5516 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Notices 

this end, NOAA’s National Marine 

Protected Areas Center (MPA Center), 

part of the Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries (ONMS), proposes to 

continue and augment an ongoing effort 

to inventory all U.S. MPAs. 

The MPA Center was established 

under Executive Order 13158, which 

directs NOAA and the Department of 

the Interior to work collaboratively with 

state, federal, territorial and tribal 

partners to enhance ocean conservation 

and management throughout the 

nation’s system of MPAs. The Marine 

Protected Areas Inventory— a publicly 

available, online, spatial database that 

provides detailed and unique 

information on MPAs nationwide—is 

fundamental to this goal. Required by 

Executive Order 13158, the Inventory 

provides access to data and summary 

products on over 1,600 MPA sites across 

different management programs and all 

levels of government. The MPA 

Inventory is accessible via the MPA 

Center’s Web site, 

marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov. 

This data collection effort would 

continue providing U.S. MPA managers 

with a voluntary, online means to share 

and update important information 

about: (i) The site’s establishment, 

purpose(s), management approaches, 

and natural and cultural resources; and, 

(ii) the types, trends and potential 

resource management implications of 

expanding recreational uses within U.S. 

MPAs. 

The MPA Inventory data collection 

continues the periodic and voluntary 

solicitation of site-specific descriptive 

data from all MPAs in the U.S. 

Typically, an individual MPA site 

would complete an online site data form 

once, and then update it if necessary to 

reflect changes in boundaries, 

regulations, management approaches, 

etc. In order to keep this vital data 

resource current and accurate with the 

latest status and information on MPAs 

nationwide, the online site data form, 

posted at 

marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov, can be 

used to: (i) Describe a new or modified 

MPA; (ii) provide feedback, corrections 

or additions to existing MPA Inventory 

data; or, (iii) evaluate whether a site 

proposed for inclusion in the National 

System of MPAs meets the eligibility 

criteria (typically 5–10 sites per year). 

The MPA Inventory is frequently used 

by ocean managers, users, scientists and 

others to better understand place-based 

management of U.S. waters. 

In addition to continuing to manage 

and share descriptive information on 

U.S. MPAs, the MPA Center proposes to 

contact State and Federal MPA 

managers to solicit and facilitate their 

participation in a voluntary survey 

about conditions and trends in 

recreational uses of their sites. Data 

addressing the nature, trends, drivers 

and implications of recreational uses 

will be collected from U.S. MPA 

managers electronically over a period of 

6 weeks using an online survey 

instrument. Individual managers’ 

responses will remain confidential and 

the results aggregated to illustrate 

meaningful general trends rather data 

specific to a single MPA. Important 

patterns and lessons learned from this 

data collection will be shared directly 

with MPA managers around the country 

to assist in their management of some of 

the nation’s most treasured ocean and 

coastal areas. 

II. Method of Collection 

Submissions will be made on line. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0449. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Revision and 

extension of an approved information 

collection. 

Affected Public: Approximately 300 

State, territorial and federal MPA 

managers or staff. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

150. 

Estimated Time per Response: 30 

minutes each for the uploading of 

information and for the survey. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 75. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: January 27, 2015. 

Glenna Mickelson, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01853 Filed 1–30–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD743 

International Affairs; U.S. Fishing 

Opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic 

Fisheries Organization Regulatory 

Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notification of U.S. fishing 

opportunities. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces fishing 

opportunities in the Northwest Atlantic 

Fisheries Organization (NAFO) 

Regulatory Area. This action is 

necessary to make fishing privileges 

available on an equitable basis. 

DATES: Effective January 1, 2015, 

through December 31, 2015. Expressions 

of interest regarding fishing 

opportunities in NAFO will be accepted 

through February 17, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Expressions of interest 

regarding U.S. fishing opportunities in 

NAFO should be made in writing to 

Douglas W. Christel in the NMFS 

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries 

Office at 55 Great Republic Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930 (phone: 978– 

281–9141, email: Douglas.Christel@

noaa.gov). 

Information relating to chartering 

vessels of another NAFO Contracting 

Party, or transferring NAFO fishing 

opportunities to or from another NAFO 

Contracting Party is available from 

Patrick E. Moran in the NMFS Office of 

International Affairs at 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 

(phone: 301–427–8370, fax: 301–713– 

2313, email: Pat.Moran@noaa.gov). 

Information relating to NAFO fishing 

opportunities, NAFO Conservation and 

Enforcement Measures, and the High 

Seas Fishing Compliance Act (HSFCA) 

Permit is available from Douglas 

Christel, in the NMFS Greater Atlantic 

Regional Fisheries Office at 55 Great 

Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930 

(phone: 978–281–9141, fax: 978–281– 

9135, email: douglas.christel@noaa.gov) 

and from NAFO on the World Wide 

Web at http://www.nafo.int. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Notices 5517 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas W. Christel, 978–281–9141. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

What fishing opportunities are 

available? 

The principal species managed by 

NAFO are cod, flounder, redfish, 

American plaice, Greenland halibut, 

hake, capelin, shrimp, skates and Illex 

squid. NAFO maintains conservation 

measures for fishery resources in its 

Regulatory Area, including, for those 

principal species, total allowable 

catches (TACs) that are allocated among 

NAFO Contracting Parties. At the 2014 

NAFO Annual Meeting, the United 

States received national quota 

allocations for two NAFO stocks to be 

fished during 2015. The species, 

location, and allocation (in metric tons 

(mt)) of these 2015 U.S. fishing 

opportunities, as found in Annexes I.A, 

I.B, and I.C of the 2015 NAFO 

Conservation and Enforcement 

Measures (CEM), are as follows: 

1. Redfish ..... NAFO Division 

3M.

69 mt. 

2. Squid (Illex) NAFO Subareas 3 & 4.453 mt. 

Additionally, the United States may 

be transferred up to 1,000 mt of NAFO 

Division 3LNO yellowtail flounder from 

Canada’s quota allocation if requested 

before January 1 of each year, or any 

succeeding year through 2018, based 

upon a bilateral arrangement with 

Canada. The United States has already 

requested this 1,000 mt of Division 

3LNO yellowtail flounder from Canada 

for 2015. The arrangement for the 

transfer of Canadian yellowtail flounder 

quota would enable U.S. vessels to 

harvest American plaice as bycatch in 

the yellowtail flounder fishery in an 

amount equal to 15 percent of the total 

catch on board of regulated species 

listed in Annex I.A of the 2015 NAFO 

CEM . Additional quota for these and 

other stocks managed within the NAFO 

Regulatory Area may be available to 

U.S. vessels through industry-initiated 

chartering arrangements or transfers of 

quota from other NAFO Contracting 

Parties. 

U.S. fishermen may also access stocks 

in which the United States has not 

received a national quota (also known as 

the ‘‘Others’’ allocation), including: 

Division 3M cod (55 mt); Division 3LN 

redfish (63 mt); Division 3O redfish (100 

mt); Division 3NO witch flounder (10 

mt); Division 3NO white hake (59 mt); 

and Division 3LNO skates (258 mt). 

Note that the United States shares these 

allocations with other NAFO 

Contracting Parties, and access to such 

stocks is on a first-come-first-served 

basis. Fishing is halted by NAFO when 

the ‘‘Others’’ allocation for a particular 

stock has been fully harvested. 

U.S. fishermen interested in 

harvesting species not listed in Annexes 

I.A or I.B of the 2015 NAFO CEM, but 

occurring within the NAFO Regulatory 

Area, should contact the NMFS Greater 

Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (see 

ADDRESSES) for information. 

Authorization to fish for such species 

will include appropriate conditions or 

restrictions, such as, but not limited to, 

minimum size requirements and catch 

limits, as may be appropriate to ensure 

the optimum utilization, long-term 

sustainability, and rational management 

and conservation of fishery resources in 

the NAFO Regulatory Area, consistent 

with the Convention on Future 

Multilateral Cooperation in the 

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries as well as 

the Amendment to the Convention on 

Future Multilateral Cooperation in the 

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, which has 

been adopted by all NAFO Contracting 

Parties by consensus. 

Who can apply for these fishing 

opportunities? 

Expressions of interest to fish for any 

or all of the 2015 U.S. fishing 

opportunities in NAFO described above 

will be considered from all U.S. fishing 

interests (e.g., vessel owners, processors, 

agents, others). Applicants are urged to 

carefully review and thoroughly address 

the application requirements and 

selection criteria as detailed below. 

Expressions of interest should be 

directed in writing to Douglas W. 

Christel (see ADDRESSES). 

What information is required in an 

application letter? 

Expressions of interest should include 

a detailed description of anticipated 

fishing operations in 2015. This 

includes, but is not limited to, the 

following elements: Intended target 

species; proposed dates of fishing 

operations; vessels to be used to harvest 

fish, including the name, registration, 

and home port of the intended 

harvesting vessel, as appropriate; the 

number of fishing personnel involved in 

vessel operations; intended landing 

port; for landing ports outside of the 

United States, whether or not the 

product will be shipped to the United 

States for processing; processing 

facilities to be employed; target market 

for harvested fish; and evidence 

demonstrating the ability of the 

applicant to successfully prosecute 

fishing operations in the NAFO 

Regulatory Area. Note that U.S. 

applicant vessels must be in possession 

of, or eligible for, a valid HSFCA permit, 

which is available from the NMFS 

Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries 

Office. Information regarding other 

requirements for fishing in the NAFO 

Regulatory Area is detailed below and is 

also available from the NMFS Greater 

Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (see 

ADDRESSES). U.S. applicants wishing to 

harvest U.S. allocations using a vessel 

from another NAFO Contracting Party, 

or hoping to transfer U.S. allocations to 

another NAFO Contracting Party, 

should see below for details on U.S. and 

NAFO requirements for such activities. 

If you have further questions regarding 

what information is required in an 

expression of interest, please contact 

Douglas W. Christel (see ADDRESSES). 

What criteria will be used in identifying 

successful applicants? 

Applicants demonstrating the greatest 

benefits to the United States through 

their intended operations will be most 

successful. Such benefits might include 

(but are not limited to): The use of U.S. 

vessels; detailed, positive impacts on 

U.S. employment; use of U.S. processing 

facilities; transport, marketing and sales 

of product within the United States; 

other benefits to U.S. businesses; and 

documentation of the physical 

characteristics and economics of the 

fishery for future use by the U.S. fishing 

industry. A documented history of 

successful fishing operations in NAFO 

or other similar fisheries will also be 

considered. After reviewing all requests 

for allocations submitted, NMFS may 

decide not to grant any allocations if it 

is determined that no requests 

adequately meet the criteria described 

in this notice. To ensure equitable 

access by U.S. fishing interests, NMFS 

may provide additional guidance or 

procedures, or may promulgate 

regulations designed to allocate fishing 

interests to one or more U.S. applicants 

from among qualified applicants. 

All applicants will be notified of the 

allocation decision as soon as possible. 

Once allocations have been awarded, 

NMFS will immediately take 

appropriate steps to notify NAFO and 

other appropriate actions to facilitate 

operations by U.S. fishing interests. 

What if I want to charter a vessel to fish 

available U.S. allocations? 

Under the bilateral arrangement with 

Canada, the United States may enter 

into a chartering (or other) arrangement 

with a Canadian vessel to harvest the 

transferred yellowtail flounder. For 

other NAFO-regulated species listed in 

Annexes I.A or I.B, the United States 

may enter into a chartering arrangement 

with a vessel from any other NAFO 

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5518 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 21 / Monday, February 2, 2015 / Notices 

Contracting Party. Prior notification to 

the NAFO Executive Secretary is 

necessary in either case. Expressions of 

interest intending to make use of 

another NAFO Contracting Party vessel 

under chartering arrangements should 

provide the following information: The 

name and registration number of the 

intended vessel; a copy of the charter 

agreement; a detailed fishing plan; a 

written letter of consent from the 

applicable NAFO Contracting Party; the 

date from which the vessel is authorized 

to commence fishing; and the duration 

of the charter (not to exceed six 

months). Note that expressions of 

interest using another NAFO 

Contracting Party vessel under charter 

should be accompanied by a detailed 

description of anticipated benefits to the 

United States, as described above. 

Any vessel wishing to enter into a 

chartering arrangement with the United 

States must be in full current 

compliance with the requirements 

outlined in the NAFO Convention and 

Conservation and Enforcement 

Measures. These requirements include, 

but are not limited to, submission of the 

following reports to the NAFO 

Executive Secretary: Notification that 

the vessel is authorized by its flag state 

to fish within the NAFO Regulatory 

Area during 2015; provisional monthly 

catch reports for all vessels of that 

NAFO Contracting Party operating in 

the NAFO Regulatory Area; daily catch 

reports for each day fished by the 

subject vessel within the Regulatory 

Area; observer reports within 30 days 

following the completion of a fishing 

trip; and an annual statement of actions 

taken by its flag state to comply with the 

NAFO Convention. The United States 

may also consider the vessel’s previous 

compliance with NAFO bycatch, 

reporting and other provisions, as 

outlined in the NAFO Conservation and 

Enforcement Measures, before entering 

into a chartering arrangement. More 

details on NAFO requirements for 

chartering operations are available from 

Patrick E. Moran (see ADDRESSES). 

What if I want to arrange for a transfer 

of U.S. quota allocations to another 

NAFO party? 

Under NAFO rules in effect for 2015, 

the United States may transfer fishing 

opportunities with the consent of the 

receiving NAFO Contracting Party and 

with prior notification to the NAFO 

Executive Secretary. An applicant may 

request to arrange for any of the above 

U.S. opportunities to be transferred to 

another NAFO party, although such 

applications will likely to be given 

lesser priority than those that involve 

more direct harvesting or processing by 

U.S. entities. Applications to arrange for 

a transfer of U.S. fishing opportunities 

should contain a letter of consent from 

the receiving NAFO Contracting Party, 

and should also be accompanied by a 

detailed description of anticipated 

benefits to the United States. As in the 

case of chartering operations, the United 

States may also consider a NAFO 

Contracting Party’s previous compliance 

with NAFO bycatch, reporting and other 

provisions, as outlined in the NAFO 

Conservation and Enforcement 

Measures, before entering agreeing to a 

transfer. More details on NAFO 

requirements for transferring NAFO 

allocations are available from Patrick E. 

Moran (see ADDRESSES). 

What if I want to arrange to receive a 

transfer of NAFO quota allocations 

from another NAFO party? 

Under NAFO rules in effect for 2015, 

the United States may receive transfers 

of additional fishing opportunities from 

other NAFO Contracting Parties. The 

United States is required to provide a 

letter of consent to this transfer and 

prior notification to the NAFO 

Executive Secretary. In the event that an 

applicant is able to arrange for the 

transfer of additional fishing 

opportunities from another NAFO 

Contracting Party, the United States may 

agree to facilitate such a transfer insofar 

as fulfilling the NAFO requirements for 

such transfers after soliciting additional 

public input on such transfers as 

appropriate. As in the case of chartering 

operations, the United States may also 

consider a NAFO Contracting Party’s 

previous compliance with NAFO 

bycatch, reporting and other provisions, 

as outlined in the NAFO Conservation 

and Enforcement Measures, before 

agreeing to accept a transfer. Any 

fishing quota or other harvesting 

opportunities received via this type of 

transfer are subject to all U.S. and 

NAFO rules as detailed below. For more 

details on NAFO requirements for 

transferring NAFO allocations, contact 

Patrick E. Moran (see ADDRESSES). 

What rules must I follow while fishing? 

U.S. applicant vessels must be in 

possession of, or obtain, a valid HSFCA 

permit, which is available from the 

NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional 

Fisheries Office. Note that vessels 

issued valid HSFCA permits under 50 

CFR part 300 are exempt from the 

Northeast multispecies and monkfish 

permit, mesh size, effort-control, and 

possession limit restrictions, specified 

in §§ 648.4, 648.80, 648.82, 648.86, 

648.87, 648.91, 648.92, and 648.94, 

respectively, while transiting the U.S. 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with 

multispecies and/or monkfish on board 

the vessel, or landing multispecies and/ 

or monkfish in U.S. ports that were 

caught while fishing in the NAFO 

Regulatory Area, provided: 

1. The vessel operator has a letter of 

authorization issued by the Regional 

Administrator on board the vessel; 

2. For the duration of the trip, the 

vessel fishes, except for transiting 

purposes, exclusively in the NAFO 

Regulatory Area and does not harvest 

fish in, or possess fish harvested in, or 

from, the U.S. EEZ; 

3. When transiting the U.S. EEZ, all 

gear is properly stowed and not 

available for immediate use as defined 

under § 648.2; and 

4. The vessel operator complies with 

the provisions, conditions, and 

restrictions specified on the HSFCA 

permit and all NAFO Conservation and 

Enforcement Measures while fishing in 

the NAFO Regulatory Area. 

Relevant NAFO Conservation and 

Enforcement Measures include, but are 

not limited to, maintenance of a fishing 

logbook with NAFO-designated entries; 

adherence to NAFO hail system 

requirements; presence of an on-board 

observer; deployment of a functioning, 

autonomous vessel monitoring system 

authorized by issuance of the HSFCA 

permit; and adherence to all relevant 

minimum size, gear, bycatch, and other 

requirements. Further details regarding 

U.S. and NAFO requirements are 

available from the NMFS Greater 

Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, and 

can also be found in the 2015 NAFO 

Conservation and Enforcement 

Measures on the Internet (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Dated: January 28, 2015. 

Paul Doremus, 

Acting Director, Office of International Affairs 

and Seafood Inspection, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01967 Filed 1–30–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

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 (Council) will 

hold a meeting of the Shrimp Permit 

Moratorium Working Group. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES