Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 13 / Thursday, January 20, 2022 / Notices 3083 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands (CNMI) (hereinafter, ‘‘territory’’ 

or ‘‘territories’’). The regulations further 

allow NMFS to authorize the 

government of each territory to allocate 

a portion of its catch or fishing effort 

limit to U.S. fishing vessels permitted 

under an FEP through specified fishing 

agreements between the vessels and the 

respective territories. Payments made 

under these agreements support 

fisheries development in the territories. 

A specified fishing agreement 

provides access to an identified portion 

of catch or fishing effort limit and may 

not exceed the limit specified for the 

territory and that NMFS has made 

available for allocation. The identified 

portion of catch or fishing effort limit in 

an agreement must account for recent 

and anticipated harvest on the fish stock 

or stock complex or fishing effort, and 

any other valid agreements with the 

territory during the same year not to 

exceed the territory’s catch or fishing 

effort limit or allocation limit. 

II. Method of Collection 

Each participating territory may 

submit a complete specified fishing 

agreement for review by the Council and 

review and approval by NMFS (see 50 

CFR 665.819(c)). The agreement must: 

(i) Identify the vessels and document 

that each fishing vessel has a valid 

permit issued under 50 CFR 665.801; (ii) 

identify the limit on catch of western 

Pacific pelagic management unit 

species, if applicable; (iii) identify the 

limit on fishing effort, if applicable; (iv) 

be signed by an authorized official of 

the participating territory or designated 

representative; and (v) be signed by each 

vessel owner or designated 

representative. There is no form for an 

agreement. Agreements may be 

submitted by mail, fax, or secure email. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0689. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a current information 

collection). 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; Business or other for-profit 

organizations; State, Local, or Tribal 

governments. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3. 

Estimated Time per Response: 30 

hours per agreement, 2 hours per 

appeal. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 90. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $4,885.20. 

IV. Request for Comments 

We are soliciting public comments to 

permit the Department to: (a) Evaluate 

whether the proposed information 

collection is necessary for the proper 

functions of the Department, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 

accuracy of our estimate of the time and 

cost burden for this proposed collection, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (d) Minimize the 

reporting burden on those who are to 

respond, including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this information 

collection request. Before including 

your address, phone number, email 

address, or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you may ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01005 Filed 1–19–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Groundfish Tagging Program 

AGENCY: National Oceanic & 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment preceding submission of the 

collection to OMB. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before March 21, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments to 

Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, 

at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 0648– 

0276 in the subject line of your 

comments. Do not submit Confidential 

Business Information or otherwise 

sensitive or protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to, Rebecca 

Reuter, Fisheries Biologist, NOAA 

Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science 

Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, 

Seattle, WA 98115, 425–666–9578, and 

Rebecca.reuter@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

This request is for extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. The groundfish tagging 

program provides scientists with 

information necessary for effective 

conservation, management, and 

scientific understanding of the 

groundfish fishery off Alaska and the 

Northwest Pacific. The program area 

includes the Pacific Ocean off Alaska 

(the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Area, and the 

Alexander Archipelago of Southeast 

Alaska), California, Oregon, and 

Washington. Fish movement 

information from recovered tags is used 

in population dynamics models for 

stock assessment. There are three 

general categories of tags. Simple plastic 

tags (spaghetti tags) are external tags 

approximately two inches long, printed 

with code numbers. When a tag is 

returned, the tag number is correlated 

with databases of released, tagged fish to 

determine the net movement and 

growth rate of the tagged fish. Archival 

tags are microchips with sensors 

encased in plastic cylinders that record 

the depth, temperature or other data, 

which can be downloaded electronically 

from the recovered tags. Pop-off satellite 

tags are programmed to release from the 

fish and upload archived data (depth, 

temperature, and approximate 

geolocation) to passing satellites, 

therefore data is received independent 

of the fishery. The groundfish tagging 


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3084 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 13 / Thursday, January 20, 2022 / Notices 

and tag recovery program is part of the 

fishery resource assessment and data 

collection that the National Marine 

Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducts 

under the Magnuson-Stevens Act 

authority as codified in 16 U.S.C. 1801 

(a)(8). 

II. Method of Collection 

This is a volunteer program requiring 

the actual tag from the fish to be 

returned, along with recovery 

information. Reporting forms with preaddressed and postage-free envelopes 

are distributed to processors and catcher 

vessels. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0276. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(extension of a currently approved 

collection). 

Affected Public: Not-for-profit 

institutions; State, local, or tribal 

government; business or other for-profit 

organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

440. 

Estimated Time per Response: 5 

minutes for returning a regular tag, and 

20 minutes for returning an internal 

archival tag. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 89. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $30 in recordkeeping/reporting 

costs. 

Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens 

Act. 

IV. Request for Comments 

We are soliciting public comments to 

permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) 

Evaluate whether the proposed 

information collection is necessary for 

the proper functions of the Department, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 

accuracy of our estimate of the time and 

cost burden for this proposed collection, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (d) Minimize the 

reporting burden on those who are to 

respond, including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this ICR. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you may ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Chief Information Officer, Commerce 

Department. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01009 Filed 1–19–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XB645] 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Geophysical Surveys 

Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the 

Gulf of Mexico 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of issuance of Letter of 

Authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, its implementing 

regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA 

Regulations for Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to Geophysical 

Surveys Related to Oil and Gas 

Activities in the Gulf of Mexico, 

notification is hereby given that a Letter 

of Authorization (LOA) has been issued 

to LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C. 

(LLOG) for the take of marine mammals 

incidental to geophysical survey activity 

in the Gulf of Mexico. 

DATES: The LOA is effective from March 

1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA, LOA request, and 

supporting documentation are available 

online at: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

action/incidental-take-authorization-oiland-gas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems 

accessing these documents, please call 

the contact listed below (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben 

Laws, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

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

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

the Secretary of Commerce 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 

issued or, if the taking is limited to 

harassment, a notice of a proposed 

authorization is provided to the public 

for review. 

An authorization for incidental 

takings shall be granted if NMFS finds 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s), will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) for subsistence uses (where 

relevant), and if the permissible 

methods of taking and requirements 

pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring 

and reporting of such takings are set 

forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible 

impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact 

resulting from the specified activity that 

cannot be reasonably expected to, and is 

not reasonably likely to, adversely affect 

the species or stock through effects on 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

Except with respect to certain 

activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 

defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) 

has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has 

the potential to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (Level B 

harassment). 

On January 19, 2021, we issued a final 

rule with regulations to govern the 

unintentional taking of marine 

mammals incidental to geophysical 

survey activities conducted by oil and 

gas industry operators, and those 

persons authorized to conduct activities 

on their behalf (collectively ‘‘industry 

operators’’), in Federal waters of the 

U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the 

course of 5 years (86 FR 5322; January 

19, 2021). The rule was based on our 

findings that the total taking from the 

specified activities over the 5-year 

period will have a negligible impact on 

the affected species or stock(s) of marine 

mammals and will not have an 

unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of those species or stocks for 

subsistence uses. The rule became 

effective on April 19, 2021. 

Our regulations at 50 CFR 217.180 et 

seq. allow for the issuance of LOAs to 

industry operators for the incidental 

take of marine mammals during 


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