Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27265

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D.] 050898A

Highly Migratory Species and Billfish

Advisory Panels; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Atlantic Highly Migratory

Species (HMS) and Billfish Advisory

Panels (AP) will hold consecutive

meetings, with a half- day joint meeting,

to discuss issues in, and future

management options for the fisheries

for, Atlantic HMS.

DATES: The Billfish AP meeting will be

held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on May

26, and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on

May 27. The HMS AP meeting will be

held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on May

28, 1998. A joint session of the Billfish

and HMS APs is scheduled for May 27

from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A public

comment period will be held

Wednesday, May 27, 1998, from 6:00 to

8:00 p.m. at the meeting location.

ADDRESSES: The APs will meet at the

Islandia Marriott Long Island Hotel,

3635 Express Drive North, Happauge,

NY 11788. Written comments should be

submitted to, and informational

materials related to the AP meeting are

available from, Jill Stevenson or Liz

Lauck, Highly Migratory Species

Management Division, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland

20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill

Stevenson or Liz Lauck, telephone:

(301) 713-2347, fax: (301) 713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HMS

and Billfish APs have been established

under the authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

The APs will assist the Secretary of

Commerce in collecting and evaluating

information relevant to the development

of a fishery management plan (FMP) for

Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharks

and to an amendment to the Billfish

FMP. All AP meetings are open to the

public and will be attended by members

of the AP, including appointed

members, representatives of the five

Fishery Management Councils that work

with HMS, and the Chair, or his

representative, of the U.S. Advisory

Committee to the International

Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas. A public comment

period is scheduled for Wednesday,

May 27, 1998, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at

the meeting location. Comments are

solicited on draft overfishing definition

criteria and on rebuilding plans that

will be discussed at the AP meetings. To

request informational materials related

to the AP discussion or to submit public

comments, please see ADDRESSES.

Agenda items for the AP meetings

include discussion of:

1. Objectives for the draft HMS FMP

and draft Billfish FMP amendment;

2. Development of overfishing criteria

and definitions for Atlantic HMS;

3. Rebuilding scenarios for overfished

stocks of Atlantic HMS;

4. Description of the fisheries and

fishing activities; and

5. Essential fish habitat requirements

as they relate to HMS fisheries.

6. Safety of human life at sea.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Liz

Lauck, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910, phone (301) 713-

2347, at least 7 days prior to the meeting

date.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13130 Filed 5–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 050898B]

Marine Mammals

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the National Marine Mammal

Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries

Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way,

NE, BIN C15700, Building 1, Seattle,

WA 98115–0070, has been issued a

permit to take large and small cetaceans

and incidentally harass some pinniped

species during aerial surveys for

purposes of scientific research.

ADDRESSES: The permit and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,

Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713–

2289);

Regional Administrator, Northwest

Region, National Marine Fisheries

Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way,

NE, BIN C15700, Building 1, Seattle,

WA 98115–0070; and

Regional Administrator, Southwest

Region, National Marine Fisheries

Service, NOAA, 501 West Ocean

Boulevard, Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA

90802–4213.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth Johnson or Sara Shapiro, 301/713–

2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

January 15, 1998, notice was published

in the Federal Register (63 FR 2366)

that a request for a scientific research

permit to take multiple cetacean and

pinniped species had been submitted by

the above-named individual. The

requested permit has been issued under

the authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),

the regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

fish and wildlife (50 CFR parts 217–

227), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).

Issuance of this permit, as required by

the ESA, was based on a finding that

such permit (1) was applied for in good

faith, (2) will not operate to the

disadvantage of the endangered species

which is the subject of this permit, and

(3) is consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA.

Dated: May 8, 1998.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98–13048 Filed 5–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 050198B]

Marine Mammals; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.