20774 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 67 / Friday, April 6, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

the availability of a peer review report 

that consolidates the comments 

received. We are also providing the 

public an opportunity to submit 

comments or information on the peer 

review report for 30 days. The comment 

period shall be limited to 30 days 

because the statutory deadline requires 

a final listing determination by June 10, 

2012. 

Obtaining a Copy of the Peer Review 

Report 

You may obtain a copy of the peer 

review report for review: 

Via the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

http://www.regulations.gov at Docket 

No. NOAA–NMFS–2010–0258. 

By visiting the Internet at: http:// 

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/ 

protectedresources/seals/ice.htm. 

Documents cited in this notice, 

including the peer review report, may 

also be viewed, by appointment, during 

regular business hours, at the 

aforementioned address in Juneau, AK 

(see ADDRESSES). 

Public Comments Solicited 

Comments and information submitted 

during the initial comment period on 

the December 10, 2011 (75 FR 77476), 

proposed rule should not be 

resubmitted since they are already part 

of the record. Comments and 

information submitted should focus on 

the information contained in the peer 

review report listed above. Our final 

determination of whether Arctic, 

Okhotsk, Baltic, and Ladoga ringed seals 

qualify as threatened or endangered 

under the ESA will take into 

consideration all comments and 

information we receive and have 

previously received during both 

comment periods. We request that all 

comments and information be 

accompanied by supporting 

documentation such as maps, 

bibliographic references, or reprints of 

pertinent publications. Please submit 

any comments to the ADDRESSES listed 

above. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: April 2, 2012. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8371 Filed 4–5–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 223 

RIN 0648–XZ58 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Proposed Threatened Status for 

Distinct Population Segments of the 

Bearded Seal 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of 

availability and opening of comment 

period. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has conducted special 

independent peer review of the 

December 2010 status review report of 

the bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) 

under the Endangered Species Act, as 

amended (ESA). This notice announces 

availability of a peer review report that 

consolidates the comments received 

from the reviewers and the opening of 

a 30-day public comment period on that 

report. Please note that comments 

previously submitted need not be 

resubmitted since they are already part 

of the record and will be considered 

when NMFS makes its final 

determination. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received by May 7, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Jon 

Kurland, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Protected Resources 

Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. You may submit 

comments, identified by FDMS Docket 

Number NOAA–NMFS–2010–0259, by 

any one of the following methods: 

Electronic Submissions: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal http:// 

www.regulations.gov. To submit 

comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, 

first click the ‘‘submit a comment’’ icon, 

then enter NOAA–NMFS–2010–0259 in 

the keyword search. Locate the 

document you wish to comment on 

from the resulting list and click on the 

‘‘Submit a Comment’’ icon on the right 

of that line. 

Mail: Submit written comments to 

P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802. 

Fax: (907) 586–7557. 

Hand delivery to the Federal Building: 

709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, 

Juneau, AK. 

Comments must be submitted by one 

of the above methods to ensure that the 

comments are received, documented, 

and considered by NMFS. Comments 

sent by any other method, to any other 

address or individual, or received after 

the end of the comment period, may not 

be considered. 

All comments received are a part of 

the public record and will generally be 

posted for public viewing on 

www.regulations.gov without change. 

All personal identifying information 

(e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted 

voluntarily by the sender will be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. 

NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in the required 

fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). Attachments to electronic 

comments will be accepted in Microsoft 

Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe 

PDF file formats only. 

For information on obtaining a copy 

of the peer review report, see the 

‘‘Obtaining a Copy of the Peer Review 

Report’’ section below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tamara Olson, NMFS Alaska Region, 

(907) 271–5006; Jon Kurland, NMFS 

Alaska Region, (907) 586–7638; or Marta 

Nammack, Office of Protected 

Resources, Silver Spring, MD (301) 713– 

1401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On December 10, 2010, NMFS made 

a 12-month petition finding and 

proposed to list the Beringia DPS and 

the Okhotsk DPS of the Erignathus 

barbatus nauticus subspecies of bearded 

seals as threatened (75 FR 77496). On 

December 13, 2011, in consideration of 

substantial disagreement regarding the 

sufficiency or accuracy of the model 

projections and analysis of future sea ice 

habitat in the range of the Beringia DPS 

of bearded seals, NMFS announced a 6- 

month extension of the deadline for the 

final listing determination to June 10, 

2012 (76 FR 77465). At that time, we 

also announced that we were 

conducting special independent peer 

review of the sections of the status 

review report of the bearded seal 

(Cameron et al., 2010) related to the 

disagreement, and that the resulting 

peer review report would be made 

available for public comment. 

We have conducted this special peer 

review, and are notifying the public of 

the availability of a peer review report 

that consolidates the comments 

received. We are also providing the 

public an opportunity to submit 

comments or information on the peer 

review report for 30 days. The comment 


erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 67 / Friday, April 6, 2012 / Proposed Rules 20775 

period shall be limited to 30 days 

because the statutory deadline requires 

a final listing determination by June 10, 

2012. 

Obtaining a Copy of the Peer Review 

Report 

You may obtain a copy of the peer 

review report for review: 

Via the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

http://www.regulations.gov at Docket 

No. NOAA–NMFS–2010–0259. 

By visiting the Internet at: http:// 

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/ 

protectedresources/seals/ice.htm. 

Documents cited in this notice, 

including the peer review report, may 

also be viewed, by appointment, during 

regular business hours, at the 

aforementioned address in Juneau, AK 

(see ADDRESSES). 

Public Comments Solicited 

Comments and information submitted 

during the initial comment period on 

the December 10, 2011 (75 FR 77496), 

proposed rule should not be 

resubmitted since they are already part 

of the record. Comments and 

information submitted should focus on 

the information contained in the peer 

review report listed above. Our final 

determination of whether the Beringia 

and Okhotsk DPSs of bearded seals 

qualify as threatened or endangered 

under the ESA will take into 

consideration all comments and 

information we receive and have 

previously received during both 

comment periods. We request that all 

comments and information be 

accompanied by supporting 

documentation such as maps, 

bibliographic references, or reprints of 

pertinent publications. Please submit 

any comments to the ADDRESSES listed 

above. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: April 2, 2012. 

Alan D. Risenhoover, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8373 Filed 4–5–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

50 CFR Part 622 

[Docket No. 100217095–2197–05] 

RIN 0648–AY56 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Amendment 32 Supplement 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Supplemental proposed rule; 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to 

supplement the regulations that 

implemented management measures 

described in Amendment 32 to the 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the 

Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of 

Mexico (Amendment 32) prepared by 

the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council (Council). After publication of 

the final rule for Amendment 32, 

published on February 10, 2012, NMFS 

identified inconsistencies in the 

regulatory text regarding the quotas and 

annual catch limits (ACLs) for ‘‘other 

shallow water grouper’’ (Other SWG) 

that need correction. This rule would 

revise the regulatory text regarding the 

quotas and ACLs for Other SWG. 

Additionally, NMFS proposes revisions 

to improve clarity of the regulations. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before April 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the supplemental proposed rule 

identified by ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2011– 

0135’’ by any of the following methods: 

• Electronic submissions: Submit 

electronic comments via the Federal 

e-Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail: Peter Hood, Southeast 

Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

Instructions: All comments received 

are a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov without change. 

All Personal Identifying Information (for 

example, name, address, etc.) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit Confidential Business 

Information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

To submit comments through the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov, click on ‘‘submit a 

comment,’’ then enter ‘‘NOAA–NMFS– 

2011–0135’’ in the keyword search and 

click on ‘‘search’’. To view posted 

comments during the comment period, 

enter ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2011–0135’’ in 

the keyword search and click on 

‘‘search’’. NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter N/A in the required 

field if you wish to remain anonymous). 

You may submit attachments to 

electronic comments in Microsoft Word, 

Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file 

formats only. 

Comments through means not 

specified in this rule will not be 

accepted. 

Electronic copies of Amendment 32, 

which includes a final environmental 

impact statement (FEIS), a regulatory 

flexibility analysis, and a regulatory 

impact review, may be obtained from 

the Southeast Regional Office Web Site 

at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/ 

GrouperSnapperandReefFish.htm. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office, 

NMFS, telephone 727–824–5305; email: 

Peter.Hood@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reef 

fish fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) 

is managed under the FMP. The FMP 

was prepared by the Council and is 

implemented through regulations at 50 

CFR part 622 under the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Background 

A final rule to implement 

management measures described in 

Amendment 32 was published on 

February 10, 2012 (77 FR 6988). That 

final rule included measures to: 

—Adjust the commercial gag quota and 

recreational annual catch target (ACT) 

for 2012 through 2015 and subsequent 

fishing years, consistent with the gag 

rebuilding plan established in 

Amendment 32; 

—Adjust the shallow-water grouper 

(SWG) quota; 

—Adjust the commercial and 

recreational sector’s ACLs for gag and 

red grouper; 

—Adjust the commercial ACL for SWG; 

—Establish a formula-based method for 

setting gag and red grouper multi-use 

allocation for the grouper/tilefish 

individual fishing quota program in 

the Gulf; 

—Set the recreational gag fishing season 

from July 1 through October 31; 

—Reduce the gag commercial size limit 

to 22 inches (59 cm) total length (TL); 

and 

—Modify the gag and red grouper 

accountability measures (AMs). 


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