80890 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 193 / Friday, October 4, 2024 / Notices 

and Unassessed Stocks Working Group. 

The Committee will also receive an 

update on the Stock Assessment and 

Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Reports, 

report from the 8th annual meeting of 

the Scientific Coordination 

Subcommittee, process for conducting 

the mutton snapper and yellowtail 

snapper stock assessment reviews, SSC 

workgroups, and discuss other business 

as necessary. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are 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: September 30, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22926 Filed 10–3–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE354] 

Council Coordination Committee 

Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting; 

information regarding the agenda. 

SUMMARY: The National Marine 

Fisheries Service, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries will host a hybrid meeting of 

the Council Coordination Committee, 

also known as the CCC, consisting of the 

Regional Fishery Management Council 

chairs, vice chairs, and executive 

directors from October 16 to October 17, 

2024. This meeting will be chaired by 

the Caribbean Fishery Management 

Council. The intent of this meeting is to 

discuss issues of relevance to the 

Councils and NMFS, including issues 

related to the implementation of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA). 

DATES: The meeting will begin at 1 p.m., 

on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, and 

recess at 5 p.m., or when business is 

complete. The meeting will reconvene 

at 8:30 a.m., on Thursday, October 17, 

2024, and adjourn at 5 p.m., or when 

business is complete. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting address: The 

meeting will be held at the Doubletree— 

Crystal City hotel, 300 Army Navy Drive 

Arlington, VA 22202; telephone: (703)– 

418–6800. The meeting will also be 

broadcast via webinar. Connection 

details and public comment instructions 

will be available at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/event/2024- 

october-council-coordinationcommittee-meeting. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Diana Perry by email at Diana.Perry@

noaa.gov or at (301) 427–7863. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2007 

reauthorization of the MSA established 

the CCC. The CCC consists of the chairs, 

vice chairs, and executive directors of 

each of the eight Regional Fishery 

Management Councils, or their 

respective proxies. All sessions are open 

to the public and time will be set aside 

for public comments at the end of each 

day and after specific sessions at the 

discretion of the meeting Chair. The 

meeting Chair will announce public 

comment times and instructions to 

provide comment at the start of each 

meeting day. There will be 

opportunities for public comments to be 

provided in-person and remotely via 

webinar. Updates to this meeting, 

agenda materials, public comment 

instructions, and additional information 

will be posted on https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/event/2024-october-councilcoordination-committee-meeting. 

Proposed Agenda 

Wednesday, October 16, 2024—1 p.m.– 

5 p.m. EDT 

1. Opening of Meeting 

2. Approval of Agenda and Minutes 

3. NMFS Update and Upcoming 

Priorities 

4. NMFS Budget Update and 2025 

Outlook 

5. NMFS Science Update 

6. Report of 8th Scientific Coordination 

Subcommittee Meeting and Update on 

Planning for 9th Scientific 

Coordination Subcommittee Meeting 

7. Public Comment 

Adjourn Day 1 

Thursday, October 17, 2024—8:30 a.m.– 

5 p.m. EDT 

1. Closed Session 

2. Inflation Reduction Act ClimateReady Fisheries Update 

3. National Seafood Strategy Update 

4. Legislative Outlook 

5. Effects of Fishing Gear on Marine 

Habitats Database 

6. Agency update on Equity and 

Environmental Justice (EEJ) 

Implementation plans and CCC EEJ 

Workgroup update 

7. CCC Workgroups/Subcommittee 

Updates 

8. Update: Anti-Harassment Policies, 

Addressing Unprofessional Behavior, 

Harassment Training 

9. Agency National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) update and CCC 

NEPA Working Group 

10 International Fishing and Seafood 

Trade Issues 

11. Public Comment 

12. Wrap-up and Other Business 

Adjourn Day 2 

The order in which the agenda items 

are addressed may be adjusted by the 

meeting Chair to stay on time. The CCC 

will meet as late as necessary to 

complete scheduled business. 

Special Accommodations 

If you have particular access needs 

please contact Diana Perry (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) prior to 

the meeting for accommodation. 

Dated: October 1, 2024. 

Karen H. Abrams, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23009 Filed 10–3–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE293] 

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to 

Specified Activities; Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to the 

Maintenance and Rehabilitation of the 

Bellingham Shipping Terminal 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments on 

proposed renewal incidental harassment 

authorization. 

SUMMARY: NMFS received a request from 

the Port of Bellingham for the renewal 

of their currently active incidental 

harassment authorization (IHA) 

(hereinafter, the initial IHA) to take 

marine mammals incidental to the 

Maintenance and Rehabilitation of the 

Bellingham Shipping Terminal Project 

in Bellingham, WA. The Port of 

Bellingham activities are nearly 

identical to those covered in the current 

authorization and will not be completed 

prior to the IHA’s expiration. Pursuant 

to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 193 / Friday, October 4, 2024 / Notices 80891 

prior to issuing the currently active IHA, 

NMFS requested comments on both the 

proposed IHA and the potential for 

renewing the initial authorization if 

certain requirements were satisfied. The 

renewal requirements have been 

satisfied, and NMFS is now providing 

an additional 15-day comment period to 

allow for any additional comments on 

the proposed renewal not previously 

provided during the initial 30-day 

comment period. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than October 21, 

2024. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, 

Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, and should be 

submitted via email to ITP.cockrell@

noaa.gov. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. Attachments to 

comments will be accepted in Microsoft 

Word, Excel or Adobe PDF file formats 

only. All comments received are a part 

of the public record and will generally 

be posted online at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act without 

change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit confidential business 

information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

Electronic copies of the original 

application, renewal request, and 

supporting documents (including NMFS 

Federal Register notices of the original 

proposed and final authorizations, and 

the previous IHA), as well as a list of the 

references cited in this document, may 

be obtained online at: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/ 

incidental-take-authorization-portbellinghams-bellingham-shippingterminal-bellingham. In case of 

problems accessing these documents, 

please call the contact listed below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Craig Cockrell, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of marine 

mammals, with certain exceptions. 

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the 

MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct 

the Secretary of Commerce (as delegated 

to NMFS) to allow, upon request, the 

incidental, but not intentional, taking of 

small numbers of marine mammals by 

U.S. citizens who engage in a specified 

activity (other than commercial fishing) 

within a specified geographical region if 

certain findings are made and either 

regulations are promulgated or, if the 

taking is limited to harassment, an 

incidental harassment authorization is 

issued. 

Authorization for incidental takings 

shall be granted if NMFS finds that the 

taking will have a negligible impact on 

the species or stock(s) and will not have 

an unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of the species or stock(s) for 

taking for subsistence uses (where 

relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe 

the permissible methods of taking and 

other ‘‘means of effecting the least 

practicable adverse impact’’ on the 

affected species or stocks and their 

habitat, paying particular attention to 

rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of 

similar significance, and on the 

availability of such species or stocks for 

taking for certain subsistence uses 

(referred to here as ‘‘mitigation 

measures’’). NMFS must also prescribe 

requirements pertaining to monitoring 

and reporting of such takings. The 

definition of key terms such as ‘‘take,’’ 

‘‘harassment,’’ and ‘‘negligible impact’’ 

can be found in the MMPA and the 

NMFS’s implementing regulations (see 

16 U.S.C. 1362; 50 CFR 216.103). 

NMFS’ regulations implementing the 

MMPA at 50 CFR 216.107(e) indicate 

that IHAs may be renewed for 

additional periods of time not to exceed 

1-year for each reauthorization. In the 

notice of proposed IHA for the initial 

IHA, NMFS described the circumstances 

under which we would consider issuing 

a renewal for this activity, and 

requested public comment on a 

potential renewal under those 

circumstances. Specifically, on a caseby-case basis, NMFS may issue a onetime 1-year renewal of an IHA following 

notice to the public providing an 

additional 15 days for public comments 

when (1) up to another year of identical, 

or nearly identical, activities as 

described in the Detailed Description of 

Specified Activities section of the initial 

IHA issuance notice is planned or (2) 

the activities as described in the 

Description of the Specified Activities 

and Anticipated Impacts section of the 

initial IHA issuance notice would not be 

completed by the time the initial IHA 

expires and a renewal would allow for 

completion of the activities beyond that 

described in the DATES section of the 

notice of issuance of the initial IHA, 

provided all of the following conditions 

are met: 

1. A request for renewal is received no 

later than 60 days prior to the needed 

renewal IHA effective date (recognizing 

that the renewal IHA expiration date 

cannot extend beyond 1 year from 

expiration of the initial IHA). 

2. The request for renewal must 

include the following: 

• An explanation that the activities to 

be conducted under the requested 

renewal IHA are identical to the 

activities analyzed under the initial 

IHA, are a subset of the activities, or 

include changes so minor (e.g., 

reduction in pile size) that the changes 

do not affect the previous analyses, 

mitigation and monitoring 

requirements, or take estimates (with 

the exception of reducing the type or 

amount of take); and 

• A preliminary monitoring report 

showing the results of the required 

monitoring to date and an explanation 

showing that the monitoring results do 

not indicate impacts of a scale or nature 

not previously analyzed or authorized. 

3. Upon review of the request for 

renewal, the status of the affected 

species or stocks, and any other 

pertinent information, NMFS 

determines that there are no more than 

minor changes in the activities, the 

mitigation and monitoring measures 

will remain the same and appropriate, 

and the findings in the initial IHA 

remain valid. 

An additional public comment period 

of 15 days (for a total of 45 days), with 

direct notice by email, phone, or postal 

service to commenters on the initial 

IHA, is provided to allow for any 

additional comments on the proposed 

renewal. A description of the renewal 

process may be found on our website at: 

http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ 

marine-mammal-protection/incidentalharassment-authorization-renewals. 

Any comments received on the potential 

renewal, along with relevant comments 

on the initial IHA, have been considered 

in the development of this proposed 

IHA renewal, and a summary of agency 

responses to applicable comments is 

included in this notice. NMFS will 

consider any additional public 

comments prior to making any final 

decision on the issuance of the 

requested renewal, and agency 

responses will be summarized in the 

final notice of our decision. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) 

This action is consistent with 

categories of activities identified in 

Categorical Exclusion B4 (incidental 

take authorizations with no anticipated 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
80892 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 193 / Friday, October 4, 2024 / Notices 

serious injury or mortality) of the 

Companion Manual for NOAA 

Administrative Order 216–6A, which do 

not individually or cumulatively have 

the potential for significant impacts on 

the quality of the human environment 

and for which we have not identified 

any extraordinary circumstances that 

would preclude this categorical 

exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS 

determined that the issuance of the 

initial IHA qualified to be categorically 

excluded from further NEPA review. 

NMFS has preliminarily determined 

that the application of this categorical 

exclusion remains appropriate for this 

renewal IHA. 

History of Request 

On November 6, 2023, NMFS issued 

an IHA to the Port of Bellingham to take 

marine mammals incidental to the 

Maintenance and Rehabilitation of the 

Bellingham Shipping Terminal Project 

in Bellingham, WA (88 FR 77972, 

November 11, 2023), effective from 

November 6, 2023 through November 6, 

2024. On September 20, 2024, NMFS 

received an application for the renewal 

of that initial IHA. As described in the 

application for renewal IHA, the 

activities for which incidental take is 

requested are nearly identical to those 

covered in the initial authorization and 

will not be completed prior to its 

expiration. Under the initial IHA a 

number of piles have been removed but 

no pile installations have occurred. As 

required, the Port of Bellingham also 

provided preliminary monitoring data, 

which confirms that the Port of 

Bellingham had implemented the 

required mitigation and monitoring, and 

also showed that no impacts of a scale 

or nature not previously analyzed or 

authorized have occurred as a result of 

the activities conducted. 

Description of the Specified Activities 

and Anticipated Impacts 

The purpose of the project at the 

Bellingham Shipping Terminal is to 

repair some of the failing wharf and pier 

structures of the terminal. As described 

in detail in the notice for the initial IHA 

(88 FR 77972, November 11, 2023), inwater construction would include both 

pile removal and installation of a 

multiple types of piles with vibratory 

and impact hammers. A minor change 

to the activities conducted by the Port 

of Bellingham was requested in the 

renewal letter. The initial IHA noted 

that the Port of Bellingham would limit 

vibratory pile driving time to 90 

minutes per day. The Port of Bellingham 

would increase the vibratory pile 

driving time to 360 minutes per day for 

this renewal period. This change would 

increase the size of the Level A 

harassment zones and shutdown zones 

associated with vibratory pile driving 

and removal analyzed in the initial IHA 

(see Description of Proposed Mitigation, 

Monitoring and Reporting Measures). 

The increase to proposed shutdown 

zones follows the same goals for 

mitigation articulated in the notice of 

the initial proposed IHA, i.e., the 

shutdown zones are equal to the 

estimated Level A harassment zones, 

and there is no increase to the estimated 

take numbers. Therefore, NMFS has 

determined that this change is minor 

and that the action remains eligible for 

renewal. The construction is still 

expected to occur for 87 nonconsecutive days. Sounds produced by 

these activities may result in take, by 

Level A harassment and Level B 

harassment, of marine mammals located 

in Bellingham Bay. 

Incidental takes to the in-water pile 

driving and removal in this renewal 

would be at the same level as authorized 

in the initial IHA. Four marine mammal 

species are expected to experience Level 

B harassment and one species has the 

potential for Level A harassment (see 

Estimated Take). 

All documents related to the initial 

IHA are available on our website: 

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

incidental-take-authorization-portbellinghams-bellingham-shippingterminal-bellingham. 

Detailed Description of the Activity 

A detailed description of the 

construction activities for which take is 

proposed here may be found in the 

notices of the proposed (88 FR 65953, 

September 26, 2023) and final (88 FR 

77972, November 11, 2023) IHAs for the 

initial authorization. The location of the 

activities and the types of equipment 

planned for use are identical to those 

described in the previous notices. The 

only minor change is the increase of 

vibratory installation from 90 minutes 

per day to 360 minutes per day. The 

longer duration of vibratory hammer use 

will create larger harassment and, 

therefore, shutdown zones than those 

analyzed in the initial IHA. NMFS has 

preliminarily determined that the 

amount of take authorized through the 

initial IHA remains sufficient to cover 

the likely effects of the planned activity, 

and no changes to authorized take 

numbers are proposed. 

The proposed renewal would be 

effective for a period not exceeding 1 

year from the date of expiration of the 

initial IHA. 

Description of Marine Mammals 

A description of the marine mammals 

in the area of the activities for which 

authorization of take is proposed here, 

including information on abundance, 

status, distribution, and hearing, may be 

found in the notices of the proposed and 

final IHAs for the initial authorization. 

NMFS has reviewed the monitoring data 

from the initial IHA, recent draft Stock 

Assessment Reports, information on 

relevant Unusual Mortality Events, and 

other scientific literature, and 

determined there is no new information 

that affects which species or stocks have 

the potential to be affected or the 

pertinent information in the Description 

of the Marine Mammals in the Area of 

Specified Activities contained in the 

supporting documents for the initial 

IHA. 

It should be noted that the Draft 2023 

NMFS’ Marine Mammal Stock 

Assessment Reports (SARs) updated 

stock abundances for the Eastern 

Distinct Population Segment for Steller 

sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and 

harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) (Carretta et 

al. 2023). For Steller sea lions, the 

abundance decreased slightly from the 

initial IHA stock abundance estimate of 

43,201 individuals to 36,308 

individuals. During the development of 

the initial IHA the Washington Northern 

Inland Waters stock of harbor seals had 

an unknown abundance. Since then, the 

abundance estimate in the Draft 2023 

SARs has been updated to 16,451 

individuals. None of these population 

changes impact the findings made in 

support of the initial IHA. Additional 

information on all stocks affected by 

this action is available in the NMFS’ 

U.S. Pacific SARs (available online at: 

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

national/marine-mammal-protection/ 

marine-mammal-stock-assessmentreports). 

Potential Effects on Marine Mammals 

and Their Habitat 

A description of the potential effects 

of the specified activity on marine 

mammals and their habitat for the 

activities for which an authorization of 

incidental take is proposed here may be 

found in the notices of the proposed and 

final IHAs for the initial authorization. 

NMFS has reviewed the monitoring data 

from the initial IHA, recent draft SARs, 

information on relevant Unusual 

Mortality Events, and other scientific 

literature, and determined that there is 

no new information that affects our 

initial analysis of impacts on marine 

mammals and their habitat. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 193 / Friday, October 4, 2024 / Notices 80893 

Estimated Take 

A detailed description of the methods 

and inputs used to estimate take for the 

specified activity are found in the 

notices of the proposed and final IHAs 

for the initial authorization. 

Specifically, the source levels, days of 

operation, and marine mammal 

occurrence data applicable to this 

authorization remain unchanged from 

the previously issued IHA. Similarly, 

the stocks taken, methods of take, and 

types of take remain unchanged from 

the previously issued IHA, as do the 

number of takes, which are indicated 

below in table 1. 

TABLE 1—ESTIMATED TAKE BY LEVEL A AND LEVEL B HARASSMENT, BY SPECIES AND STOCK

Common name Stock Stock 

abundance a Level A Level B Total take 

Take as 

percentage 

of stock 

Harbor porpoise .................................. Washington Inland Waters ................. 11,233 0 261 261 2.3 

Steller sea lion .................................... Eastern U.S ........................................ 36,308 0 87 87 0.2 

California sea lion ............................... U.S ...................................................... 257,606 0 87 87 <0.1

Harbor seal ......................................... Washington Northern Inland Waters .. 16,451 264 2,029 3,050 18.5 

aStock or DPS size is Nbest according to NMFS 2023 Draft Stock Assessment Reports. 

Description of Proposed Mitigation, 

Monitoring and Reporting Measures 

The proposed mitigation, monitoring, 

and reporting measures included as 

requirements in this authorization are 

nearly identical to those included in the 

Federal Register notice announcing the 

issuance of the initial IHA, and the 

discussion of the least practicable 

adverse impact included in that 

document and the notice of the 

proposed IHA remains accurate. 

As noted above, the increase vibratory 

pile installation time from 90 minutes 

per day to 360 minutes per day has 

increased the size of the shutdown 

zones as noted in table 2 of this section. 

The applicant and NMFS analyzed the 

Level A harassment and associated 

shutdown zones using vibratory pile 

installation duration of 90 minutes a 

day, for inputs in the optional User 

Spreadsheet tool as reported in table 5 

of the final IHA Federal Register notice 

(88 FR 77972, November 14, 2023). In 

the request for renewal of the initial IHA 

the applicant has requested that NMFS 

analyze and revise the shutdown zones 

associated with an increase in vibratory 

pile driving time to 360 minutes per 

day. Using the optional User 

Spreadsheet tool the applicants and 

NMFS analyzed and revised the 

shutdown zones based on this expected 

increase in vibratory pile installation 

duration. The following standard 

mitigation measures are proposed for 

this renewal: 

• Shutdown zones for Level A 

harassment as specified in the initial 

IHA with the exception of vibratory pile 

installation where the Port of 

Bellingham expects to drive piles for 

360 minutes a day. The updated 

shutdown zones are shown in table 2. 

TABLE 2—UPDATED SHUTDOWN ZONES DURING VIBRATORY PILE INSTALLATION

Activity 

Shutdown zones (m) 1

HF cetaceans Phocids Otariids 

Vibratory installation (360 minutes) ............................................................................................................. 75 (30) 30 (20) 10 (10) 

1Shutdown zones shown in parentheticals are what was included in the initial IHA. 

• Protected species observers (PSO) 

observing the monitoring zones 

established in the initial IHA during all 

pile installation and removal activities. 

• Soft start procedures for impact pile 

driving consisting of an initial set of 

strikes from the hammer at reduced 

energy, with each strike followed by a 

30-second waiting period. 

• The use of a marine pile-driving 

energy attenuator (i.e., air bubble 

curtain system) will be implemented by 

the Port of Bellingham during impact 

pile driving of all steel pipe piles. 

• Prior to the start of daily in-water 

construction activity, or whenever a 

break in pile driving/removal of 30 

minutes or longer occurs, PSOs will 

observe the shutdown and monitoring 

zones for a period of 30 minutes. If a 

marine mammal is observed within the 

shutdown zone, a soft start cannot 

proceed until the animal has left the 

zone or has not been observed for 15 

minutes. 

Monitoring and reporting 

requirements associated with this 

renewal are as follows. 

• A minimum of one PSO will be on 

duty during impact pile driving 

activities and a minimum of two PSOs 

during vibratory installation/removal. 

• Observers would be required to use 

approved data forms. 

• A draft report would be submitted 

to NMFS within 90 days of the 

completion of marine mammal 

monitoring. The report would include 

marine mammal observations preactivity, during-activity, and postactivity during pile driving days (and 

associated PSO data sheets). 

Comments and Responses 

As noted previously, NMFS published 

a notice of a proposed IHA (88 FR 

65953, September 26, 2023) and 

solicited public comments on both our 

proposal to issue the initial IHA for the 

Maintenance and Rehabilitation of the 

Bellingham Shipping Terminal and on 

the potential for a renewal IHA, should 

certain requirements be met. 

All public comments were addressed 

in the notice announcing the issuance of 

the initial IHA (88 FR 77972, November 

11, 2023) and none of the comments 

specifically pertained to the renewal of 

the 2023 IHA. 

Preliminary Determinations 

The construction activities are nearly 

identical to those analyzed for the initial 

IHA, as are the method of taking and the 

effects of the action. The higher 

vibratory drive time does increase the 

size of the Level A harassment zones 

and shutdown zones slightly. This 

increase in zone sizes, however, does 

not change the anticipated take numbers 

analyzed in the initial IHA. In analyzing 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
80894 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 193 / Friday, October 4, 2024 / Notices 

the effects of the activities for the initial 

IHA, NMFS determined that the Port of 

Bellingham’s activities would have a 

negligible impact on the affected species 

or stocks and that the authorized take 

numbers of each species or stock were 

small relative to the relevant stocks (e.g., 

less than one-third of the abundance of 

all stocks). Although some marine 

mammal abundances have changed 

since the initial IHA, none of this new 

information affects NMFS’ 

determinations supporting issuance of 

the initial IHAs. The mitigation 

measures and monitoring and reporting 

requirements as described above are 

nearly identical to the initial IHA. 

NMFS has preliminarily concluded 

that there is no new information 

suggesting that our analysis or findings 

should change from those reached for 

the initial IHA. This includes 

consideration of the estimated 

abundance of Steller sea lions and 

harbor seals decreasing slightly and 

being defined respectively. Based on the 

information and analysis contained here 

and in the referenced documents, NMFS 

has determined the following: (1) the 

required mitigation measures will effect 

the least practicable impact on marine 

mammal species or stocks and their 

habitat; (2) the authorized takes will 

have a negligible impact on the affected 

marine mammal species or stocks; (3) 

the authorized takes represent small 

numbers of marine mammals relative to 

the affected stock abundances; (4) the 

Port of Bellingham’s activities will not 

have an unmitigable adverse impact on 

taking for subsistence purposes as no 

relevant subsistence uses of marine 

mammals are implicated by this action, 

and; (5) appropriate monitoring and 

reporting requirements are included. 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

No incidental take of ESA-listed 

species is authorized or expected to 

result from this activity. Therefore, 

NMFS has determined that formal 

consultation under section 7 of the ESA 

is not required for this action. 

Proposed Renewal IHA and Request for 

Public Comment 

As a result of these preliminary 

determinations, NMFS proposes to issue 

a renewal IHA to the Port of Bellingham 

for conducting Maintenance and 

Rehabilitation of the Bellingham 

Shipping Terminal project in 

Bellingham, WA, from November 8, 

2024 to November 8, 2025, provided the 

previously described mitigation, 

monitoring, and reporting requirements 

are incorporated. A draft of the 

proposed and final initial IHA can be 

found at https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/action/incidental-takeauthorization-port-bellinghamsbellingham-shipping-terminalbellingham. We request comment on our 

analyses, the proposed renewal IHA, 

and any other aspect of this notice. 

Please include with your comments any 

supporting data or literature citations to 

help inform our final decision on the 

request for MMPA authorization. 

Dated: October 1, 2024. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22987 Filed 10–3–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE345] 

Pacific Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery 

Management Council’s (Pacific Council) 

Highly Migratory Species Management 

Team (HMSMT) will hold a webinar, 

which is open to the public. 

DATES: The online meeting will be held 

Monday, October 21, 2024, from 10 a.m. 

to 4 p.m. or until business for the day 

is completed. 

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– 

2412 for technical assistance. 

Council address: Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, 7700 NE 

Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, 

OR 97220–1384. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kit 

Dahl, Staff Officer, Pacific Council; 

telephone: (503) 820–2422. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of this HMSMT webinar is to 

discuss relevant topics on the Pacific 

Council’s November 2024 meeting 

agenda to assist in the preparation of 

reports for these items. 

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: September 30, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22925 Filed 10–3–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE327] 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

holding a hybrid meeting of its 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC) to consider actions affecting New 

England fisheries in the exclusive 

economic zone (EEZ). 

Recommendations from this group will 

be brought to the full Council for formal 

consideration and action, if appropriate. 

DATES: This meeting will be held on 

Monday, October 21, 2024, beginning at 

9 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: This meeting will be 

held at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan 

Airport, 100 Boardman St., Boston, MA 

02128; telephone: (617) 567–5678. 

Webinar Registration information: 

https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/webinar/ 

register/WN_uJ7eG1cYSNyCs7_

QnZNsdQ. 

Council address: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES