Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices 85165 

this final IHA a stipulation that when 

technically feasible, survey equipment 

must be ramped up at the start or restart 

of survey activities. Ramp-up must 

begin with the power of the smallest 

acoustic equipment at its lowest 

practical power output appropriate for 

the survey. When technically feasible 

the power must then be gradually 

turned up and other acoustic sources 

added in a way such that the source 

level would increase gradually. NMFS 

notes that ramp-up would not be 

required for short periods where 

acoustic sources were shut down (i.e., 

less than 30 minutes) if PSOs have 

maintained constant visual observation 

and no detections of marine mammals 

occurred within the applicable 

shutdown zones. 

Changes From Proposed to Final 

Renewal IHA 

No changes were made from the 

proposed renewal IHA to the final 

renewal IHA. 

Determinations 

SouthCoast Wind’s planned activities 

consist of a subset of activities analyzed 

in the initial IHA. In analyzing the 

effects of the activities for the initial 

IHA, NMFS determined that SouthCoast 

Wind ’s activities would have a 

negligible impact on the affected species 

or stocks and that authorized take 

numbers of each species or stock were 

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

less than one-third the abundance of all 

stocks). The required mitigation 

measures and monitoring and reporting 

requirements, as described above, are 

identical to the initial IHA. 

NMFS has 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 draft 2023 

SAR estimated abundance of the NARW 

stock and other stocks, as shown in 

table 2 of the Federal Register notice for 

the proposed renewal IHA (89 FR 

76796, September 19, 2024). NMFS has 

authorized two takes of NARW, by Level 

B harassment only, and the impacts 

resulting from the project’s activities are 

neither reasonably expected nor 

reasonably likely to adversely affect the 

stock through effects on annual rates of 

recruitment or survival. Additionally, 

only about 0.59 percent of this stock’s 

abundance is authorized to be taken by 

Level B harassment. 

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) SouthCoast Wind’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. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

This action is consistent with 

categories of activities identified in 

Categorical Exclusion B4 (incidental 

take authorizations with no anticipated 

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 determined that the 

application of this categorical exclusion 

remains appropriate for this renewal 

IHA. 

Endangered Species Act 

Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA of 1973 (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that each 

Federal agency insure that any action it 

authorizes, funds, or carries out is not 

likely to jeopardize the continued 

existence of any endangered or 

threatened species or result in the 

destruction or adverse modification of 

designated critical habitat. To ensure 

ESA compliance for the issuance of 

IHAs, NMFS consults internally 

whenever we propose to authorize take 

for endangered or threatened species. 

NMFS Office of Protected Resources 

has authorized the incidental take of 

four species of marine mammals which 

are listed under the ESA, including the 

North Atlantic right, fin, sei, and sperm 

whale, and has determined that these 

activities fall within the scope of 

activities analyzed in NMFS Greater 

Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office’s 

programmatic consultation regarding 

geophysical surveys along the U.S. 

Atlantic coast in the three Atlantic 

Renewable Energy Regions (completed 

June 29, 2021; revised September 2021). 

Renewal 

NMFS has issued a renewal IHA to 

SouthCoast Wind for the take of 15 

species (comprising 16 stocks) of marine 

mammals incidental to conducting 

marine site characterization surveys 

offshore of Massachusetts and Rhode 

Island in the BOEM Lease Area OCS–A 

0521 and associated ECR areas, which 

include the previously explained 

mitigation, monitoring, and reporting 

requirements. 

Dated: October 22, 2024. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24889 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE404] 

Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council will hold a one 

day in-person meeting of its Outreach 

and Education Technical Committee. 

DATES: The meeting will convene on 

Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 

8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., EST. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held inperson at the Gulf Council office. Please 

visit the Gulf Council website at 

www.gulfcouncil.org for meeting 

materials. 

Council address: Gulf of Mexico 

Fishery Management Council, 4107 W. 

Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 

33607; telephone: (813) 348–1630. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Emily Muehlstein, Public Information 

Officer, Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council; 

emily.muehlstein@gulfcouncil.org, 

telephone: (813) 348–1630. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Wednesday, November 13, 2024; 8:30 

a.m. until 4 p.m., EST 

The Meeting will begin with welcome 

and introductions, election of chair/vice 

chair, adoption of agenda, approval of 

December 19, 2023 meeting summary, 

and scope of work. 

The Committee will review 

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ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
85166 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices 

Hire Reporting Outreach programs. The 

Committee will receive an update on 

Ecosystem Based Fishery Management 

(EBFM) Outreach, review and discuss 

Management Areas and Boundary 

Outreach, 2024 Communications 

Improvement Plan Progress and 2024 

Analytics. The Committee will hold a 

discussion of Council Outreach Strategy 

and 2025 Communications 

Improvement Plan Ideas. 

The Committee will discuss Other 

Business items and receive Public 

Comment before the meeting adjourns. 

—Meeting Adjourns 

The Agenda is subject to change, and 

the latest version along with other 

meeting materials will be posted on 

www.gulfcouncil.org. 

Although other non-emergency issues 

not on the agenda may come before this 

group 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 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 take-action to 

address the emergency. 

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

Dated: October 21, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24837 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE411] 

Research Track Assessment for Three 

Stocks of Yellowtail Flounder Including 

Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine, Southern New 

England/Mid-Atlantic, and Georges 

Bank 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: NMFS will convene the 

Research Track Assessment Peer Review 

Meeting for the purpose of reviewing 

Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine (CCGOM), 

Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic 

(SNEMA), and Georges Bank (GB) stocks 

of Yellowtail flounder. The Research 

Track Assessment Peer Review is a 

formal scientific peer-review process for 

evaluating and presenting stock 

assessment results to managers for fish 

stocks in the offshore U.S. and Canadian 

waters of the northwest Atlantic. 

Assessments are prepared by the 

research track working group and 

reviewed by an independent panel of 

stock assessment experts from the 

Center of Independent Experts (CIE). 

The public is invited to attend the 

presentations and discussions between 

the review panel and the scientists who 

have participated in the stock 

assessment process. 

DATES: The public portion of the 

Research Track Assessment Peer Review 

Meeting will be held from November 18, 

2024–November 22, 2024. The meeting 

will conclude on November 22, 2024 at 

5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Please 

see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the 

daily meeting agenda. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in 

the Clark Conference Room at the 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center 

Aquarium Building: 166 Water Street, 

Woods Hole, MA 02543; and via Google 

Meet: 

Google Meet joining info: https://

meet.google.com/fdr-vztn-jxd Or dial: 

(US) +1 443–892–2999 

PIN: 475 421 044# 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristan Blackhart, (206) 289–0383; 

kristan.blackhart@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For 

further information, please visit the 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center 

(NEFSC) website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-englandmid-atlantic/population-assessments/ 

fishery-stock-assessments-new-englandand-mid-atlantic. For additional 

information about research track 

assessment peer review, please visit the 

NEFSC web page at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-englandmid-atlantic/population-assessments/ 

research-track-stock-assessments. 

Daily Meeting Agenda—Research Track 

Peer Review Meeting 

The agenda is subject to change; all 

times are approximate and may be 

changed at the discretion of the Peer 

Review Chair. 

Monday, November 18, 2024 

Time Topic Presenter(s) Notes 

10 a.m.–10:15 a.m. ........................ Welcome/Logistics ........................ Blackhart, Chen ............................

10:15 a.m.–10:45 a.m. ................... Research Track (RT) Overview .... Adams ...........................................

10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ................... Terms of Reference (TOR) #1 ..... Cadrin ........................................... Ecosystem. 

12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m. ..................... Lunch 

1:15 p.m.–2:45 p.m. ....................... TOR #2 ......................................... Alade, Hansell, Hodgdon .............. Catch. 

2:45 p.m.–3 p.m. ............................ Break 

3 p.m.–3:15 p.m. ............................ Public Comment ........................... Public ............................................

3:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m. ....................... Discussion/Summary .................... Review Panel ................................ Conclusions, Recommendations, 

and Final Wrap-up for TORs 1– 

2 

3:45 p.m. ........................................ Adjourn 

Tuesday, November 19, 2024 

Time Topic Presenter(s) Notes 

10 a.m.–10:05 a.m. ........................ Welcome/Logistics ........................ To be determined (TBD), Chen ....

10:05 a.m.–11:35 a.m. ................... TOR #3 ......................................... Alade, Hansell, Hodgdon .............. Survey Data. 


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