Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 17033 

Committee’s Species Working Groups; 

and other matters relating to the 

international management of ICCAT 

species. 

DATES: The open sessions of the 

Committee meeting will be held on May 

1, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and May 

2, 2012, 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Closed 

sessions will be held on May 1, 2012, 

3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on May 2, 2012, 

8 a.m. to 9 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Hilton Hotel, 8727 Colesville Rd., 

Silver Spring, MD 20910. The phone 

number is (301) 589–5200. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rachel O’Malley at (301) 427–8373. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 

to ICCAT will meet in open session to 

receive and discuss information on the 

2011 ICCAT meeting results and U.S. 

implementation of ICCAT decisions; 

NMFS research and monitoring 

activities; global and domestic 

initiatives related to ICCAT; the Atlantic 

Tunas Convention Act-required 

consultation on any identification of 

countries that are diminishing the 

effectiveness of ICCAT; the results of the 

meetings of the Committee’s Species 

Working Groups; and other matters 

relating to the international 

management of ICCAT species. The 

public will have access to the open 

sessions of the meeting, but there will 

be no opportunity for public comment. 

The Committee will meet in its 

Species Working Groups for part of the 

afternoon of May 1, 2012, and for one 

hour on the morning of May 2, 2012. 

These sessions are not open to the 

public, but the results of the species 

working group discussions will be 

reported to the full Advisory Committee 

during the Committee’s open session on 

May 2, 2012. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting location is physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Rachel O’Malley 

at (301) 427–8373 at least 5 days prior 

to the meeting date. 

Dated: March 20, 2012. 

Rebecca J. Lent, 

Director, Office of International Affairs, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7064 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XB030 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals: Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Navy’s Training Activities 

at the Gulf of Mexico Range Complex 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of a Letter of 

Authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, and 

implementing regulations, notification 

is hereby given that NMFS has issued a 

two-year Letter of Authorization (LOA) 

to the U.S. Navy (Navy) to take marine 

mammals by harassment incidental to 

its training activities at the Gulf of 

Mexico (GOMEX) Range Complex. 

DATES: Effective from March 18, 2012, 

through March 17, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Navy’s 

November 2, 2011, LOA application, 

and the LOA are available by writing to 

P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, by 

telephoning the contact listed here (See 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or 

online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ 

permits/incidental.htm#applications. 

Documents cited in this notice may be 

viewed, by appointment, during regular 

business hours, at the aforementioned 

address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shane Guan, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs the Secretary 

of Commerce to allow, upon request, the 

incidental, but not intentional taking of 

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who 

engage in a military readiness activity if 

certain findings are made and 

regulations are issued. 

Authorization may be granted for 

periods of 5 years or less if NMFS finds 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s), and 

will not have an unmitigable adverse 

impact on the availability of the species 

or stock(s) for subsistence uses. In 

addition, NMFS must prescribe 

regulations that include permissible 

methods of taking and other means of 

effecting the least practicable adverse 

impact on the species and its habitat, 

and on the availability of the species for 

subsistence uses, paying particular 

attention to rookeries, mating grounds, 

and areas of similar significance. The 

regulations also must include 

requirements pertaining to the 

monitoring and reporting of such taking. 

Regulations governing the taking of 

marine mammals incidental to the U.S. 

Navy’s training activities at the GOMEX 

Range Complex were published on 

February 17, 2011 (76 FR 9250), and 

remain in effect through February 17, 

2016. They are codified at 50 CFR part 

218 subpart D. These regulations 

include mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements for the 

incidental taking of marine mammals by 

the Navy’s training activities. For 

detailed information on these actions, 

please refer to the February 17, 2011, 

Federal Register notice and 50 CFR part 

218 subpart D. On February 1, 2012, 

NMFS published a final rule (77 FR 

4917) that allows for the issuance of 

multi-year LOAs, as long as the 

regulations governing such LOAs are 

valid. 

Summary of LOA Request 

NMFS received an application from 

the U.S. Navy for an LOA covering the 

Navy’s training activities at the GOMEX 

Range Complex in the Gulf of Mexico 

under the regulations issued on 

February 17, 2011 (76 FR 9250). The 

application requested authorization, for 

a period of two years, to take, by 

harassment, marine mammals incidental 

to proposed training activities that 

involve underwater explosive 

detonation. 

Summary of Activity Under the 2011 

LOA 

Between March 2011 and January 

2012, there were no training events 

conducted in the GOMEX Range 

Complex. 

Planned Activities for 2012 Through 

2014 

In 2012 through March 2014, the 

Navy expects to conduct the same type 

and amount of training activities 

identified in the final rules and 2011 

LOA. No modification is proposed by 

the Navy for its planned 2012—2014 

activities under the 2011 rule. 

Estimated Take for 2012–2014 

The estimated takes for the Navy’s 

proposed training activities are the same 

as those authorized in 2011. No change 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17034 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

has been made in the estimated takes 

from the 2011 LOA. 

Summary of Monitoring, Reporting, 

and Other Requirements Under the 

2009 LOA 

In the 2011 LOA and regulations, the 

Navy is required to submit annual 

Range Complex monitoring and exercise 

reports by March 1, covering through 

January 1 of the same year. However, 

NMFS realized that the LOA for the 

GOMEX Range Complex training 

activities expires on March 17. To allow 

adequate time to review these reports 

for the issuance of future LOA renewal 

and rulemakings, the due date of these 

reports is changed to November 1, 

covering the period through August 1 of 

the pervious year. 

Annual Range Complex Exercise Report 

The Navy submitted their 2011 

annual Range Complex training 

activities reports covering the period 

from the dates when Range Complex 

LOAs became effective through January 

2012, and the reports are posted on 

NMFS Web site: http:// 

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ 

incidental.htm#applications. In the case 

of GOMEX Range Complex, the Navy 

reported that there were no training 

events during the reporting period 

between March 2011 and January 2012. 

Monitoring and Annual Monitoring 

Reports 

The Navy submitted the Range 

Complex marine species monitoring 

reports within the required timeframes 

and they are posted on NMFS Web site: 

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ 

incidental.htm#applications. Since 

there were no training events conducted 

between March 2011 and January 2012 

at the GOMEX Range Complex, no 

monitoring opportunities were available 

during that period. 

Adaptive Management 

In general, adaptive management 

allows NMFS to consider new 

information from different sources to 

determine (with input from the Navy 

regarding practicability) if monitoring 

efforts should be modified if new 

information suggests that such 

modifications are appropriate. All of the 

5-year rules and LOAs issued to the 

Navy include an adaptive management 

component, which includes an annual 

meeting between NMFS and the Navy. 

NMFS and the Navy conducted an 

adaptive management meeting in 

October, 2011, which representatives 

from the Marine Mammal Commission 

participated in, wherein we reviewed 

the Navy monitoring results through 

August 1, 2011, discussed other Navy 

research and development efforts, and 

discussed other new information that 

could potentially inform decisions 

regarding Navy mitigation and 

monitoring. No changes were proposed 

for the 2012 monitoring plan for the 

Navy’s GOMEX Range Complex training 

activities. 

2011 Monitoring Meeting 

The regulations that established the 

framework for authorizing the taking of 

marine mammals incidental to Navy 

RDT&E activities required the Navy, 

with guidance and support from NMFS, 

to convene a Monitoring Workshop in 

2011 (50 CFR 218.184(i)). The Marine 

Mammal Monitoring Workshop, which 

included scientists, representatives from 

non-governmental organization, and 

Marine Mammal Commission staff, took 

place in June 2011. Pursuant to the 

regulations, this workshop presented a 

consolidated overview of monitoring 

activities conducted in 2010, as well as 

the outcomes of selected monitoringrelated research. In 2010, the Navy 

convened a Scientific Advisory Group 

(SAG), comprised of experts in the 

fields of marine mammals and 

underwater acoustics, to review the 

Navy’s current monitoring plans and 

make recommendations. The results of 

the SAG’s review were also presented at 

the meeting. Participants engaged in 

open discussion of the lessons learned, 

and discussed how to improve the 

Navy’s monitoring plan moving 

forward. If changes to monitoring 

approaches are identified during future 

workshops that can be implemented 

during the annual LOA renewal process 

and subsequent 5-year regulations, the 

Navy and NMFS will modify the Navywide monitoring plan and propose 

appropriate changes to the monitoring 

measures in specific LOAs for the 

different Range Complexes and study 

areas. For Range Complexes or study 

areas with substantive monitoring 

modifications, NMFS will subsequently 

publish proposed LOAs, with the 

modifications, in the Federal Register 

and solicit public input. After 

addressing public comments and 

making changes as appropriate, NMFS 

will issue new training area LOAs that 

reflect the new Navy-wide monitoring 

plan. 

Authorization 

Since there are no changes in the 

Navy’s proposed training activities at 

the GOMEX Range Complex, NMFS’ 

determination that the Navy’s GOMEX 

Range Complex training activities will 

have no more than a negligible impact 

on the affected species or stocks of 

marine mammals in the action area, as 

described in the original regulations, is 

still valid. There is no subsistence use 

of marine mammals that could 

potentially be impacted by the Navy’s 

training activities at GOMEX Range 

Complex. Further, the level of taking 

authorized in 2012 through March 2014 

for the Navy’s GOMEX Range Complex 

training activities is consistent with our 

previous findings made for the total 

taking allowed under the GOMEX Range 

Complex regulations. Accordingly, 

NMFS has issued a two-year LOA for 

Navy’s training activities conducted at 

the GOMEX Range Complex from March 

18, 2012, through March 17, 2014. 

Dated: March 4, 2012. 

Helen M. Golde, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7041 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Addition 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 

ACTION: Addition to the Procurement 

List. 

SUMMARY: This action adds a service to 

the Procurement List that will be 

provided by a nonprofit agency 

employing persons who are blind or 

have other severe disabilities. 

DATES: Effective Date: 4/23/2012. 

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, Jefferson Plaza 2, Suite 10800, 

1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, 

Arlington, Virginia, 22202–3259. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barry S. Lineback, Telephone: (703) 

603–7740, Fax: (703) 603–0655, or email 

CMTEFedReg@AbilityOne.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Addition 

On 1/13/2012 (77 FR 2048), the 

Committee for Purchase From People 

Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled 

published notice of proposed addition 

to the Procurement List. 

After consideration of the material 

presented to it concerning capability of 

the qualified nonprofit agency to 

provide the service and impact of the 

addition on the current or most recent 

contractors, the Committee has 

determined that the service listed below 

is suitable for procurement by the 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES