Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 217 / Friday, November 8, 2024 / Notices 88733 

proposed action with respect to 

environmental consequences on the 

human environment. 

Accordingly, NMFS has determined 

that the issuance of the IHA qualifies to 

be categorically excluded from further 

NEPA review. This action is consistent 

with categories of activities identified in 

CE B4 of the Companion Manual for 

NAO 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. 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) 

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, in 

this case with the NMFS’ Alaska 

Regional Office (AKRO). 

NMFS is authorizing take of the 

Mexico-North Pacific stock of 

humpback whale, and fin whale, which 

are listed as threatened or endangered 

under the ESA. The NMFS AKRO 

issued a Biological Opinion under 

section 7 of the ESA on the issuance of 

an IHA to ADOT&PF under section 

101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA by NMFS 

OPR. The biological opinion concluded 

that the action is not likely to jeopardize 

the continued existence of the listed 

species. 

Authorization 

NMFS has issued an IHA to 

ADOT&PF for in-water construction 

activities associated with the specified 

activity from September 1, 2025 through 

August 31, 2026. All previously 

described mitigation, monitoring, and 

reporting requirements from the initial 

2023 IHA are incorporated. 

Dated: November 5, 2024. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26013 Filed 11–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE292] 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 

Atlantic Shark Management Measures; 

2025 Research Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for applications. 

SUMMARY: NMFS requests applications 

for the 2025 shark research fishery from 

commercial shark fishermen with 

Atlantic shark Directed or Incidental 

limited access permits. The shark 

research fishery provides fisherydependent and biological data 

collection to support stock assessments 

and other NMFS’ research and 

management objectives. The only 

commercial vessels authorized to land 

sandbar sharks are those participating in 

the shark research fishery. Shark 

research fishery participants may also 

land other species of sharks, dependent 

on the terms and conditions of their 

permit. Commercial shark fishermen 

who are interested in participating in 

the shark research fishery must submit 

a completed Shark Research Fishery 

Permit Application to be considered. 

DATES: NMFS must receive Shark 

Research Fishery Permit Applications 

no later than December 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit completed 

applications via email to 

NMFS.Research.Fishery@noaa.gov. 

For copies of the Shark Research 

Fishery Permit Application, please 

email a request to 

NMFS.Research.Fishery@noaa.gov. 

Copies of the Shark Research Fishery 

Permit Application are also available on 

the highly migratory species (HMS) 

website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/atlantic-highlymigratory-species-exempted-fishingpermits. Please be advised that NMFS 

may release your application under the 

Freedom of Information Act. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karyl Brewster-Geisz or Delisse Ortiz at 

301–427–8503, or email 

NMFS.Research.Fishery@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HMS 

fisheries (tunas, billfish, swordfish, and 

sharks) are managed under the 2006 

Consolidated HMS Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) and its amendments 

pursuant to the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and consistent with 

the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (16 

U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS implementing 

regulations are at 50 CFR part 635. 

Section 635.27(b)(1) describes the 

commercial shark quotas, § 635.24(a)(1) 

includes information on retention 

limits, and § 635.32(f) provides details 

on the shark research fishery. 

In Amendment 2 to the 2006 

Consolidated HMS FMP (73 FR 40657, 

July 7, 2008; corrected at 73 FR 40658, 

July 15, 2008), NMFS established the 

shark research fishery, in part, to 

maintain time series data for stock 

assessments and to meet NMFS’ 

management and research objectives. 

Since then, the shark research fishery 

has allowed for: 

• Fishery-dependent data collection 

for current and future stock 

assessments; 

• Cooperative research to meet 

NMFS’ ongoing objectives; 

• Data collection on life-history 

information used in the sandbar shark 

(and other species) stock assessments; 

• Data collection on habitat 

preferences that might help reduce 

fishery interactions through bycatch 

mitigation; 

• Evaluation of the utility of the midAtlantic closed area on the recovery of 

dusky sharks and collection of hooktimer and pop-up satellite archival tag 

information to determine at-vessel and 

post-release mortality of dusky sharks; 

and 

• Shark collection to determine the 

weight conversion factor from dressed 

weight to whole weight. 

The shark research fishery allows 

selected commercial fishermen the 

opportunity to earn revenue from selling 

additional sharks, including sandbar 

sharks. Only shark research fishery 

participants are authorized to land 

sandbar sharks subject to the sandbar 

quota available each year. The base 

annual commercial quotas for sandbar 

sharks is 90.7 metric tons (mt) dressed 

weight (dw) and for research large 

coastal sharks (LCS) is 50 mt dw per 

year, although the quotas may be 

reduced in the event of overharvests. 

The selected shark research fishery 

participants will also be allowed to land 

other shark species consistent with any 

restrictions established on their shark 

research fishery permit. Generally, the 

shark research fishery permits are valid 

only for the calendar year for which 

they are issued. 

NMFS requires 100-percent observer 

coverage on shark research fishery trips. 

The specific 2025 trip limits and 

number of trips per month will depend 

on the availability of funding, number of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
88734 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 217 / Friday, November 8, 2024 / Notices 

selected vessels, the availability of 

observers, the available quota, and the 

objectives of the research fishery, and 

will be included in the permit terms at 

time of issuance. The number of shark 

research fishery participants varies each 

year. In 2024, three fishermen 

participated in the shark research 

fishery. From 2008 through 2023, an 

average of 6 fishermen participated in 

the shark research fishery each year 

with a range from 3 to 11 fishermen. 

Overall, the timing and number of trips 

participants take varies year-to-year 

based on seasonal availability of certain 

species and available quota. 

Specifically, the scientific and research 

needs of the Agency and the number of 

NMFS-approved observers available 

limits the number of trips taken per 

month. In the last few years, 

participating vessels on average have 

been able to take one trip per month. 

Participants may also be limited in the 

amount of gear they can deploy on a 

given set (e.g., number of hooks and 

sets, soak times, length of longline). 

These limits have changed both between 

years and during the year depending on 

research goals and bycatch limits. 

In 2024, NMFS split 90 percent of the 

sandbar and LCS research fishery quotas 

equally among selected participants, 

with 16.3 mt dw (35,935 pounds (lb) 

dw) of sandbar shark research fishery 

quota and 9.0 mt dw (19,841 lb dw) of 

other LCS research fishery quota 

available to each vessel. NMFS held the 

remaining quota in reserve to ensure 

that shark research fishery participants 

did not exceed the overall sandbar and 

LCS research fishery quotas. NMFS may 

use this process again for the 2025 

research fishery quotas or may consider 

other methods of distributing the 

available quotas. Shark research fishery 

participants will be notified of their 

sandbar and LCS research fishery quotas 

upon issuance of their shark research 

fishery permits. 

In 2024, NMFS continued to 

implement a regional dusky shark 

bycatch limit, which was first 

established in the shark research fishery 

in 2013, applicable to four regions 

across the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. 

Per the terms and conditions in the 

shark research fishery permit, under this 

limit, when shark research fishery 

participants bring four or more dusky 

sharks to the vessel dead in a region, the 

shark research fishery participants in 

that region are prohibited from soaking 

their gear for longer than 3 hours. If, 

after the change in soak time, three 

additional dusky shark interactions 

(alive or dead) are observed, shark 

research fishery participants are 

prohibited from making a trip in that 

region for the remainder of the year, 

unless otherwise permitted by NMFS. 

NMFS established slightly different 

measures for shark research fishery 

participants in the mid-Atlantic shark 

closed area in order to allow NMFS 

observers to place satellite archival tags 

on dusky sharks and collect other 

scientific information on dusky sharks 

while also minimizing any dusky shark 

mortality. NMFS expects to continue to 

implement the dusky shark bycatch 

limit in 2025. 

Also in 2024, NMFS provided 

monetary compensation to participants 

who had electronic monitoring (EM) 

sensors installed and operating on their 

vessels for some of their shark research 

fishery trips. Similarly, NMFS may 

provide participants monetary 

compensation in 2025 for some fishing 

trips, dependent on the fulfillment of 

any relevant requirements in the terms 

and conditions of the permit. 

To be considered for selection to 

participate in the shark research fishery, 

commercial shark fishermen must 

submit a completed Shark Research 

Fishery Permit Application by the 

deadline noted above (see DATES) 

showing that the vessel and owner(s) 

meet the specific criteria outlined 

below. 

Shark Research Fishery Objectives 

As established in Amendment 2, each 

year, a shark board, which is comprised 

of NMFS representatives from the 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center 

(SEFSC) Panama City Laboratory, the 

Southeast Regional Office Protected 

Resources Division, and the HMS 

Management Division, develops the 

shark research fishery objectives for that 

year. The 2025 objectives are based on 

various documents, including the May 

2020 Biological Opinion on the 

Operation of the Atlantic Highly 

Migratory Species Fisheries Excluding 

Pelagic Longline and stock assessments 

for various Atlantic shark species (stock 

assessments can be found at https://

sedarweb.org/). 

The 2025 objectives are: 

• Collect reproductive, length, sex, 

and age data from sandbar and other 

sharks throughout the calendar year for 

species-specific stock assessments; 

• Monitor the size distribution of 

sandbar sharks and other species 

captured in the fishery; 

• Collect information regarding 

depredation events; 

• Continue ongoing shark tagging 

programs for identification of migration 

corridors and stock structure using dart 

and/or spaghetti tags; 

• Maintain time-series of abundance 

from previously derived indices for the 

shark bottom longline observer program; 

• Acquire fin-clip samples of all 

shark and other species for genetic 

analysis; 

• Attach satellite archival tags to 

endangered smalltooth sawfish to 

provide information on critical habitat, 

preferred depth, and post-release 

mortality, consistent with the 

requirements listed in the take permit 

issued under section 10 of the 

Endangered Species Act to the SEFSC 

Observer Program; 

• Attach satellite archival tags to 

prohibited dusky and other sharks (see 

table 1 of appendix A to part 635), as 

needed, to provide information on daily 

and seasonal movement patterns, and 

preferred depth; 

• Evaluate hooking mortality and 

post-release survivorship of dusky, 

hammerhead, blacktip, and other sharks 

using hook-timers and temperaturedepth recorders; 

• Evaluate the effects of controlled 

gear experiments to determine the 

effects of potential hook changes to 

prohibited species interactions and 

fishery yields; 

• Examine the size distribution of 

sandbar and other sharks captured 

including in the Mid-Atlantic shark 

time/area closure off the coast of North 

Carolina from January 1 through July 31; 

• Develop allometric and weight 

relationships of selected species of 

sharks (e.g., hammerhead sharks, 

sandbar shark, blacktip shark); 

• Collect samples such as liver and 

muscle plugs for stable isotope analysis 

as a part of a trophic level-based 

ecosystem study; and 

• Examine the feasibility of using EM 

to accurately measure soak times of 

bottom longline sets. This specific 

objective may require participating 

vessels to have EM system sensors 

installed for the duration of the 2025 

research fishery. During each research 

trip, the EM sensors must be operating. 

NMFS will remove the sensors after the 

end of the 2025 research fishery. 

Selection Criteria 

NMFS will only accept Shark 

Research Fishery Permit Applications 

from commercial shark fishermen who 

hold a current Atlantic shark Directed or 

Incidental limited access permit. If 

NMFS receives a large number of 

applications, NMFS will give priority to 

Directed limited access permit holders 

to ensure that shark research fishery 

participants land an appropriate number 

of sharks to meet the objectives. 

The Shark Research Fishery Permit 

Application includes, but is not limited 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 217 / Friday, November 8, 2024 / Notices 88735 

to, a request for the following 

information: 

• Type of commercial shark permit 

possessed; 

• Past participation and availability 

in the commercial shark fishery (not 

including sharks caught for display); 

• Past and present availability to 

participate in the shark research fishery 

year-round; 

• Ability to fish in the regions and 

seasons requested; 

• Ability to attend necessary meetings 

regarding the objectives and research 

protocols of the shark research fishery; 

and 

• Ability to carry out the 2025 shark 

research fishery objectives of the 

Agency. 

NMFS will give preference to those 

applicants who are willing and available 

to fish year-round and who affirmatively 

state that they intend to do so, to ensure 

the timely and accurate data collection 

NMFS needs to meet this year’s shark 

research fishery objectives. NMFS will 

not consider an applicant who has been 

charged criminally or civilly (e.g., 

issued a Notice of Violation and 

Assessment (NOVA) or Notice of Permit 

Sanction) for any HMS-related violation 

for participation in the shark research 

fishery. In addition, NMFS will not 

consider applicants who were selected 

to carry an observer in the previous 2 

years for any HMS fishery but failed to 

contact NMFS to arrange the placement 

of an observer or failed to comply with 

any other observer regulations per 

§ 635.7. NMFS will make exceptions for 

vessels that were selected for HMS 

observer coverage but did not fish in the 

quarter when selected and thus did not 

require an observer. NMFS will not 

consider applicants who do not possess 

a valid U.S. Coast Guard safety 

inspection decal when they submit their 

application. Applicants who have been 

non-compliant with any of the HMS 

observer program regulations in the 

previous 2 years, as described above, 

may be eligible for future participation 

in the shark research fishery by 

demonstrating 2 subsequent years of 

compliance with observer regulations at 

§ 635.7. 

Selection Process 

The HMS Management Division will 

review all applications received by the 

deadline (see DATES) and develop a list 

of qualified applicants (i.e., the 

application is complete and the 

applicant meets the selection criteria 

listed above) for participation in the 

2025 shark research fishery. The HMS 

Management Division will provide the 

list of qualified applicants, without 

identifying information, to the SEFSC. 

The SEFSC will then evaluate the list of 

applicants and, based on the temporal 

and spatial needs of the objectives, the 

availability of observers, the availability 

of applicants, and the available quota 

for a given year, will select applicants 

to conduct the prescribed research as 

part of the shark research fishery. If 

NMFS determines that a public meeting 

is necessary, NMFS will announce 

details of a public selection meeting in 

a subsequent Federal Register notice. 

Once the selection process is 

complete, NMFS will notify the selected 

applicants and issue the shark research 

fishery permits. The shark research 

fishery permits will be valid through 

December 31, 2025, unless otherwise 

specified. If needed, NMFS will arrange 

a captain’s meeting with the shark 

research fishery participants to discuss 

the objectives and protocols. In the past, 

NMFS has often held mandatory 

captain’s meetings before placing 

observers on vessels, particularly if 

there are participants who have not 

participated in recent years or if there 

are changes in the permit terms and 

conditions from previous years; NMFS 

may hold one for the 2025 shark 

research fishery in early 2025. Once the 

fishery starts, shark research fishery 

participants must contact NMFS or the 

NMFS-designee to arrange the 

placement of a NMFS-approved 

observer for each shark research trip, 

and in the beginning, if needed, to 

arrange the installation of the specific 

EM sensor on the vessel. Selected 

applicants must allow observers the 

opportunity to perform their duties and 

assist observers as necessary. At the end 

of the shark fishery, if applicable, shark 

research fishery participants must 

contact NMFS or a NMFS-designee to 

have the EM sensors removed from the 

vessel. 

A shark research fishery permit will 

only be valid for the vessel, owner(s), 

and terms and conditions listed on the 

permit, and, thus, cannot be transferred 

to another vessel or owner(s). Shark 

research fishery participants must carry 

a NMFS-approved observer on shark 

research fishery trips. However, 

issuance of a shark research fishery 

permit does not guarantee that the 

permit holder will be assigned a NMFSapproved observer on any particular 

trip. Rather, issuance indicates that a 

vessel may be issued a NMFS-approved 

observer for a particular trip, and on 

such trips, may be allowed to harvest 

Atlantic sharks, including sandbar 

sharks, in excess of the retention limits 

described in § 635.24(a). Applicable 

retention limits will be based on 

available quota, number of vessels 

participating in the 2025 shark research 

fishery, NMFS’ shark research fishery 

objectives, the extent of other 

restrictions placed on the vessel, and 

may vary by vessel and/or location. 

When not operating under the auspices 

of the shark research fishery, the vessel 

would still be able to land other shark 

species subject to existing retention 

limits on trips without a NMFSapproved observer. Additionally, during 

those times, the vessel would not need 

to operate the EM sensors. 

NMFS annually invites commercial 

shark limited access permit holders 

(Directed and Incidental) to submit an 

application to participate in the shark 

research fishery (see ADDRESSES). Final 

decisions on the issuance of a shark 

research fishery permit will depend on 

the submission of all required 

information by the deadline (see DATES), 

and NMFS’ review of applicant 

information as outlined above. The 2025 

shark research fishery will start after the 

commercial shark fishery opens on 

January 1, 2025 under base quotas and 

default retention limits, unless 

otherwise published in the Federal 

Register. 

Dated: November 5, 2024. 

Karen H. Abrams, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26050 Filed 11–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE050] 

Conservation Plan for the Eastern 

Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal 

(Laaquda) 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), NMFS has finalized the 

Conservation Plan for the Eastern 

Pacific Stock of Northern Fur Seal 

(Laaquda) based on public comments 

received. The goal of the Conservation 

Plan is to conserve and restore the stock 

to its optimum sustainable population. 

The Final Conservation Plan (Plan) for 

this stock is now available. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic copies of the 

Plan are available at the NMFS Alaska 

Region website: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/ 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1