83900 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices 

• Mail: Lance Smith, Protected 

Resources Division, NMFS, Pacific 

Islands Regional Office, NOAA Inouye 

Regional Center, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 

176, Honolulu, HI 96818. 

Instructions: You must submit 

comments by one of the previously 

described methods to ensure that we 

receive, document, and consider them. 

Comments sent by any other method, to 

any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period, may not be considered. 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. 

NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in the required 

fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lance Smith at lance.smith@noaa.gov or 

808–725–5131, or Layne Bolen at 

layne.bolen@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On November 27, 2020, NMFS 

proposed to designate critical habitat for 

seven Indo-Pacific corals listed as 

threatened under the ESA within U.S. 

waters in Guam, the Commonwealth of 

the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), 

American Samoa, and the Pacific 

Remote Island Area (PRIA). The seven 

species are Acropora globiceps, A. 

jacquelineae, A. retusa, A. speciosa, 

Euphyllia paradivisa, Isopora 

crateriformis, and Seriatopora aculeata. 

Proposed coral critical habitat consists 

of substrate and water column habitat 

characteristics essential for the 

reproduction, recruitment, growth, and 

maturation of the listed corals. 

Proposed critical habitat consists of 

17 separate units, each of which 

contains all ESA-listed corals that occur 

there: There are four units in American 

Samoa (Tutuila, Ofu-Olosega, Ta‘u, Rose 

Atoll); seven in CNMI (Rota, Aguijan, 

Tinian, Saipan, Anatahan, Pagan, and 

Maug Islands); five in PRIA (Howland, 

Palmyra, Kingman, Johnston, and Jarvis 

Islands); and one unit encompassing all 

proposed designations in Guam. 

Between one and six listed corals occur 

in each unit. The following areas are 

either ineligible for proposed critical 

habitat, or excluded because of national 

security impacts: A complex of 

overlapping Navy Surface Danger Zones 

off of Ritidian Point in Guam, other 

parts of Guam, parts of Tinian, a group 

of six Navy anchorage berths on 

Garapan Bank in Saipan, all of Farallon 

de Medinilla, and all of Wake Atoll. 

Critical habitat protections apply only 

to Federal actions under Section 7 of the 

ESA; activities that are not funded, 

authorized, or carried out by a Federal 

agency are not subject to these 

protections. The proposed rule and 

other materials prepared in support of 

this action, including maps showing the 

proposed critical habitat, are available 

at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

action/proposed-rule-designate-criticalhabitat-threatened-indo-pacific-corals. 

We are accepting public comments for 

the proposed rule through February 25, 

2021. Public comments can be 

submitted as described under 

ADDRESSES. 

Public Hearings 

The two public hearings will be 

conducted online as Webex meetings, as 

specified in ADDRESSES above. More 

detailed instructions for joining the 

Webex meetings are provided on our 

web page https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/ 

proposed-rule-designate-critical-habitatthreatened-indo-pacific-corals. If you do 

not have internet access, you may join 

by phone at the numbers listed in 

ADDRESSES above. 

Each hearing will follow the same 

format and cover the same material. The 

hearings will begin with a brief 

presentation by NMFS that gives an 

overview of critical habitat under the 

ESA and a summary of proposed coral 

critical habitat in Guam, CNMI, 

American Samoa, and PRIA. After the 

presentation but before public 

comments, there will be a question and 

answer session during which members 

of the public may ask NMFS staff 

questions about proposed coral critical 

habitat. Following the question and 

answer session, members of the public 

will have the opportunity to provide 

oral comments on the record regarding 

proposed coral critical habitat. Members 

of the public will also have the 

opportunity to submit written 

comments at the hearings. Written 

comments may also be submitted at any 

time during the relevant public 

comment period as described under 

ADDRESSES. All oral comments will be 

recorded, transcribed, and added to the 

public comment record for this 

proposed rule. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: December 18, 2020. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28434 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA728] 

Pacific Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Pacific Council) 

Highly Migratory Species Advisory 

Subpanel (HMSAS) and HMS 

Management Team (HMSMT) will 

conduct online meetings, which are 

open to the public. 

DATES: The HMSMT will hold an online 

meeting on Friday, January 15, 2021, 

from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Pacific Time. 

The HMSMT and HMSAS will meet 

jointly from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 

until business is completed, on the same 

day. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held 

online. Specific meeting information, 

including directions on how to join the 

meeting and system requirements will 

be provided in the meeting 

announcement on the Pacific Council’s 

website (see www.pcouncil.org). You 

may send an email to Mr. Kris 

Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@

noaa.gov) or contact him at (503) 820– 

2280, extension 412 for technical 

assistance. 

Council address: Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, 7700 NE 

Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, 

OR 97220–1384. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kit 

Dahl, Staff Officer, Pacific Council; 

telephone: (503) 820–2422. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) is seeking clarifications on the 

Pacific Council’s September 2019 

proposal to authorize deep-set buoy gear 

and specifically criteria the Pacific 

Council identified for individuals to 

receive a permit under the proposed 

limited entry permit program to use the 

gear in the Southern California Bight. 

The HMSMT will first meet to discuss 


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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices 83901 

options for Pacific Council 

consideration in drafting its 

clarifications for NMFS. The HMSMT 

will then discuss these options to the 

HMSAS. Based on that discussion, the 

HMSMT will report to the Pacific 

Council at its March 2021 meeting on its 

recommendations. The HMSAS may 

also comment to the Pacific Council on 

the HMSMT recommendations at that 

time. The HMSMT and HMSAS may 

also discuss other relevant items 

scheduled on the Pacific Council’s 

March 2021 meeting agenda, time 

permitting. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in the meeting agenda may be 

discussed, those issues may not be the 

subject of formal action during this 

meeting. Action will be restricted to 

those issues specifically listed in this 

document and any issues arising after 

publication of this document that 

require emergency action under section 

305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, 

provided the public has been notified of 

the intent to take final action to address 

the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Mr. Kris 

Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@

noaa.gov; (503) 820–2412) at least 10 

days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: December 17, 2020. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28295 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA712] 

Pacific Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Pacific Council) 

Ad Hoc Groundfish Electronic 

Monitoring Policy Advisory Committee 

and Technical Advisory Committee 

(Committees) will hold three online 

meetings, which are open to the public. 

DATES: The meetings will be held 

Wednesday, January 20, 2021, from 9 

a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, January 21, 

2021, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and 

Thursday, February 25, 2021, from 9 

a.m. to 4 p.m., Pacific Standard Time, or 

until business for each day is 

completed. 

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held 

online. Specific meeting information, 

including directions on how to join the 

meeting and system requirements will 

be provided in the meeting 

announcement on the Pacific Council’s 

website (see www.pcouncil.org). You 

may send an email to Mr. Kris 

Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@

noaa.gov) or contact him at (503) 820– 

2412 for technical assistance 

Council address: Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, 7700 NE 

Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, 

OR 97220–1384. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brett Wiedoff, Staff Officer, Pacific 

Council; Brett.L.Wiedoff@noaa.gov; 

telephone: (503) 820–2424. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of these meetings is to discuss 

materials and develop recommendations 

that are scheduled to be considered 

during the March 2021 Pacific Council 

meeting. Specifically, the Committees 

will discuss recommendations for 

further development of the draft 

electronic monitoring (EM) guidance 

documents and EM provider manual for 

West Coast groundfish fisheries. The 

Committees may also discuss other 

items on the Pacific Council’s March 

agenda, particularly administrative 

matters. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in the meeting agenda may be 

discussed, those issues may not be the 

subject of formal action during these 

meetings. Action will be restricted to 

those issues specifically listed in this 

document and any issues arising after 

publication of this document that 

require emergency action under section 

305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act, 

provided the public has been notified of 

the intent to take final action to address 

the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

Requests for auxiliary aids should be 

directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt at 

(503) 820–2412 at least 10 business days 

prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: December 17, 2020. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28296 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA717] 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Northeast Fisheries 

Science Center Fisheries and 

Ecosystem Research, Atlantic Ocean 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

Letter of Authorization; request for 

comments and information. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center (NEFSC) for regulations and 

associated Letter of Authorization (LOA) 

to take small numbers of marine 

mammals incidental to fishery and 

ecosystem research in the Atlantic 

Ocean over the course of five years from 

the date of issuance. Pursuant to 

regulations implementing the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS 

is announcing receipt of the NEFSC’s 

request for the development and 

implementation of regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals. NMFS invites the 

public to provide information, 

suggestions, and comments on the 

NEFSC’s application and request. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than January 22, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

applications should be addressed to 

Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. Electronic comments 

should be sent to ITP.Daly@noaa.gov. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments received 

electronically, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. All comments 


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