82340 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 225 / Friday, November 24, 2023 / Notices 

sampling protocols to investigate 

whether, how, when, where, and under 

what conditions sea turtle bycatch is 

occurring and to evaluate whether 

existing measures are minimizing or 

preventing bycatch. 

2024 Annual Determination 

Pursuant to 50 CFR 222.402(a), 

NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for 

Fisheries, in consultation with Regional 

Administrators and Fisheries Science 

Center Directors, annually identifies 

fisheries for inclusion on the AD based 

on the extent to which: 

(1) The fishery operates in the same 

waters and at the same time as sea 

turtles are present; 

(2) The fishery operates at the same 

time or prior to elevated sea turtle 

strandings; or 

(3) The fishery uses a gear or 

technique that is known or likely to 

result in incidental take of sea turtles 

based on documented or reported takes 

in the same or similar fisheries; and 

(4) NMFS intends to monitor the 

fishery and anticipates that it will have 

the funds to do so. 

NMFS is providing notification that 

the agency is not identifying additional 

fisheries to observe on the 2024 AD, 

pursuant to its authority under the ESA. 

NMFS is not identifying additional 

fisheries at this time given lack of 

dedicated resources to implement new 

observer programs or expand existing 

observer programs to focus on sea 

turtles. The four fisheries identified on 

the 2020 AD (see table 1) will remain on 

the AD for a 5-year period and are 

required to carry observers upon NMFS’ 

request until September 29, 2025. The 

two fisheries identified on the 2023 AD 

(see table 1) will remain on the AD for 

a 5-year period and are required to carry 

observers upon NMFS’ request until 

December 31, 2027. 

TABLE 1—STATE AND FEDERAL COMMERCIAL FISHERIES INCLUDED ON

THE 2020 AND 2023 ANNUAL DETERMINATIONS

Fishery 

Years eligible 

to carry 

observers 

Trawl Fisheries: 

Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf 

of Mexico shrimp trawl ............. 2020–2025 

Gulf of Mexico mixed species fish 

trawl .......................................... 2020–2025 

Gillnet Fisheries: 

Chesapeake Bay inshore gillnet .. 2020–2025 

Long Island inshore gillnet ........... 2020–2025 

Mid-Atlantic gillnet ....................... 2023–2027 

Pound Net/Weir/Seine Fisheries: 

Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse 

seine ......................................... 2023–2027 

Dated: November 20, 2023. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25986 Filed 11–22–23; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD551] 

Marine Mammals; File No. 26593 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

permit amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Adam Pack, Ph.D., University of Hawaii 

at Hilo, 200 West Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 

96720, has applied for an amendment to 

Scientific Research Permit No. 26593. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before December 26, 

2023. 

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. 26593 from the list of 

available applications. These documents 

are also available upon written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted via email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include File No. 26593 in the subject 

line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. The request should set forth 

the specific reasons why a hearing on 

this application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carrie Hubard or Courtney Smith, Ph.D., 

(301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject amendment to Permit No. 26593 

is requested 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 (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. 26593, issued on March 

13, 2023 (88 FR 23400, April 17, 2023), 

authorizes the permit holder to study 29 

cetacean species in Hawaiian and 

Alaskan waters, with a focus on 

humpback whales (Megaptera 

novaeangliae). The purpose of the 

research is to examine the behavioral 

ecology, biology and communication 

systems of humpback whales as well as 

the abundance, distribution, behavior, 

and physiological stress levels of all 

cetacean species in the study area. 

Research may be conducted from boats, 

airplanes, unmanned aircraft systems 

(UAS), and underwater. Animals may be 

studied using photo-ID, 

videogrammetry, passive acoustic 

recordings, behavioral observations, 

collection of fecal and skin samples, 

biopsy sampling, and suction-cup 

tagging. The permit holder is requesting 

the permit be amended to add active 

acoustic playbacks to humpback whales 

and to authorize suction-cup tagging of 

an additional 98 humpback whales 

annually as part of the acoustic 

research. In addition, Dr. Pack is 

requesting to add UAS deployment of 

suction-cup tags as a procedure for 

humpback whales. The objective of the 

acoustic playbacks are to examine 

humpback whale responses to vessel 

engine noise, conspecific sounds, 

natural ambient noise, and tonal sounds 

in Hawaiian waters. The permit expires 

on April 30, 2028. 

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 this 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: November 20, 2023. 

Julia M. Harrison, 

Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25920 Filed 11–22–23; 8:45 am] 

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