Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 2024 / Notices 5495 

Tuesday, February 13, 2024; 9 a.m.–4 

p.m., EST 

The meeting will begin with Election 

of Chair and Vice Chair, Adoption of 

Agenda, Approval of Minutes from the 

December 1, 2022 CMP Advisory Panel 

meeting; and, review of Scope of Work. 

The AP will review the Coastal 

Migratory Pelagics Landings, Summary 

on Marine Recreational Information 

Program-Fishing Effort Survey (MRIP– 

FES) Pilot Study Results and SEDAR 81: 

Gulf Migratory Group Spanish 

Mackerel; including, presentations, 

background materials and the catch 

limit recommendations from the 

Council’s Scientific and Statistical 

Committee (SSC). 

The AP will review Draft Framework 

Amendment 14: Modifications to Gulf 

Spanish Mackerel Catch Limits; with 

presentations, document and provide 

recommendations. Staff will introduce 

and review the CMP Outreach Effort 

with the AP, receive Public Comment, 

and discuss any Other Business items. 

—Meeting Adjourns 

The meeting will be in-person. You 

may register to listen in to the webinar 

by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org and 

clicking on the Advisory Panel meeting 

on the calendar. The Agenda is subject 

to change, and the latest version along 

with other meeting materials will be 

posted on www.gulfcouncil.org as they 

become available. 

Although other non-emergency issues 

not on the agenda may come before the 

Advisory Panel for discussion, in 

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, those issues may not be the subject 

of formal action during this meeting. 

Actions of the Advisory Panel will be 

restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in the agenda and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the Council’s intent to takeaction to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aid or accommodations should 

be directed to Kathy Pereira, 

kathy.pereira@gulfcouncil.org, at least 5 

days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: January 24, 2024. 

Diane M. DeJames-Daly, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01675 Filed 1–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD505] 

Draft 2023 Marine Mammal Stock 

Assessment Reports 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments 

and new information. 

SUMMARY: NMFS reviewed the Alaska, 

Atlantic, and Pacific regional marine 

mammal stock assessment reports (SAR) 

in accordance with the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act (MMPA). SARs for 

marine mammals in the Alaska, 

Atlantic, and Pacific regions were 

revised according to new information. 

NMFS solicits public comments on the 

draft 2023 SARs. NMFS is also 

requesting new information for strategic 

stocks that were not updated in 2023. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

April 29, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The 2023 draft SARs are 

available in electronic form via the 

internet at https:// 

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ 

marine-mammal-protection/draftmarine-mammal-stock-assessmentreports. 

Hard copies of the Alaska Regional 

SARs may be requested from Nancy 

Young, Alaska Fisheries Science Center; 

copies of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, 

and Caribbean Regional SARs may be 

requested from Elizabeth Josephson, 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center; and 

copies of the Pacific Regional SARs may 

be requested from Jim Carretta, 

Southwest Fisheries Science Center (see 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

below). 

You may submit comments or new 

information, identified by NOAA– 

NMFS–2024–0019, via electronic 

submission through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and type 

NOAA–NMFS–2024–0019 in the Search 

box (note: copying and pasting the 

FDMS Docket Number directly from this 

document may not yield search results). 

Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, complete 

the required fields, and enter or attach 

your comments. 

Instructions: NMFS may not consider 

comments if they are sent by any other 

method, to any other address or 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period. 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.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NMFS will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Zachary Schakner, Office of Science and 

Technology, 301–427–8106, 

Zachary.Schakner@noaa.gov; Nancy 

Young, 206–526–4297, Nancy.Young@

noaa.gov, regarding Alaska regional 

stock assessments; Elizabeth Josephson, 

508–495–2362, Elizabeth.Josephson@

noaa.gov, regarding Atlantic, Gulf of 

Mexico, and Caribbean regional stock 

assessments; or Jim Carretta, 858–546– 

7171, Jim.Carretta@noaa.gov, regarding 

Pacific regional stock assessments. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 117 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 

1361 et seq.) requires NMFS and the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 

to prepare stock assessments for each 

stock of marine mammals occurring in 

waters under the jurisdiction of the 

United States, including the U.S. 

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). These 

SARs must contain information 

regarding the distribution and 

abundance of the stock, population 

growth rates and trends, estimates of 

annual human-caused mortality and 

serious injury (M/SI) from all sources, 

descriptions of the fisheries with which 

the stock interacts, and the status of the 

stock. Initial SARs were completed in 

1995. 

The MMPA requires NMFS and 

USFWS to review the SARs at least 

annually for strategic stocks and stocks 

for which significant new information is 

available, and at least once every three 

years for non-strategic stocks. The term 

‘‘strategic stock’’ means a marine 

mammal stock: (A) for which the level 

of direct human-caused mortality 

exceeds the potential biological removal 

level or PBR (defined by the MMPA as 

the maximum number of animals, not 

including natural mortalities, that may 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
5496 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 2024 / Notices 

be removed from a marine mammal 

stock while allowing that stock to reach 

or maintain its optimum sustainable 

population); (B) which, based on the 

best available scientific information, is 

declining and is likely to be listed as a 

threatened species under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) within 

the foreseeable future; or (C) which is 

listed as a threatened species or 

endangered species under the ESA or is 

designated as depleted under the 

MMPA. NMFS and USFWS are required 

to revise a SAR if the review indicates 

that the status of the stock has changed 

or can be more accurately determined. 

In order to ensure that marine 

mammal SARs constitute the best 

scientific information available, the 

updated SARs under NMFS’ jurisdiction 

are peer-reviewed within NMFS Science 

Centers and by members of three 

regional independent scientific review 

groups established under the MMPA to 

independently advise NMFS and the 

USFWS. As a result of the time involved 

in the assessment of new scientific 

information, revision, and peer-review 

of the SARs, the period covered by the 

2023 draft SARs is 2017 through 2021. 

NMFS reviewed the status of all 

marine mammal strategic stocks and 

considered whether significant new 

information was available for all other 

stocks under NMFS’ jurisdiction. As a 

result of this review, NMFS revised or 

developed new reports for 66 stocks in 

the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions 

to incorporate new information. The 

2023 revisions to the SARs consist 

primarily of updated or revised humancaused mortality and serious injury (M/ 

SI) estimates and updated abundance 

estimates, the proposed designation of 

two new stocks: Sato’s beaked whale 

and the Central Oregon harbor porpoise, 

and proposed Pacific Islands stock name 

changes. 

NMFS solicits public comments on 

the draft 2023 SARs. To ensure NMFS 

is aware of new information relevant to 

all strategic stocks, NMFS also requests 

new information for strategic stocks that 

were not updated in 2023. Specifically, 

new relevant information could include 

peer-reviewed information on humancaused M/SI, fishery interactions, 

abundance, distribution, population 

structure, and other information on 

emerging concerns for strategic stocks 

that could be incorporated into the 

SARs. 

Alaska Reports 

NMFS reviewed new information for 

24 existing stocks (including all of the 

strategic stocks) in the Alaska Region for 

the 2023 SAR cycle and updated 

information or developed new reports 

for five stocks contained in five SARs 

under NMFS’ jurisdiction: three 

strategic stocks (Western stock of Steller 

sea lions, Eastern North Pacific stock of 

North Pacific right whales, and Western 

Arctic stock of bowhead whales) and 

two non-strategic stocks (Eastern stock 

of Steller sea lions and Sato’s beaked 

whales stock). Information on the 

remaining Alaska region stocks can be 

found in the final 2022 SARs (Young et 

al. 2023). 

A list of the new or revised SARs in 

2023 for the Alaska region is presented 

in table 1, followed by a non-exhaustive 

summary of the more notable issues or 

revisions for particular stocks within the 

Alaska region. 

TABLE 1—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL STOCKS IN THE ALASKA REGION REVISED IN 2023 

Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks 

• Steller sea lion, Western * ..................................................................... • Sato’s beaked whale.** 

• North Pacific right whale, Eastern North Pacific .................................. • Steller sea lion, Eastern.* 

• Bowhead whale, Western Arctic.* 

* Includes updated abundance estimates. 

** Denotes a new stock. 

Sato’s Beaked Whale 

A new SAR is proposed for a newly 

described species, Sato’s beaked whale 

(Yamada et al. 2019), which inhabits the 

western and central North Pacific. The 

Sato’s beaked whale was identified as a 

new species in the northern Pacific 

Ocean based on morphometric and 

genetics data of a previously 

undescribed species (Brownell and 

Kasuya 2021, Fedutin et al. 2020, 

Yamada et al. 2019). Current 

information about its distribution 

indicates that it occurs from Japanese 

waters across the northern Pacific to at 

least the Alaskan Peninsula. The newly 

identified species did not yet have a 

stock designation. NMFS followed the 

process outlined in its procedural 

directive 02–204–03: Reviewing and 

Designating Stocks and Issuing Stock 

Assessment Reports under the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act (NMFS 2019) 

and determined that it is unknown 

whether the species contains multiple 

demographically independent 

populations. Therefore, NMFS proposes 

designating Sato’s beaked whale species 

as a single stock. Estimates of 

abundance are not available for this 

stock, and no human-caused MS/I of 

Sato’s beaked whales was reported 

between 2017 and 2021. This stock is 

not strategic. 

Atlantic Reports 

In 2023, NMFS reviewed all stocks in 

the Atlantic region under NMFS’ 

jurisdiction (including the Atlantic 

Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. 

territories in the Caribbean) for new 

information. Thirty-one stocks from the 

Western North Atlantic were revised 

(table 2), primarily with updated 

abundance estimates based on the 2021 

Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for 

Protected Species large vessel surveys, 

and some were also updated with recent 

bycatch estimates. One stock changed in 

status to ‘‘strategic,’’ the Western North 

Atlantic (WNA) short-finned pilot 

whale. This particular stock has 

oscillated between strategic and nonstrategic over the years, depending on 

the latest abundance and bycatch 

estimates. 

A list of the new or revised SARs in 

2023 for the Atlantic region is presented 

in table 2, followed by a non-exhaustive 

summary of the more notable issues or 

revisions in the Atlantic region. 

Information on the remaining Atlantic 

region stocks can be found in the final 

2022 SARs (Hayes et al. 2023). 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 2024 / Notices 5497 

1On February 9, 2018, Congress passed the 

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Budget Act), Public 

Law 115–123, which included a requirement that 

the Secretary of Commerce, as delegated to the 

Assistant Administrator of the National Marine 

Fisheries Service, issue a waiver of the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act moratorium and 

prohibitions for three projects included in the 2017 

Louisiana Comprehensive Master Plan for a 

Sustainable Coast. The Mid-Barataria Sediment 

Diversion was identified as one of those projects. 

As required, NOAA Fisheries issued the waiver on 

March 15, 2018. More information on the waiver 

can be found at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

action/marine-mammal-protection-act-waiverselect-louisiana-coastal-master-plan-projects. 

TABLE 2—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL SARS IN THE ATLANTIC REGION REVISED IN 2023 

Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks 

• North Atlantic right whale * 

• Gulf of Mexico common bottlenose dolphin, Barataria Bay Estuarine 

System.

• Short-finned pilot whale, Western North Atlantic * ................................

• Fin whale, Western North Atlantic ........................................................

• Sei whale, Nova Scotia .........................................................................

• Sperm whale, North Atlantic * ...............................................................

• Atlantic spotted dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Clymene dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Western North Atlantic Offshore.* 

• Dwarf sperm whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• False killer whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Fraser’s dolphin, Western North Atlantic. 

• Melon-headed whale, Western North Atlantic. 

• Pantropical spotted dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Pygmy killer whale, Western North Atlantic. 

• Pygmy sperm whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Rough-toothed dolphin, Western North Atlantic. 

• Spinner dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Harbor porpoise, Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy.* 

• Common minke whale, Canadian East Coast. 

• Cuvier’s beaked whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Blainville’s beaked whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Gervais’ beaked whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Sowerby’s beaked whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• True’s beaked whale, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Risso’s dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Long-finned pilot whale, Western North Atlantic. 

• Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Western North Atlantic. 

• Common dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Striped dolphin, Western North Atlantic.* 

• Gray seal, Western North Atlantic.* 

* Includes updated abundance estimates. 

North Atlantic Right Whale, Western 

North Atlantic 

The new abundance estimate 

calculated for the western North 

Atlantic right whale stock is 340 (95% 

CI: 333–348) individuals as of December 

2021. This updated estimate is based on 

a published state-space model of the 

sighting histories of individual whales 

identified using photo-identification 

techniques (Pace et al. 2017, Pace 2021). 

A more recent estimate is available in 

Linden (2023), though this is not 

included in the draft 2023 SAR being 

released for public comment as it was 

not available at the time of drafting and 

for review by the Atlantic Scientific 

Review Group. The species’ recovery 

continues to be inhibited by a low 

reproductive rate and the impacts of the 

ongoing Unusual Mortality Event 

declared in 2017 (NMFS 2023), which, 

for the covered time period (2017– 

2021), includes 98 dead, seriously 

injured, or sublethally injured or ill 

whales (i.e., morbidity cases, which are 

now included in the SAR), primarily 

due to vessel strikes and entanglements 

in fishing gear. 

Humpback Whale, Gulf of Maine 

In 2023, NMFS is not revising SAR for 

the Gulf of Maine stock of humpback 

whales. Since the last revision of this 

SAR in 2019, NMFS has been reviewing 

and considering the implications of 

recent information on stock structure of 

humpback whales in the North Atlantic. 

This includes the 2016 global Status 

Review of humpback whales that led to 

the revised ESA listing of the species, 

based on identification of distinct 

population segments (DPS) (Bettridge et 

al. 2015, NOAA 2016a), as well as 

ongoing work by the International 

Whaling Commission, Scientific 

Committee, and Sub-committee on 

Northern Hemisphere whale stocks. 

Given this recent and forthcoming 

information, NMFS is evaluating the 

stock structure of North Atlantic 

humpback whales under the MMPA 

following the process laid out in its 

procedural directive 02–204–03: 

Reviewing and Designating Stocks and 

Issuing Stock Assessment Reports under 

the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(NMFS 2019). A draft, updated SAR will 

be published once NMFS completes this 

process. 

Gulf of Mexico Common Bottlenose 

Dolphin, Barataria Bay Estuarine 

System Stock 

In 2023, NMFS revised the SAR for 

the Barataria Bay Estuarine System 

(BBES) stock of common bottlenose 

dolphins as recommended by the 

Atlantic Scientific Review Group to 

incorporate recent publications 

regarding health assessment data and 

projected outcomes for the proposed 

mid-Barataria sediment diversion 

(MBSD) project. Recent health 

assessment data indicate disease 

conditions have persisted and worsened 

in Barataria Bay dolphins presumably 

exposed to oil from the Deepwater 

Horizon (DWH) oil spill (DeGuise et al. 

2021; Smith et al. 2022; Schwacke et al. 

2022), and it is suggested this 

population is at a minimum point in its 

recovery trajectory (Schwacke et al. 

2022). In addition, results of modeling 

work by Thomas et al. (2022) predict 

there will be greater declines in 

population size resulting from the 

MBSD than those caused by the DWH 

oil spill, which could potentially result 

in a decline and functional extinction of 

the BBES stock of common bottlenose 

dolphins.1

Pacific Reports 

In 2023, NMFS reviewed all 85 stocks 

in the Pacific region (waters along the 

U.S. West Coast, within waters 

surrounding the main and Northwestern 

Hawaiian Islands, and within waters 

surrounding U.S. territories in the 

Western Pacific) for new information 

and revised SARs for thirty stocks (8 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
5498 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 19 / Monday, January 29, 2024 / Notices 

strategic and 22 non-strategic). A list of 

revised SARs in 2023 for the Pacific 

region is presented in table 3, followed 

by a non-exhaustive summary of the 

more notable issues or revisions in the 

Pacific region. Information on the 

remaining Pacific region stocks can be 

found in the final 2022 SARs (Carretta 

et al. 2023). Following the development 

of the draft 2023 SARs, NMFS 

published new population information 

for the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray 

whale. We plan to revise the ENP gray 

whale SAR in the 2024 cycle to 

incorporate the updated information. 

TABLE 3—LIST OF MARINE MAMMAL SARS IN THE PACIFIC REGION REVISED IN 2023 

Strategic stocks Non-strategic stocks 

• Monk seal, Hawai1i * ............................................................................ • Harbor seal, Washington Northern Inland Waters.* 

• Killer whale, Eastern North Pacific Southern Resident * .................... • Harbor seal, Southern Puget Sound.* 

• Sperm whale, CA/OR/WA * ................................................................. • Harbor seal, Hood Canal.* 

• Blue whale, Eastern North Pacific ...................................................... • Harbor porpoise, Northern CA/Southern OR.* 

• Fin whale, CA/OR/WA ........................................................................ • Harbor porpoise, Central Oregon.** 

• Sei whale, Eastern North Pacific * ...................................................... • Harbor porpoise, Northern OR/Washington Coast.* 

• False killer whale, Hawai1i Pelagic * ................................................... • Minke whale, CA/OR/WA. 

• False killer whale, Main Hawaiian * Islands Insular ............................ • Rough-toothed dolphin, Hawai1i.* 

• Risso’s dolphin, Hawai1i.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Hawai1i Pelagic.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Kaua1i and Ni1ihau.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, O’ahu.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Maui Nui.* 

• Common bottlenose dolphin, Hawai1i Island.* 

• Pantropical spotted dolphin, Hawai1i Pelagic.* 

• Pantropical spotted dolphin, O’ahu. 

• Pantropical Spotted dolphin, Maui Nui. 

• Pantropical spotted dolphin, Hawai1i Island. 

• Striped dolphin, Hawai1i Pelagic.* 

• False killer whale, Northwest Hawaiian Islands. 

• Short-finned pilot whale, Hawai1i.* 

• Bryde’s whale, Hawai1i.* 

* Includes updated abundance estimates. 

** Denotes a new stock. 

West Coast Harbor Porpoise Stocks 

The Northern California-Southern 

Oregon harbor porpoise stock is 

proposed to be split into two stocks: the 

Northern California-Southern Oregon 

and Central Oregon harbor porpoise 

stocks. In proposing this revised stock 

structure, NMFS followed the process 

outlined in its procedural directive 02– 

204–03: Reviewing and Designating 

Stocks and Issuing Stock Assessment 

Reports under the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act (NMFS 2019). Genetic 

evidence (Morin et al. 2021) supported 

delineation of two demographically 

independent populations (DIPs) within 

waters of Northern California and 

Southern Oregon. NMFS evaluated the 

conservation and management benefits 

and risks associated with managing the 

harbor porpoise in this region as two 

stocks, and determined there was 

greater potential conservation benefit 

under the MMPA if managed as two 

stocks rather than a single stock. Thus, 

the Northern California-Southern 

Oregon harbor porpoise stock is 

proposed to be split into two stocks 

corresponding with the DIPs identified 

in Morin et al. (2021). The draft SARs 

present abundance estimates for the 

proposed Northern California-Southern 

Oregon and Central Oregon harbor 

porpoise stocks, derived from aerial 

surveys. 

Pacific Islands Stock Name Changes 

As an ongoing effort to reflect 

indigenous knowledge, NMFS is 

proposing to rename Pacific Island 

marine mammal stocks to align with the 

original Hawaiian names of various 

islands and places where the stocks 

reside. For the 2023 SAR cycle, NMFS 

proposes to change the names of stocks 

with ‘4-Islands’ in the name to ‘Maui 

Nui.’ Maui Nui includes the islands of 

Moloka1i, La ̄na1i, Maui, and Kaho’olawe. 

In the future, NMFS plans to propose 

additional changes to include 

transitioning from the English name for 

some of the islands and atolls in the 

northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the 

original Hawaiian name. 

Erratum: Response to Public Comment 

for 2022 SARs 

We note that due to a technical error 

in processing, we did not include in the 

list of significant comments on the draft 

2022 SARs a joint comment submitted 

by Natural Resources Defense Council, 

Endangered Habitats League, Turtle 

Island Restoration Network, American 

Cetacean Society-Oregon Chapter, Cape 

Perpetua Collaborative, Center for 

Biological Diversity, Ocean Defenders 

Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife, Whale 

and Dolphin Conservation, and Oceana. 

However, the comment was addressed 

in a response published elsewhere in 

the 2022 Final Stock Assessment 

Reports Federal Register notice 

(comment 17—https://

www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 

2023/08/11/2023-17219/final-2022- 

marine-mammal-stock-assessmentreports). 

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Sato’s beaked whale: A new cetacean 

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doi.org/10.1111/mms.12810. 

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M.M. Muto, D.W. Weller, A.R. Lang, J. 

Baker, B. Hanson, A.J. Orr, J. Barlow, J.E. 

Moore, and R.L. Brownell Jr. 2023. U.S. 

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B.M. Quigley, P.E. Rosel, T.K. Rowles, R. 

Takeshita, F.I. Townsend, T.R. 

Speakman, R.S. Wells, E.S. Zolman, and 

C.R. Smith. 2022. Modeling population 

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36(4):e13878. 13 pp. 

Smith, C.R., T.K. Rowles, F.M. Gomez, M. 

Ivancˇic ́, K.M. Colegrove, R. Takeshita, 

F.I. Townsend, E.S. Zolman, J.S. Morey, 

V. Cendejas, J.M. Meegan, W. Musser, 

T.R. Speakman, A. Barratclough, R.S. 

Wells and L.H. Schwacke. 2022. Poor 

pulmonary health in Barataria Bay 

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Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front. Mar. 

Sci. 9:975006. 

Thomas, L., T.A. Marques, C. Booth, R. 

Takeshita, and L.H. Schwacke. 2022. 

Model predicts catastrophic decline of 

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truncatus) population under proposed 

land restoration project in Barataria Bay, 

Louisiana, USA. Mar. Mamm. Sci. 

38(4):1654–1664. 

Yamada T. K., S. Kitamura, S. Abe, Y. Tajima 

A. Matsuda, J.G. Mead, and T.F. 

Matsuishi. 2019. Description of a new 

species of beaked whale (Berardius) 

found in the North Pacific. Sci. Rep. 9:1– 

14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019- 

46703-w. 

Young, N.C., Brower, A.A., Muto, M.M., 

Freed, J.C., Angliss, R.P., Friday, N.A., 

Boveng, P.L., Brost, B.M., Cameron, M.F., 

Crance, J.L., Dahle, S.P., Fadely, B.S., 

Ferguson, M.C., Goetz, K.T., London, 

J.M., Oleson, E.M., Ream, R.R., 

Richmond, E.L., Shelden, K.E.W., 

Sweeney, K.L., Towell, R.G., Wade, P.R., 

Waite, J.M., and Zerbini, A.N. 2023. 

Alaska marine mammal stock 

assessments, 2022. U.S. Department of 

Commerce, NOAA Technical 

Memorandum NMFS–AFSC–474, 316 p. 

Dated: January 22, 2024. 

Evan Howell, 

Director, Office of Science and Technology, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01653 Filed 1–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Technical Information Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Extension of 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection; Comment Request; Limited 

Access Death Master File Systems 

Safeguards Attestation Forms 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed, and continuing 

information collections, which helps us 

assess the impact of our information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on November 1, 

2023, during a 60-day comment period. 

This notice allows for an additional 30 

days for public comments. 

Agency: National Technical 

Information Service (NTIS), Commerce. 

Title: NTIS Limited Access Death 

Master Files (LADMF) Systems 

Safeguards Attestation Forms. 

OMB Control Number: 0692–0016. 

Form Number(s): NTIS FM100A and 

NTIS FM100B. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Number of Respondents: NTIS 

expects to receive approximately 260 

applications and renewals for 

certification every three (3) years for 

access to the Limited Access Death 

Master File. 

Average Hours per Response: 3 hours. 

Burden Hours: 780. 

Needs and Uses: NTIS issued a final 

rule establishing a program through 

which persons may become eligible to 

obtain access to Death Master File 

(DMF) information about an individual 

within three years of that individual’s 

death. The final rule was promulgated 

under section 203 of the Bipartisan 

Budget Act of 2013, Public Law 113–67 

(Act). The Act prohibits the Secretary of 

Commerce (Secretary) from disclosing 

DMF information during the three-year 

period following an individual’s death 

(Limited Access DMF), unless the 

person requesting the information has 

been certified to access the Limited 

Access DMF pursuant to certain criteria 

in a program that the Secretary 

establishes. The Secretary delegated the 

authority to carry out section 203 to the 

Director of NTIS. 

To accommodate the requirements of 

the final rule, NTIS is using both the 

ACAB Systems Safeguards Attestation 

Form and the AG or IG Systems 

Safeguards Attestation Form. 

The ACAB Systems Safeguards 

Attestation Form requires an 

‘‘Accredited Conformity Assessment 

Body’’ (ACAB), as defined in the final 

rule, to attest that a Person seeking 

certification or a Certified Person 

seeking renewal of certification has 

information security systems, facilities 

and procedures in place to protect the 

security of the Limited Access DMF, as 

required under section 1110.102(a)(2) of 

the final rule. The ACAB Systems 

Safeguards Attestation Form collects 

information based on an assessment by 

the ACAB conducted within three years 

prior to the date of the Person or 

Certified Person’s submission of a 

completed certification statement under 

section 1110.101(a) of the final rule. 

This collection includes specific 

requirements of the final rule, which the 

ACAB must certify are satisfied, and the 

provision of specific information by the 

ACAB, such as the date of the 

assessment and the auditing standard(s) 

used for the assessment. 

Section 1110.501(a)(2) of the final rule 

provides that a State or local 

government office of AG or IG and a 

Person or Certified Person that is a 

department or agency of the same State 

or local government, respectively, are 

not considered to be owned by a 

common ‘‘parent’’ entity under section 

1110.501(a)(1)(ii) for the purpose of 

determining independence, and 

attestation by the AG or IG is possible. 

The AG or IG Systems Safeguards 


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