Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 2024 / Notices 5211 

• Delegation of management authority 

over salmon fisheries in the SEAK EEZ 

to the State of Alaska on the basis of 

new information regarding the effects of 

the action and the contemporary status 

of impacted ESA-listed species; 

• Federal funding through grants to 

the State of Alaska for the State’s 

management of commercial and sport 

salmon fisheries and transboundary 

river enhancement necessary to 

implement the 2019 PST Agreement; 

and, 

• Federal funding of a conservation 

program to support critical Puget Sound 

Chinook stocks and Southern Resident 

Killer Whales (SRKW) related to the 

2019 PST Agreement, one component of 

which included funding of a prey 

increase program for SRKW. 

The Federal funding of the 

conservation program to support Puget 

Sound Chinook stocks and SRKW was 

a separate action from the two Federal 

actions related to the SEAK salmon 

fisheries (delegation and funding). In 

2019, NMFS completed the consultation 

and issued the 2019 BiOp and ITS. In 

the 2019 BiOp, NMFS concluded that 

the actions were not likely to jeopardize 

the continued existence of any of the 

ESA-listed species and that the actions 

were not likely to destroy or adversely 

modify designated critical habitat for 

any of the listed species. NMFS issued 

an ITS in the 2019 BiOp for take 

associated with the Federal actions 

related to the SEAK salmon fisheries, 

compliance with which would exempt 

participants in these fisheries from the 

ESA’s prohibition on the incidental take 

of threatened and endangered species. 

In 2020, the Wild Fish Conservancy 

(WFC)filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District 

Court for the Western District of 

Washington challenging the 2019 BiOp 

(Wild Fish Conservancy v. Quan, No. 

2:20–CV–417–RAJ–MLP (W.D. Wash.)). 

WFC alleged NMFS violated the ESA 

and NEPA. On August 8, 2022, the 

district court found that NMFS violated 

both the ESA and NEPA (Wild Fish 

Conservancy v. Quan, No. 2:20–CV– 

417–RAJ–MLP, 2021 WL 8445587 (W.D. 

Wash. Sept. 27, 2021), report and 

recommendation adopted, No. 2:20–CV– 

417–RAJ, 2022 WL 3155784 (W.D. 

Wash. Aug. 8, 2022)). 

With respect to NEPA, the court 

concluded NMFS failed to conduct a 

NEPA analysis for the issuance of the 

ITS with the 2019 BiOp. The court also 

concluded that NMFS failed to conduct 

adequate NEPA analysis for the 

adoption of the prey increase program. 

The court remanded to the agency to 

address its conclusions regarding these 

NEPA, as well as the ESA, deficiencies. 

As part of its effort to address the 

court’s orders on remand, NMFS 

intends to conduct a new ESA section 

7 consultation on the effects from the 

federal actions related to the SEAK 

salmon fisheries (delegation and 

funding), and if warranted, would issue 

a new ITS as part of that consultation. 

Compliance with a new ITS would 

exempt participants in the SEAK 

salmon fisheries under the 2019 PST 

Agreement from the ESA’s prohibition 

on the incidental take of threatened and 

endangered species. 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

This DEIS responds specifically to the 

court order with respect to the stated 

failure to prepare an analysis pursuant 

to NEPA for the issuance of the ITS for 

the SEAK salmon fisheries. This DEIS 

analyzes the effects of a reasonable 

range of alternatives for the proposed 

issuance of a new ITS. 

In light of the nexus between the 

court’s orders on the ESA and NEPA 

deficiencies and in light of NMFS’s 

ongoing disbursement of funds to the 

State, this EIS also evaluates the effects 

of the following actions under 

consultation: 

• NMFS’s delegation of management 

authority over salmon fisheries in the 

EEZ in SEAK to the State of Alaska 

under the Salmon FMP; and 

• Federal funding through grants to 

the State of Alaska for the State’s 

management of commercial and sport 

salmon fisheries and transboundary 

river enhancement necessary to 

implementation of the 2019 PST 

Agreement. This is also a second 

proposed action considered as a 

component of the alternatives. 

Ultimately, this DEIS provides an 

assessment of the environmental, 

economic, and social impacts of the 

SEAK salmon fisheries in federal and 

state waters, even though none of the 

federal actions directly authorize the 

fisheries, because NMFS expects these 

impacts to occur from the operation of 

the salmon fisheries in SEAK that are 

prosecuted pursuant to the 2019 PST 

Agreement, facilitated by proposed 

Federal funding of grants to the State 

under the 2019 PST Agreement, and 

proposed to be exempted from liability 

for incidental takes of ESA listed 

species through the issuance of a new 

ITS. 

Since the primary Federal action 

here—the issuance of the ITS—would 

exempt incidental take of ESA-listed 

species that occur in compliance with 

the ITS, the DEIS focuses on effects to 

those species (both ESA-listed salmon 

and ESA-listed marine mammals). In 

addition, the DEIS also analyzes the 

impacts of the SEAK salmon fisheries 

on non-ESA-listed salmon, marine 

mammals, habitat, seabirds, greenhouse 

gas emissions and climate change. The 

DEIS also analyzes the impacts of the 

alternatives on fishery participants, 

communities, and Alaska Native tribes. 

NMFS is also preparing a separate EIS 

for the expenditure of Federal funding 

to for the prey increase program for 

SRKW (88 FR 54301, August 10, 2023). 

For more information about that EIS, see 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/ 

review-prey-increase-program-southernresident-killer-whales. 

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

Dated: January 23, 2024. 

Everett Wayne Baxter, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01606 Filed 1–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD664] 

Pacific Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public online meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Pacific Council) 

Ad-Hoc Klamath River Fall Chinook 

Workgroup will hold an online meeting. 

DATES: The online meeting will be held 

Tuesday, February 13, 2024, from 9 a.m. 

until 3 p.m., Pacific standard time, or 

until business for the day concludes. 

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held 

online. Specific meeting information, 

including directions on how to join the 

meeting and system requirements will 

be provided in the meeting 

announcement on the Pacific Council’s 

website (see www.pcouncil.org). You 

may send an email to Mr. Kris 

Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@

noaa.gov) or contact him at (503) 820– 

2280, extension 412 for technical 

assistance. 

Council address: Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, 7700 NE 

Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, 

OR 97220–1384. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robin Ehlke, Staff Officer, Pacific 

Council; telephone: (503) 820–2410. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

primary purpose of the meeting is to 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
5212 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 18 / Friday, January 26, 2024 / Notices 

discuss and develop preliminary 

recommendations to inform Pacific 

Council decision-making at the March 

and April 2024 Pacific Council meetings 

for the 2024 salmon pre-season 

management process as it relates to 

Klamath River fall Chinook 

management. Additional discussion on 

Klamath River Dam removal, workload 

planning, etc. may also occur. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in the meeting agenda may be 

discussed, those issues may not be the 

subject of formal action during this 

meeting. Action will be restricted to 

those issues specifically listed in this 

document and any issues arising after 

publication of this document 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 intent to take final action to address 

the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Mr. Kris 

Kleinschmidt (kris.kleinschmidt@

noaa.gov; (503) 820–2412) at least 10 

days prior to the meeting date. 

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

Dated: January 23, 2024. 

Diane M. DeJames-Daly, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01560 Filed 1–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD673] 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a Seminar Series 

presentation via webinar. 

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will host 

a presentation on reproductive 

resilience in marine fishes. 

DATES: The webinar presentation will be 

held on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 

from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The presentation will be 

provided via webinar. The webinar is 

open to members of the public. 

Information, including a link to webinar 

registration will be posted on the 

Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/ 

safmc-seminar-series/ as it becomes 

available. 

Council address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N 

Charleston, SC 29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim 

Iverson, Public Information Officer, 

SAFMC; phone: (843) 302–8439 or toll 

free: (866) SAFMC–10; fax: (843) 769– 

4520; email: kim.iverson@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Council will host a presentation on the 

reproductive resilience in fish, which is 

the ability of a population to maintain 

reproductive success to produce longterm population stability. Fish managed 

by the Council have diverse 

reproductive strategies and these 

reproductive strategies along with 

environmental variables and behavioral 

traits should be considered when 

developing assessments and 

management regulations. A case study 

on gag grouper will be presented. A 

question-and-answer session will follow 

the presentation. Members of the public 

will have the opportunity to participate 

in the discussion. The presentation is 

for informational purposes only and no 

management actions will be taken. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) 5 days 

prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

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

Dated: January 23, 2024. 

Diane M. DeJames-Daly, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–01561 Filed 1–25–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XD613] 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 

Southeast Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 89 South 

Atlantic Tilefish Life History Topical 

Working Group (LH–TWG) Webinar II. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR 89 assessment of 

the South Atlantic stock of tilefish will 

consist of a series of LH–TWG webinars. 

A SEDAR 89 LH–TWG Webinar is 

scheduled for February 14, 2024. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The SEDAR 89 South Atlantic 

Tilefish LH–TWG Webinar II has been 

scheduled for February 14, 2024, from 9 

a.m. to 12 p.m., eastern. The established 

times may be adjusted as necessary to 

accommodate the timely completion of 

discussion relevant to the assessment 

process. Such adjustments may result in 

the meeting being extended from or 

completed prior to the time established 

by this notice. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. The webinar is open to 

members of the public. Registration for 

the webinar is available by contacting 

the SEDAR coordinator via email at 

Meisha.Key@safmc.net. 

SEDAR address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N 

Charleston, SC 29405; 

www.sedarweb.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Meisha Key, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North 

Charleston, SC 29405; phone: (843) 571– 

4366; email: Meisha.Key@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions, 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 

the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a threestep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop; (2) Assessment Process 

utilizing webinars; and (3) Review 

Workshop. The product of the Data 

Workshop is a data report which 

compiles and evaluates potential 

datasets and recommends which 

datasets are appropriate for assessment 

analyses. The product of the Assessment 

Process is a stock assessment report 

which describes the fisheries, evaluates 

the status of the stock, estimates 

biological benchmarks, projects future 

population conditions, and recommends 

research and monitoring needs. The 

assessment is independently peer 

reviewed at the Review Workshop. The 

product of the Review Workshop is a 

Summary documenting panel opinions 

regarding the strengths and weaknesses 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1