IHA are effective dates, 

the CE on record for issuance of the 

initial IHA applies to this action. 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (ESA: 16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.) requires that each Federal 

agency insure that any action it 

authorizes, funds, or carries out is not 

likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of any endangered or 

threatened species or result in the 

destruction or adverse modification of 

designated critical habitat. To ensure 

ESA compliance for the issuance of 

IHAs, NMFS consults internally 

whenever we propose to authorize take 

for endangered or threatened species. 

No incidental take of ESA-listed species 

is anticipated or authorized in the IHA 

as none occur in the action area. 

Therefore, NMFS has determined that 

formal consultation under section 7 of 

the ESA is not required for this action. 

Authorization 

NMFS has issued an IHA to the Navy 

for in-water construction activities 

associated with the specified activity 

effective January 1, 2021, through 

December 31, 2021. All previously 

described mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements from the initial 

and second IHA are incorporated. 

Dated: December 9, 2020. 

Donna S. Wieting, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27503 Filed 12–14–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA668] 

Pacific Island Pelagic Fisheries; False 

Killer Whale Take Reduction Plan; New 

Trigger Value for Southern Exclusion 

Zone Closure 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 

and the False Killer Whale Take 

Reduction Plan, NMFS is publishing a 

new trigger value for the Southern 

Exclusion Zone closure. The new trigger 

is four observed mortality or serious 

injuries of false killer whales incidental 

to the deep-set longline fishery within 

the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Diana Kramer, NMFS Pacific Islands 

Region, (808) 725–5167, Diana.Kramer@

noaa.gov; or Kristy Long, NMFS Office 

of Protected Resources, (301) 427–8402, 

Kristy.Long@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The False Killer Whale Take 

Reduction Plan (Plan) was implemented 

on December 31, 2012, pursuant to 

section 118(f) of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act (MMPA) to reduce the 

level of incidental mortality and serious 

injury (M/SI) of the Hawaii pelagic and 

Hawaii insular stocks of false killer 

whales in the Hawaii longline fisheries 

(77 FR 71260; November 29, 2012). The 

Plan, based on consensus 

recommendations from the False Killer