Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 3997 

evaluate the effectiveness of a halibut 

excluder in the Gulf of Alaska trawl cod 

fishery, which noted higher than 

desirable escapement rates of the target 

species. Therefore, an excluder design 

that avoids high target species losses 

with more significant reduction in 

halibut bycatch would be an 

improvement and could foster wider 

adoption of these devices among the 

fleet. This EFP proposes a collaborative 

study with the Alaska Seafood 

Cooperative and Amendment 80 

fishermen of halibut excluders in the 

Bering Sea flatfish trawl fishery to 

conduct field testing to explore 

improved designs. 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

On June 2, 2020, Mr. John Gauvin of 

the Alaska Seafood Cooperative 

submitted an application for an EFP to 

develop and test a halibut excluder in 

the Amendment 80 flatfish fishery. The 

objectives of this proposed EFP are as 

follows: 

• Collect escapement rate data on a 

halibut excluder design. 

• Employ appropriate data collections 

methods to statistically estimate 

excluder performance. 

• Conduct excluder testing in two 

different target flatfish fisheries 

(yellowfin sole and flathead/mid-shelf 

flatfish) to get a broader range of results 

versus testing in just one fishery. 

• Collect caudal fin clips from a 

sample of halibut encountered during 

field testing for a pilot study of sex 

ratios of bycaught halibut. 

• Draft EFP reports to effectively 

communicate key results for excluder 

testing and pilot study of sex ratios. 

• Conduct outreach meetings of key 

results on halibut excluder performance 

tailored to the information needs of 

flatfish fishermen and gear 

manufacturers interested in the 

improvement of halibut excluders. 

Field testing would be conducted on 

the 261-foot (79.5 meter) factory trawler, 

The North Star, using twin trawl nets in 

the yellowfin sole and flathead sole 

fisheries. This would involve one trip 

with 60 to 70 total tows, occurring 

sometime between August 2021 and 

December 2022. To address potential 

differences in catch rates, the excluder 

device would be switched from one side 

to the other at the half way point for 

each part of the EFP testing (i.e., 

halfway through the tows in the 

yellowfin target; same for the tows in 

the flathead target). This would allow a 

separate analysis of excluder 

performance in each net, which would 

help to identify differences in catch 

rates for halibut and target species 

between sides. 

To understand the effects of the 

excluder, halibut catch and groundfish 

total catch data would be collected from 

each side of the twin trawl separately. 

Catch would be brought on board from 

the two nets separately and in 

conjunction with usual observer deck 

sorting, after which the contents of each 

net would be placed into separate tanks. 

Crew members would collect all halibut 

that make it to the factory (i.e., are not 

sorted on deck) for purposes of 

measuring each of these fish and 

recording the length data before 

discarding them using the same 

conveyor belt pathway that is normally 

used. 

The project manager for the field 

testing trip would collect up to 100 

caudal fins from a random sample of 

halibut from both the deck and the 

factory, storing them for later testing to 

determine sex ratios. This should not 

disturb the normal workflow of observer 

desk sorting and data collection. Testing 

would be done in conjunction with 

researchers from the International 

Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). 

This will help to provide data on the sex 

ratio of halibut taken as bycatch, which 

is a data gap identified by the IPHC. 

Exemptions 

Two exemptions are necessary to 

conduct this experiment. First, an 

exemption would be necessary from the 

requirement to minimize catch of 

prohibited species at § 679.21(a)(2)(i) in 

the event higher than average catch of 

halibut is encountered during field 

testing. 

Second would be an exemption from 

§ 679.21(a)(2)(ii) regarding careful 

handling and immediate release of 

prohibited species catch. This will 

allow the collection of caudal fin clips 

from a sample of the halibut 

encountered. This will also allow crew 

members to collect and measure the 

halibut that make it to the factory, 

recording length data before releasing 

the fish via the standard conveyor belt 

pathway. 

Permit Conditions, Review, and Effects 

The applicant would be required to 

submit to NMFS a report of the EFP 

results six months after completion of 

field testing. The report would include 

the halibut excluder device designs 

tested in the experiment; how the tests 

were conducted, including operational 

variables tested (such as towing speeds, 

water conditions, target catch rates); 

performance of the device in terms of 

halibut bycatch reduction, target catch 

escapement, handling, and 

maintenance; and the total catch of each 

groundfish species and Pacific halibut 

in metric tons during EFP fishing. The 

activities that would be conducted 

under this EFP are not expected to have 

a significant impact on the human 

environment, as detailed in the 

categorical exclusion prepared for this 

action (see ADDRESSES). 

In accordance with §§ 679.6 and 

600.745, NMFS has determined that the 

application warrants further 

consideration and has forwarded the 

application to the Council to initiate 

consultation. The Council is scheduled 

to consider the EFP application during 

its February 2021 meeting, which will 

be held virtually. The EFP application 

will also be provided to the Council’s 

Scientific and Statistical Committee for 

review at the February Council meeting. 

The applicant has been invited to speak 

in support of the application. 

Public Comments 

Interested persons may comment on 

the application during the February 

2021 Council meeting during public 

testimony or the Federal e-Rulemaking 

Portal (see ADDRESSES) until February 

12, 2021 when the comment period 

ends. Information regarding the meeting 

is available at the Council’s website at 

http://www.npfmc.org. Copies of the 

application and categorical exclusion 

are available for review from NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES). Comments may also be 

submitted directly to NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment 

period (see DATES). 

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

Dated: January 12, 2021. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–00911 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA801] 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 

Southeast Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 73 Assessment 

Webinar III for South Atlantic Red 

Snapper. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR 73 assessment of 

the South Atlantic stock of red snapper 

will consist of a data scoping webinar, 

3998 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 10 / Friday, January 15, 2021 / Notices 

a workshop, and a series of assessment 

webinars. See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

DATES: The SEDAR 73 Assessment 

Webinar III will be held via webinar 

February 17, 2021, from 9 a.m. until 12 

p.m. EST. The established times may be 

adjusted as necessary to accommodate 

the timely completion of discussion 

relevant to the assessment process. Such 

adjustments may result in the meeting 

being extended from or completed prior 

to the time established by this notice. 

Additional SEDAR 73 workshops and 

webinar dates and times will publish in 

a subsequent issue in the Federal 

Register. 

ADDRESSES: The SEDAR 73 Assessment 

Webinar III will be held via webinar. 

The webinar is open to members of the 

public. Registration is available online 

at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/ 

register/6502218609208356366. 

SEDAR address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. 

Charleston, SC 29405; 

www.sedarweb.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen Howington, SEDAR 

Coordinator, 4055 Faber Place Drive, 

Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; 

phone: (843) 571–4373; email: 

Kathleen.howington@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions, 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 

the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a threestep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop; (2) Assessment Process 

utilizing webinars; and (3) Review 

Workshop. The product of the Data 

Workshop is a data report which 

compiles and evaluates potential 

datasets and recommends which 

datasets are appropriate for assessment 

analyses. The product of the Assessment 

Process is a stock assessment report 

which describes the fisheries, evaluates 

the status of the stock, estimates 

biological benchmarks, projects future 

population conditions, and recommends 

research and monitoring needs. The 

assessment is independently peer 

reviewed at the Review Workshop. The 

product of the Review Workshop is a 

Summary documenting panel opinions 

regarding the strengths and weaknesses 

of the stock assessment and input data. 

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are 

appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South 

Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils and NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 

Highly Migratory Species Management 

Division, and Southeast Fisheries 

Science Center. Participants include: 

data collectors and database managers; 

stock assessment scientists, biologists, 

and researchers; constituency 

representatives including fishermen, 

environmentalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); 

international experts; and staff of 

Councils, Commissions, and state and 

federal agencies. 

The items of discussion at the 

Assessment Webinar III: 

• Finalize any data decisions 

remaining 

• Finalize modelling issues and 

decisions 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

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 

This meeting is accessible to people 

with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary 

aids should be directed to the SAFMC 

office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

business days prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

(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. 2021–00914 Filed 1–14–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Tornado Watch/Warning 

Post-Event Evaluation 

AGENCY: National Oceanic & 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Information 

Collection, request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment preceding submission of the 

collection to OMB. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before March 16, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments to 

Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, 

at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Dr. Kim 

Klockow-McClain, Research Scientist, 

OU CIMMS/NOAA NSSL, 120 David L. 

Boren Blvd., Norman, OK 73071, 405– 

325–0805, kim.klockow@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

Each year over 1000 tornadoes affect 

communities across the United States, 

yet very little is known about how 

individuals receive, interpret, and 

respond to information from NOAA 

relating to this hazard. In fact, only a 

small sample of tornadoes ever receive 

study, and most often those are only the 

largest tornadoes. No generalizable 

information on tornado warning 

response after real-world events exists. 

The National Weather Service and 

National Severe Storms Laboratory have 

designed this data collection instrument 

to allow for more routine collection of 

this information. Respondents will 

include members of the US public who 

have recently (within the previous 30 

days) been in or near a tornado, and 

they will be asked questions about the 

ways they received, understood, and 

responded to NWS watch/warning 

information. 

The information would be collected 

by NWS forecasters using their Damage 

Assessment Tool (DAT), and also by 

members of the public who voluntarily 

access a web tool developed by the 

National Severe Storms Laboratory. The 

questions will also be included in a