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cetacean species of the genus Berardius 

from Russian waters. Russ. J. Mar. Biol. 

46:199–206. https://doi.org/10.1134/ 

S1063074020030050. 

Hayes, S.A., Josephson, E., Maze-Foley, K., 

Rosel, P.E., Byrd, B., Chavez-Rosales, S., 

Cole, T.V., Garrison, L.P., Hatch, J., 

Henry, A. and Horstman, S.C., 2023. U.S. 

Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico marine 

mammal stock assessments—2021. 

NOAA Technical Memomorandum 

NMFS NE. 249. 

Morin PA, Forester BR, Forney KA, Crossman 

CA, Hancock-Hanser B, Robertson KM, 

Barrett-Lennard LG, Baird RW, 

Calambokidis J, Gearin P, Hanson MB, 

Schumacher C, Harkins T, Fontaine M, 

Taylor BL, Parsons K. 2021. Population 

structure in a continuously distributed 

coastal marine species, the harbor 

porpoise, based on microhaplotypes 

derived from poor quality samples. 

Molecular Ecology 2021;00:1–20. https:// 

doi.org/10.1111/mec.15827. 

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 

2019. Reviewing and Designating Stocks 

and Issuing Stock Assessment Reports 

under the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act. NMFS Procedure 02–203–04. 

Available at: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/lawsand-policies/policy-directive-system. 

Pace, R.M. 2021. Revisions and further 

evaluations of the right whale abundance 

model: improvements for hypothesis 

testing. U.S. Department of Commerce, 

NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS– 

NE 269. 54 pp. 

Pace, R.M., III, P.J. Corkeron and S.D. Kraus. 

2017. State-space mark-recapture 

estimates reveal a recent decline in 

abundance of North Atlantic right 

whales. Ecol. and Evol. 7:8730–8741. 

DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3406. 

Schwacke, L.H., T.A. Marques, L. Thomas, 

C.G. Booth, B.C. Balmer, A. Barratclough, 

K. Colegrove, S. De Guise, L.P. Garrison, 

F.M. Gomez, J.S. Morey, K.D. Mullin, 

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 

effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill 

on a long-lived species. Conserv. Biol. 

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 

dolphins in the eight years following the 

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 

common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops 

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– 

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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 

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Attestation Form is for the use of a State 

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Sheleen Dumas, 

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[FR Doc. 2024–01689 Filed 1–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

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0031 comment’’ in the subject line. 

Additional information about this 

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‘‘Information Collection Review.’’ 

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I. Abstract 

The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office (USPTO) is required 

by 35 U.S.C. 131 to examine an 

application for patent and, when 

appropriate, issue a patent. The USPTO 

is also required to publish patent 

applications, with certain exceptions, 

promptly after the expiration of a period 

of eighteen months from the earliest 

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(‘‘eighteen-month publication’’). Certain 

situations may arise which require that 

additional information be supplied in 

order for the USPTO to further process 

the patent or application. The USPTO 

administers the statutes through various 

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CFR part 1. 

During the processing of an 

application for a patent, the applicant or 

the applicant’s representative may be 

required to submit additional 

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the examination of a specific 

application. The specific information 

required to be submitted includes: 

requests for extension of time, 

abandonment of applications and the 

revival of abandoned applications, 

disclaimers, appeals, petitions, 

expedited examination of design 

applications, requests for continued 

examinations, requests to inspect, copy, 

access patent applications, and 

transmittal forms. 

The information in this collection is 

used by the USPTO to continue the 

processing of the patent or application 

to ensure that applicants are complying 

with the patent regulations and to aid in 

the prosecution of the application. This 

also includes situations that require 

additional information in order for the 

USPTO to further process the patent or 

application. 

II. Method of Collection 

The items in this information 

collection can be submitted through the 

USPTO patent electronic filing system 

(Patent Center), the USPTO’s online 

filing and viewing system for patent 

applications and related documents. 

The USPTO also will accept 

submissions by mail, hand delivery, and 

facsimile. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0651–0031. 

Forms: (AIA—America Invents Act; 

SB—Specimen Book; PTOL = Patent 

and Trademark Office Legal) 


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