4000 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

Moore (see ADDRESSES), at least 5 days 

prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: January 12, 2021. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00909 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA709] 

Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal 

Subsistence Whaling Quotas 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; notification of quota for 

bowhead whales. 

SUMMARY: NMFS notifies the public of 

the aboriginal subsistence whaling 

quota for bowhead whales that it has 

assigned to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

Commission (AEWC), and of limitations 

on the use of the quota deriving from 

regulations of the International Whaling 

Commission (IWC). For 2021, the quota 

is 93 bowhead whales struck. This quota 

and other applicable limitations govern 

the harvest of bowhead whales by 

members of the AEWC. 

DATES: Applicable January 15, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Office of International 

Affairs and Seafood Inspection, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mi 

Ae Kim, (301) 427–8365. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Aboriginal 

subsistence whaling in the United States 

is governed by the Whaling Convention 

Act (WCA) (16 U.S.C. 916 et seq.). 

Under the WCA, IWC regulations shall 

generally become effective with respect 

to all persons and vessels subject to the 

jurisdiction of the United States, within 

90 days of notification from the IWC 

Secretariat of an amendment to the IWC 

Schedule (16 U.S.C. 916k). Regulations 

that implement the WCA, found at 50 

CFR 230.6, require the Secretary of 

Commerce (Secretary) to publish, at 

least annually, aboriginal subsistence 

whaling quotas and any other 

limitations on aboriginal subsistence 

whaling deriving from regulations of the 

IWC. 

At the 67th Meeting of the IWC, the 

Commission set catch limits for 

aboriginal subsistence use of bowhead 

whales from the Bering-ChukchiBeaufort Seas stock. The bowhead and 

other aboriginal subsistence whaling 

catch limits were based on a joint 

request by Denmark on behalf of 

Greenland, the Russian Federation, St. 

Vincent and the Grenadines, and the 

United States, accompanied by 

documentation concerning the needs of 

the Native groups. 

The IWC set a seven-year block catch 

limit of 392 bowhead whales landed. 

For each of the years 2019 through 2025, 

the number of bowhead whales struck 

may not exceed 67, with unused strikes 

from the three prior quota blocks carried 

forward and added to the annual strike 

quota of subsequent years, provided that 

no more than 50 percent of the annual 

strike limit is added to the strike quota 

for any one year. At the end of the 2020 

harvest, there were 33 unused strikes 

available for carry-forward, so the 

combined strike quota set by the IWC 

for 2021 is 100 (67 + 33). 

An arrangement between the United 

States and the Russian Federation 

ensures that the total quota of bowhead 

whales landed and struck in 2021 will 

not exceed the limits set by the IWC. 

Under this arrangement, the Russian 

natives may use no more than seven 

strikes, and the Alaska natives may use 

no more than 93 strikes. 

Through its cooperative agreement 

with the AEWC, NOAA has assigned 93 

strikes to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

Commission. The AEWC will in turn 

allocate these strikes among the 11 

villages whose cultural and subsistence 

needs have been documented, and will 

ensure that its hunters use no more than 

93 strikes. 

At its 67th Meeting, the IWC also 

provided for automatic renewal of 

aboriginal subsistence whaling catch 

limits under certain circumstances. 

Commencing in 2026, bowhead whale 

catch limits shall be extended every six 

years provided: (a) The IWC Scientific 

Committee advises in 2024, and every 

six years thereafter, that such limits will 

not harm the stock; (b) the Commission 

does not receive a request from the 

United States or the Russian Federation 

for a change in the bowhead whale 

catch limits based on need; and (c) the 

Commission determines that the United 

States and the Russian Federation have 

complied with the IWC’s approved 

timeline and that the information 

provided represents a status quo 

continuation of the hunts. 

Other Limitations 

The IWC regulations, as well as the 

NOAA regulation at 50 CFR 230.4(c), 

forbid the taking of calves or any whale 

accompanied by a calf. 

NOAA regulations (at 50 CFR 230.4) 

contain a number of other prohibitions 

relating to aboriginal subsistence 

whaling, some of which are summarized 

here: 

• Only licensed whaling captains or 

crew under the control of those captains 

may engage in whaling. 

• Captains and crew must follow the 

provisions of the relevant cooperative 

agreement between NOAA and a Native 

American whaling organization. 

• The aboriginal hunters must have 

adequate crew, supplies, and equipment 

to engage in an efficient operation. 

• Crew may not receive money for 

participating in the hunt. 

• No person may sell or offer for sale 

whale products from whales taken in 

the hunt, except for authentic articles of 

Native American handicrafts. 

• Captains may not continue to whale 

after the relevant quota is taken, after 

the season has been closed, or if their 

licenses have been suspended. They 

may not engage in whaling in a wasteful 

manner. 

Dated: January 12, 2021. 

Alexa Cole, 

Director, Office of International Affairs and 

Seafood Inspection, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00878 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XY074] 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Initiation of a 5-Year Review for the 

Arctic, Okhotsk, Baltic, and Ladoga 

Subspecies of the Ringed Seal; 

Extension of Information Request 

Period 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; extension of information 

request period. 

SUMMARY: NMFS hereby extends the 

information request period on the notice 

of initiation of a 5-year review of the 

Arctic (Pusa hispida hispida), Okhotsk 

(Pusa hispida ochotensis), Baltic (Pusa 

hispida botnica), and Ladoga (Pusa 

hispida ladogensis) subspecies of the 

ringed seal under the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA). 

DATES: Information must be received by 

March 26, 2021. 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 4001 

ADDRESSES: Submit your information, 

identified by docket number NOAA– 

NMFS–2020–0014, by either of the 

following methods: 

• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2020- 

0014, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your submission of 

information. 

• Mail: Submit written information to 

Jon Kurland, Assistant Regional 

Administrator for Protected Resources, 

Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Records 

Office. Mail comments to P.O. Box 

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: NMFS may not consider 

submissions of information if they are 

sent by any other method, to any other 

address or individual, or received after 

the comment period ends. All 

submissions of information received are 

a part of the public record and NMFS 

will post the submissions for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender is 

publicly accessible. NMFS will accept 

anonymous submissions of information 

(enter ‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if 

you wish to remain anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tammy Olson, NMFS Alaska Region, 

907–271–2373, tammy.olson@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

November 27, 2020, we announced the 

initiation of a 5-year review of four 

subspecies of the ringed seal under the 

ESA (85 FR 76017). As a part of that 

notice, we solicited information relevant 

to the review and announced a 60-day 

information request period to end on 

January 26, 2021. NMFS received two 

requests to extend the information 

request period to March 26, 2021, in 

order to provide additional time to 

gather relevant information and prepare 

submissions in a thorough manner. We 

are therefore extending the close of the 

information request period to March 26, 

2021, as requested, to provide 

additional time for public input. 

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

Dated: January 12, 2021. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00844 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA806] 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC) and the Ecosystem-Based Fishery 

Management Technical Advisory Panel 

(EBFM TAP) will hold a two-day public 

virtual meeting each, to address the 

items contained in the tentative agenda 

included in the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. The SSC and TAP will 

hold a one-day joint public virtual 

meeting. 

DATES: The public virtual meetings will 

be held as follows: 

SSC, February 1–2, 2021, from 10 a.m. 

to 5 p.m.; SSC and EBFM TAP joint 

meeting, February 3, 2021, from 10 a.m. 

to 1:30 p.m.; and EBFM TAP meeting, 

February 4, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

and February 5, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. 

All meetings will be at Atlantic 

Standard Time. 

ADDRESSES: You may join the SSC and 

TAP public virtual meetings via Zoom, 

from a computer, tablet or smartphone 

by entering the following address: 

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/ 

87172662536?pwd=dlR3VnVCem

5uV1JHa2hiSGZjTVMwZz09 

Meeting ID: 871 7266 2536 

Passcode: 998029 

One tap mobile 

+17879667727,, 87172662536#,,,, 

*998029# Puerto Rico 

+19399450244,, 87172662536#,,,, 

*998029# Puerto Rico 

Dial by your location 

+1 787 966 7727 Puerto Rico 

+1 939 945 0244 Puerto Rico 

+1 787 945 1488 Puerto Rico 

Meeting ID: 871 7266 2536 

Passcode: 998029 

Find your local number: https://

us02web.zoom.us/u/kv014d48Y 

In case there are problems and we 

cannot reconnect via Zoom, the meeting 

will continue using GoToMeeting. You 

may join from a computer, tablet or 

smartphone by entering the following 

address: 

Please join the meeting from your 

computer, tablet or smartphone. https:// 

global.gotomeeting.com/join/715099885 

Join from a video-conferencing room 

or system. 

Dial in or type: 67.217.95.2 or 

inroomlink.goto.com Meeting ID: 715 

099 885 Or dial directly: 715099885@

67.217.95.2 or 67.217.95.2##715099885 

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now 

and be ready when the meeting starts: 

https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/ 

715099885. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Graciela Garcı ́a-Moliner, Caribbean 

Fishery Management Council, 270 

Mun ̃ oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San 

Juan, Puerto Rico 00918–1903, 

telephone: (787) 403–8337. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following items included in the 

tentative agendas will be discussed: 

SSC Meeting 

February 1, 2021 

10 a.m.–10:15 a.m. AST 

—Call to Order 

—Roll Call 

—Adoption of Agenda 

10:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. 

—Overview and Discussion SSC’s 

Ecosystem Conceptual Model (ECM) 

Work to Date—Richard Appeldoorn 

(Presented at 172nd CFMC Meeting) 

12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. 

—Lunch 

1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. 

—Review and Finalize Ecosystem 

Conceptual Model 

3 p.m.–3:15 p.m. 

—Break 

3:15 p.m.–5 p.m. 

—Finalize Ecosystem Conceptual Model 

—One ECM or 3 ECMs, one each for 

Puerto Rico, St. Thomas/St. John and 

St. Croix? 

—ECM integration into EBFM 

—SSC Recommendations to the CFMC 

February 2, 2021 

10 a.m.–12 p.m. AST 

—Update Spiny Lobster Acceptable 

Biological Catch—Adyan Rios, SEFSC 

—IBFMP Spiny Lobster Amendment— 

Sarah Stephenson, SERO Review 

Components of the Draft Framework 

Amendment to the Puerto Rico, St. 

Thomas/St. John, and St. Croix 

Fishery Management Plans (FMP) to 

Modify Spiny Lobster Management 

Reference Points Based on SEDAR 57 

Stock Assessments. 

12 noon–1 p.m. 

—Lunch 

1 p.m.–3 p.m. 

—SSC Recommendations to CFMC on 

Spiny Lobster 

3 p.m.–3:15 p.m. 

—Break 

3:15 p.m.–5 p.m. 

—Other Business