33924 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 138 / Wednesday, July 18, 2018 / Notices 

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: 

Joshua Lindsay, West Coast Region, 

NMFS, (562) 980–4034, joshua.lindsay@

noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 

25, 2018, NMFS published a final rule 

(83 FR 29461) to implement Pacific 

sardine harvest specifications for the 

2018–2019 fishing year off the U.S. West 

Coast, which began on July 1. This final 

rule imposed a 7,000 metric ton (mt) 

annual catch limit (ACL) and a 

prohibition on primary directed fishing 

for Pacific sardine off the coasts of 

Washington, Oregon, and California. 

This prohibition against ‘‘primary 

directed fishing’’ covers any targeting of 

Pacific sardine, except very small-scale 

artisanal harvests, live bait harvests, and 

harvests by the Quinault Indian Nation. 

At the April 2018 Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) meeting, 

the Council voted in support of two 

exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

proposals requesting an exemption from 

the prohibition on primary directed 

fishing for Pacific sardine. The Council 

structured the 2018–2019 Pacific 

sardine harvest specifications so that up 

to 610 mt (the combined total of the 

anticipated harvests under the two EFP 

proposals the Council reviewed) of the 

ACL could be harvested under EFPs. 

The California Wetfish Producers 

Association (CWPA) requested an EFP 

to directly harvest up to 600 mt of 

Pacific sardine for its Coastal Pelagic 

Species Near-shore Cooperative Survey 

(CPS–NCS). 

Since 2012 the California Department 

of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership 

with the CWPA, has been conducting 

aerial surveys to estimate the biomass 

and distribution of sardine and certain 

other CPS species in nearshore waters in 

the Southern California Bight, and in 

the Monterey-San Francisco area since 

the summer of 2017. Currently, there is 

uncertainty in the biomass estimates 

from aerial spotter pilots. The CPS–NCS 

survey under the proposed EFP is part 

of a research project designed to 

quantify that level of uncertainty by 

capturing CPS schools identified by 

aerial spotter pilots and validating the 

biomass and species composition of the 

schools. A portion of each point set (i.e. 

an individual haul of fish captured with 

a purse seine net) will be retained for 

biological sampling, and the remainder 

will be sold by the participating 

fishermen and processors to offset 

research costs and avoid unnecessary 

discard. This research is part of a 

broader effort to understand the biomass 

of CPS located in shallower, nearshore 

areas that NOAA’s CPS offshore 

acoustic trawl survey is unable to 

access. 

If NMFS issues this EFP, the CPS– 

NCS will survey nearshore waters of the 

Southern California Bight for 7 days in 

late August 2018. Any harvest under 

this EFP would count against the ACL 

for Pacific sardine. If NMFS does not 

issue this EFP, then the 600 mt that 

might have been harvested under this 

EFP would still be available for harvest 

under the ACL. 

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

Dated: July 13, 2018. 

Margo B. Schulze-Haugen, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15342 Filed 7–17–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XG343 

Marine Mammals; File No. 22272 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Shaw Institute, 55 Main Street, Blue 

Hill, ME 04614 (Responsible Party: 

Susan Shaw), has applied in due form 

for a permit receive, import, and export 

marine mammal parts for scientific 

research. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email 

comments must be received on or before 

August 17, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review by 

selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public 

Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on 

the Applications and Permits for 

Protected Species (APPS) home page, 

https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then 

selecting File No. 22272 from the list of 

available applications. 

These documents are also available 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the Permits and Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301) 427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted to the Chief, 

Permits and Conservation Division, at 

the address listed above. Comments may 

also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 

713–0376, or by email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include the File No. 22272 in the subject 

line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

to the Chief, Permits and Conservation 

Division at the address listed above. The 

request should set forth the specific 

reasons why a hearing on this 

application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shasta McClenahan or Jennifer 

Skidmore, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216), the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.), the regulations governing the 

taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR parts 222–226), and the Fur Seal 

Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 

et seq.). 

The applicant proposes to receive, 

import, and export biological samples 

for scientific research from up to 700 

individual cetaceans and pinnipeds 

(excluding walrus) annually for a multiyear international study to measure the 

combined stress of man-made pollutants 

and climate change on marine sentinel 

species. The requested duration of the 

permit is 5 years. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of the 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: July 13, 2018. 

Julia Marie Harrison, 

Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–15345 Filed 7–17–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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