Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 14351 

Dated: March 6, 2012. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5795 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XB073 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

scheduling a public meeting of its 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC), on March 28, 2012, to consider 

actions affecting New England fisheries 

in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

Recommendations from this group will 

be brought to the full Council for formal 

consideration and action, if appropriate. 

DATES: This meeting will be held on 

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 8 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Providence Biltmore Hotel, 11 

Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903; 

telephone: (401) 421–0700; fax: (401) 

455–3050. 

Council address: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council; 

telephone: (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The NEFMC’s Scientific and 

Statistical Committee will: 

a. Review the paper, ‘‘An 

Investigation of Differences Amongst 

SCAA and ASAP Assessment (including 

Reference Point) Estimates for Gulf of 

Maine Cod’’ by Dr. Butterworth and 

Rebecca Rademeyer and advise the 

Council on its applicability to 

management reference points and stock 

assessments for Gulf of Maine cod; 

b. Discuss the performance of 

projections for groundfish stocks based 

on the February 2012 groundfish 

assessment updates; 

c. Review assessments and develop 

ABC recommendations for the Council 

for redfish, Georges Bank haddock, Gulf 

of Maine/Georges Bank windowpane 

flounder, Southern New England/MidAtlantic windowpane flounder, ocean 

pout, wolffish and halibut; and 

d. Other business may be discussed. 

The public is invited to participate in 

the SSC meeting via webinar. For online 

access to the meeting, please reserve 

your webinar seat now at https:// 

www3.gotomeeting.com/register/ 

45053222. 

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 

listed in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the Council’s intent to take 

final action to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, at (978) 

465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the 

meeting date. 

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

Dated: March 6, 2012. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5740 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XB071 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of meetings of the North 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

and its advisory committees. 

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) and its 

advisory committees will hold public 

meetings, March 26 through April 3, 

2012. 

DATES: The meetings will be held March 

26 through April 3, 2012. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 

dates and times. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at 

the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500 West 

3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK. 

Council address: North Pacific 

Fishery Management Council, 605 W. 

4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 

99501–2252. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Witherell, Council staff; 

telephone: (907) 271–2809. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Council will begin its plenary session at 

8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28 

continuing through Tuesday, April 1. 

Council’s Advisory Panel (AP) will 

begin at 8 a.m., Monday, March 26 and 

continue through Friday, March 30. The 

Scientific Statistical Committee (SSC) 

will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 

26 and continue through Wednesday, 

March 28. The Halibut Implementation 

Committee will meet March 26 at 4 p.m. 

The Ecosystem Committee will meet 

March 27, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. The 

Enforcement Committee will meet 

March 27 at 1 p.m.–4 p.m. All meetings 

are open to the public, except executive 

sessions. 

Council Plenary Session: The agenda 

for the Council’s plenary session will 

include the following issues. The 

Council may take appropriate action on 

any of the issues identified. 

Reports: 

1. Executive Director’s Report 

NMFS Management Report (incl. report 

on observer program implementation) 

Alaska Department of Fish & Game 

Report 

NOAA Enforcement Report 

United States Coast Guard Report 

United States Fish & Wildlife Service 

Report 

Protected Species Report (including 

review of Steller Sea Lion (SSL) 

Notice of Intent for Environmental 

Impact Statement) 

2. Cooperative Reports: Receive 

Amendment 80 Cooperative Reports; 

Receive Central Gulf of Alaska (CGOA) 

Rockfish Cooperative Reports; Receive 

American Fisheries Act (AFA) Pollock 

Cooperative and Incentive Program 

Agreements (IPA) Reports. 

3. Bering Sea Aleutian Island (BSAI) 

Chum Salmon Bycatch: Update on 

salmon genetics (T); Initial review of 

chum salmon bycatch measures. 

4. Habitat Conservation Issues: Initial 

Review of Habitat Area of Particular 

Concern (HAPC) skate sites; Final action 

on Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Flatfish Trawl 

Sweep Modification; Review Bering Sea 

(BS) Habitat Conservation Area 

boundary; Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 

consultation criteria: Ecosystem 

Committee Report. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
14352 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 47 / Friday, March 9, 2012 / Notices 

5. Halibut Issues: Final action to allow 

Area 4B fish-up; Review Catch Share 

Plan(CSP) and action as necessary;. 

6. Scallop Stock Assessment Fishery 

Evaluation report (SAFE): Approve 

2012/13 Acceptable Biological Catch 

(ABC) and Overfishing Level (OFL) 

harvest specifications. 

7. GOA Pacific Cod: Updated 

discussion paper on Pacific Cod jig 

management (reverse parallel); 

Discussion paper on limiting other gear 

on jig vessels; Discussion paper on GOA 

Pacific cod A-season opening dates. 

8. Miscellaneous Issues: Bering Sea 

Integrated Ecosystem Research Program 

(BSIERP) Management Strategy 

Evaluation report; Discussion paper on 

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) use 

and requirements; Programmatic 

Groundfish Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS); 

Public workshop and SSC evaluation 

only; Report from the BSAI Crab Right 

of First Refusal (ROFR) Workgroup; 

Tanner crab model review (SSC only); 

Review GOA pollock Exempted Fishery 

Permit (EFP) (T). 

9. Staff Tasking: Review Committees 

and tasking. 

10. Other Business 

The SSC agenda will include the 

following issues: 

1. BSAI Salmon Chum Bycatch 

2. Scallop SAFE 

3. Initial Review of Skates 

4. Review Bering Sea Habitat 

Conservation Area Boundary 

5. BSIERP Management Strategy 

Evaluation report 

6. Groundfish Programmatic SEIS 

(public workshop and SSC 

evaluation) 

7. Tanner crab model review 

8. Review GOA Pollock EFP 

The Advisory Panel will address most 

of the same agenda issues as the Council 

except B reports. The Agenda is subject 

to change, and the latest version will be 

posted at http:// 

www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/ 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before these groups for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during these meetings. Action 

will be restricted to those issues 

specifically listed in this notice and any 

issues arising after publication of this 

notice that require emergency action 

under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act, provided the public 

has been notified of the Council’s intent 

to take final action to address the 

emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Gail Bendixen at 

(907) 271–2809 at least 7 working days 

prior to the meeting date. 

Dated: March 6, 2012. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5739 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[File No. 15844] 

RIN 0648–XB065 

Marine Mammals 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a 

permit has been issued to Glacier Bay 

National Park and Reserve (Responsible 

Party: Susan Boudreau; Principal 

Investigator: Christine Gabriele), 

Gustavus, AK 99826 to conduct research 

on humpback whales (Megaptera 

novaeangliae), killer whales (Orcinus 

orca) and minke whales (Balaenoptera 

acutorostrata). 

ADDRESSES: The permit and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following offices: 

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; and 

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone 

(907) 586–7221; fax (907) 586–7249. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joselyd Garcia-Reyes or Carrie Hubard, 

(301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 

27, 2011, notice was published in the 

Federal Register (76 FR 30919) that a 

request for a permit to conduct research 

on humpback whales, killer whales, and 

minke whales had been submitted by 

the above-named applicant. The 

requested permit has been issued under 

the authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (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.), 

and the regulations governing the 

taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR parts 222–226). 

Permit No. 15844 authorizes Glacier 

Bay National Park and Preserve to 

conduct passive acoustics, videography, 

photo-identification surveys, biopsy 

sampling, and collect sloughed skin 

and/or feces to study humpback whales, 

killer whales and minke whales. 

Research would occur around 

southeastern Alaska especially in 

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. 

Up to 6300 humpback whales, 500 killer 

whales, and 20 minke whales could be 

harassed each year during photoidentification surveys. Additionally, 

humpback whales and the three killer 

whale ecotypes could be harassed up to 

50 times each, to acquire 30 successful 

biopsy samples, per year. The permit is 

valid through February 28, 2017. 

An environmental assessment (EA) 

was prepared analyzing the effects of 

the permitted activities on the human 

environment in compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Based on 

the analyses in the EA, NMFS 

determined that issuance of the permit 

would not significantly impact the 

quality of the human environment and 

that preparation of an environmental 

impact statement was not required. That 

determination is documented in a 

Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI), signed on February 24, 2012. 

As required by the ESA, issuance of 

this permit was based on a finding that 

such permit: (1) Was applied for in good 

faith; (2) will not operate to the 

disadvantage of such endangered 

species; and (3) is consistent with the 

purposes and policies set forth in 

section 2 of the ESA. 

Dated: March 5, 2012. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–5809 Filed 3–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Proposed Additions 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES