Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices 39075 

expected to be impacted by the 

proposed survey. 

Mitigation measures are expected to 

reduce the number and/or severity of 

takes by (1) giving animals the 

opportunity to move away from the 

sound source before HRG survey 

equipment reaches full energy; (2) 

preventing animals from being exposed 

to sound levels that may otherwise 

result in injury. Additional vessel strike 

avoidance requirements will further 

mitigate potential impacts to marine 

mammals during vessel transit to and 

within the survey area. 

NMFS concludes that exposures to 

marine mammal species and stocks due 

to Dominion’s proposed survey would 

result in only short-term (temporary and 

short in duration) effects to individuals 

exposed. Marine mammals may 

temporarily avoid the immediate area, 

but are not expected to permanently 

abandon the area. Major shifts in habitat 

use, distribution, or foraging success are 

not expected. NMFS does not anticipate 

the authorized take estimates to impact 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

In summary and as described above, 

the following factors primarily support 

our determination that the impacts 

resulting from this activity are not 

expected to adversely affect the species 

or stock through effects on annual rates 

of recruitment or survival: 

• No mortality or serious injury is 

anticipated or authorized; 

• No injury is anticipated or 

authorized; 

• The anticipated impacts of the 

proposed activity on marine mammals 

would be limited to temporary 

behavioral changes due to avoidance of 

the area around the survey vessel; 

• Alternate areas of similar habitat 

value for marine mammals to 

temporarily vacate the survey area 

during the proposed survey and avoid 

exposure to sounds from the activity are 

available; 

• The proposed project area does not 

contain areas of significance for feeding, 

mating or calving; 

• Effects on species that serve as prey 

species for marine mammals from the 

proposed survey are expected to be 

minimal; 

• Mitigation measures, including 

visual and acoustic monitoring and 

shutdowns, are expected to minimize 

potential impacts to marine mammals. 

Based on the analysis contained 

herein of the likely effects of the 

specified activity on marine mammals 

and their habitat, and taking into 

consideration the implementation of the 

monitoring and mitigation measures, 

NMFS finds that the total marine 

mammal take from the proposed activity 

will have a negligible impact on all 

affected marine mammal species or 

stocks. 

Small Numbers 

As noted above, only small numbers 

of incidental take may be authorized 

under Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA 

for specified activities other than 

military readiness activities. The MMPA 

does not define small numbers and so, 

in practice, where estimated numbers 

are available, NMFS compares the 

number of individuals taken to the most 

appropriate estimation of abundance of 

the relevant species or stock in our 

determination of whether an 

authorization is limited to small 

numbers of marine mammals. 

Additionally, other qualitative factors 

may be considered in the analysis, such 

as the temporal or spatial scale of the 

activities. 

The numbers of marine mammals that 

we authorized to be taken would be 

considered small relative to the relevant 

stocks or populations for all species and 

stocks (less than 10 percent of 

bottlenose dolphin stocks, and less than 

1 percent of each of the other species 

and stocks). See Tables 6 and 7. Based 

on the analysis contained herein of the 

proposed activity (including the 

mitigation and monitoring measures) 

and the anticipated take of marine 

mammals, NMFS finds that small 

numbers of marine mammals will be 

taken relative to the population size of 

the affected species or stocks. 

Unmitigable Adverse Impact Analysis 

and Determination 

There are no relevant subsistence uses 

of the affected marine mammal stocks or 

species implicated by this action. 

Therefore, NMFS has determined that 

the total taking of affected species or 

stocks would not have an unmitigable 

adverse impact on the availability of 

such species or stocks for taking for 

subsistence purposes. 

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 (i.e., the issuance of an 

incidental harassment authorization) 

with respect to potential impacts on the 

human environment. 

This action is consistent with 

categories of activities identified in 

Categorical Exclusion B4 (incidental 

harassment authorizations with no 

anticipated serious injury or mortality) 

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. Accordingly, NMFS has 

determined that the issuance of the IHA 

qualifies to be categorically excluded 

from further NEPA review. We have 

reviewed all comments submitted in 

response to the proposed IHA notice 

prior to concluding our NEPA process 

and making this final decision on the 

IHA request. 

Endangered Species Act 

Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (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. 

The NMFS Office of Protected 

Resources is proposing mitigation to 

avoid the incidental take of the species 

of marine mammals which are likely to 

be present and are listed under the ESA: 

The North Atlantic right and fin whales. 

Therefore, consultation under section 7 

of the ESA is not required. 

Authorization 

NMFS has issued an IHA to Dominion 

for conducting UXO surveys offshore 

Virginia for a period of one year, 

provided the previously mentioned 

mitigation, monitoring, and reporting 

requirements are incorporated. 

Dated: July 31, 2018. 

Donna S. Wieting, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16885 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Northeast 

Multispecies Amendment 16 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
39076 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 8, 2018 / Notices 

public and other Federal agencies to 

take this opportunity to comment on 

proposed and/or continuing information 

collections, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before October 9, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 

14th and Constitution Avenue NW, 

Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 

internet at pracomments@doc.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Liz Sullivan, (978) 282–8493 

or Liz.Sullivan@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This request is for an extension of a 

current information collection. Under 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA), the Secretary of Commerce has 

the responsibility for the conservation 

and management of marine fishery 

resources. We, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), and the Regional Fishery 

Management Councils are delegated the 

majority of this responsibility. The New 

England Fishery Management Council 

(Council) develops management plans 

for fishery resources in New England. 

In 2010, we implemented a new suite 

of regulations for the Northeast (NE) 

multispecies fishery through 

Amendment 16 to the NE Multispecies 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This 

action updated status determination 

criteria for all regulated NE multispecies 

or ocean pout stocks; adopted 

rebuilding programs for NE multispecies 

(groundfish) stocks newly classified as 

being overfished and subject to 

overfishing; revised management 

measures, including significant 

revisions to the sector management 

measures (established under 

Amendment 13) necessary to end 

overfishing, rebuild overfished 

regulated NE multispecies and ocean 

pout stocks, and mitigate the adverse 

economic impacts of increased effort 

controls. It also implemented new 

requirements under Amendment 16 for 

establishing acceptable biological catch 

(ABC), annual catch limits (ACLs), and 

accountability measures (AMs) for each 

stock managed under the FMP, pursuant 

to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). 

Sectors are a management tool in the 

NE groundfish fishery. A sector consists 

of three or more limited access NE 

multispecies vessel permits, with 

distinct ownership, who voluntarily 

enter into a contract to manage their 

fishing operations and to share liability. 

A sector is granted an annual allocation 

of most stocks of fish managed by the 

NE Multispecies FMP. In return for 

increased operational flexibility, such as 

exemptions from certain effort controls 

and the ability to pool and trade quota, 

sectors have additional reporting and 

monitoring requirements. The sector 

reporting and monitoring requirements, 

as established by Amendment 16 and 

revised by subsequent framework 

adjustments to the NE Multispecies 

FMP, are contained within this 

information collection. 

II. Method of Collection 

Respondents must submit either 

paper forms via postal service, or 

electronic forms submitted via the 

internet or a vessels’ vessel monitoring 

system (VMS). 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0605. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(revision and extension of a current 

information collection). 

Affected Public: Business or for-profit 

organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

1,334. 

Estimated Time per Response: Sector 

operations plan and membership list 

updates, 176 hr/response; Monitoring 

service provider initial application, 10 

hr/response; Monitoring service 

provider response to application 

disapproval, 10 hr/response; Data entry 

for sector discard monitoring system, 3 

min/response; Sector weekly catch 

report, 4 hr/response; Sector annual 

report, 12 hr/response; Notification of 

expulsion from a sector, 30 min/ 

response; Request to transfer Annual 

Catch Entitlement (ACE), 5 min/ 

response; Request to lease day-at-sea 

(DAS), 5 min/response; request to 

downgrade, 5 min/response; VMS 

certification form, 10 min/response; 

VMS confirmation call, 5 min/response; 

VMS area and DAS declaration, 5 min/ 

response; VMS trip-level catch report; 

VMS daily catch reports when fishing in 

multiple broad stock areas, 15 min/ 

response; Daily VMS catch reports when 

fishing in the U.S./Canada Management 

Area and CA II SAPs, 15 min/response; 

Daily VMS catch reports when fishing 

in the CA I Hook Gear Haddock SAP, 15 

min/response; Daily VMS catch reports 

when fishing in the Regular B DAS 

Program, 15 min/response; Pre-trip hail 

report, 2 min/response; Trip-end hail 

report, 15 min/response; Forward trip 

start/end hails to NMFS, 2 min/ 

response; ASM Pre-Trip Notification, 2 

min/response; Vessel notification of 

selection for at-sea monitoring coverage, 

5 min/response; at-sea monitor 

deployment report, 10 min/response; atsea monitoring service provider catch 

report to NMFS upon request, 5 min/ 

response; at-sea monitor report of 

harassment and other issues, 30 min/ 

response; at-sea monitoring service 

provider contract upon request, 30 min/ 

response; at-sea monitoring service 

provider information materials upon 

request, 30 min/response; OLE 

debriefing of at-sea monitors, 2 hr/ 

response; ASM Database and Data Entry 

Requirements, 3 min/response; Observer 

program pre-trip notification, 2 min/ 

response; DAS Transfer Program, 5min/ 

response; Expedited Submission of 

Proposed SAPs, 20 hr/response; NAFO 

Reporting Requirements, 10 min/ 

response. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 39,351. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $ 4,466,172 in recordkeeping/ 

reporting costs. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: August 3, 2018. 

Sarah Brabson, 

NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16955 Filed 8–7–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES