15940 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 66 / Wednesday, April 8, 2009 / Notices 

evaluations of software for use by the 

intelligence community. Participation 

will be strictly voluntary. The regulated 

information will not be collected. The 

results of the data collected will be used 

to guide NIST research. Steps will be 

taken to ensure anonymity of 

respondents in each activity covered 

under this request. 

II. Method of Collection 

NIST will collect this information by 

electronic means when possible, as well 

as by mail, fax, telephone, and personto-person interviews. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0693–0043. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households; State, local or tribal 

government, Federal government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

2,000. 

Estimated Time per Response: Varied, 

dependent upon the data collection 

method used. The response time will 

vary from 15 minutes to fill out a 

questionnaire to three hours to 

participate in an empirical study. 

Average response time is expected to be 

1 hour. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 2,000. 

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: April 3, 2009. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–7898 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XO45 

Marine Mammals; File No. 14241 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr. 

Peter Tyack, Woods Hole 

Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, 

MA, has applied in due form for a 

permit to conduct research on marine 

mammals. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e–mail 

comments must be received on or before 

May 8, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review by 

selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public 

Comment’’ from the Features box on the 

Applications and Permits for Protected 

Species (APPS) home page, https:// 

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting 

File No. 14241 from the list of available 

applications. 

These documents are also available 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office(s): 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East–West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; 

Northeast Region, NMFS, 55 Great 

Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930; 

phone (978)281–9300; fax (978) 281– 

9333; and 

Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 

33701; phone (727)824–5312; fax 

(727)824–5309. 

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing on this application 

should be mailed to the Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East–West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 

individuals requesting a hearing should 

set forth the specific reasons why a 

hearing on this particular request would 

be appropriate. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile at (301)427–2521, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

e–mail. The mailbox address for 

providing e–mail comments is 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include 

‘‘File No. 14241’’ in the subject line of 

the e–mail comment as a document 

identifier. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tammy Adams or Carrie Hubard, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216). 

The applicant requests a five-year 

permit to conduct research on cetacean 

behavior, sound production, and 

responses to sound. The research will 

contribute to conservation and 

management of the subject species by 

(1) collecting data on vocal behavior 

critical for estimating how well passive 

acoustic monitoring can detect and 

estimate abundance for different 

species, (2) determining what 

characteristics of exposure to specific 

sounds evoke what responses in marine 

mammals, and (3) studying behavioral 

responses including those that might 

relate to potential risks of stranding or 

entanglement in fishing gear. The 

research methods include tagging 

marine mammals with an advanced 

digital sound recording tag that records 

the acoustic stimuli an animal hears and 

measures vocalization, behavior, and 

physiological parameters. Another 

method involves conducting sound 

playbacks in a carefully controlled 

manner at received levels up to 180 dB 

re 1 microPa and measuring animals’ 

responses. The principal study species 

are beaked whales, especially Cuvier’s 

beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), and 

large delphinids such as long–finned 

pilot whales (Globicephala melas). The 

location for the field work involving 

playback is near the Mediterranean Sea; 

the location for tagging to study risks of 

entanglement is mid–Atlantic states, 

especially near Cape Hatteras; and the 

location for studying pre–stranding 

behavior is Cape Cod Bay. Please refer 

to the tables in the application for a 

complete list of species and associated 

research activities by location. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of the 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 66 / Wednesday, April 8, 2009 / Notices 15941 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: April 2, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–8004 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN: 0648–XO49 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery 

Management Council will hold public 

meetings to obtain input from fishers, 

the general public, and the local 

agencies representatives on the 

Regulatory Amendment to the Fishery 

Management Plan for the Reef Fish 

Fishery of Puerto Rico and the United 

States Virgin Islands Concerning Bajo de 

Sico Seasonal Closure including a 

Regulatory Impact Review and an 

Environmental Assessment. 

DATES: The meetings will be held on the 

following dates and locations: 

•April 22, 2009, Frenchman’s Reef 

and Morning Star Hotel, 5 Estate 

Bakkeroe, St. Thomas, USVI 

•April 23, 2009, Buccaneer Hotel, 

Estate Shoys, Christtiansted, St. Croix, 

USVI 

•April 27, 2009, Mayaguez Resort and 

Casino, Rd. 104, Km. 0.3, Mayaguez, 

Puerto Rico 

All meetings will be held from 7 p.m. 

to 10 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 

268 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918–2577; 

telephone: (787) 766–5926. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Caribbean Fishery Management Council 

will hold public meetings to receive 

public input on the Regulatory 

Amendment to the Fishery Management 

Plan for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto 

Rico and the United States Virgin 

Islands concerning Bajo de Sico 

seasonal closure including a Regulatory 

Impact Review and an Environmental 

Assessment. The purpose of this 

regulatory amendment is to protect the 

snapper and grouper spawning 

aggregations and the associated habitat 

from directed fishing pressure to 

achieve a more natural sex ratio, age and 

size structure, while minimizing 

adverse social and economic effects. 

Currently, the area is closed to all 

fishing activity from December 1 

through the end of February, each year. 

In addition, fishing with pot, trap, 

bottom longlines, gillnets or trammel 

nets is prohibited year-round. 

The proposed management 

alternatives are: 

Action 1: Extend the closed season for 

Bajo de Sico (year-round gear 

restrictions already in place will not be 

affected) 

Alternative 1: No actiondo not extend 

the seasonal closure of Bajo de Sico. 

Alternative 2: (Preferred) Establish a 6 

month closure of Bajo de Sico from 

October 1 to March 31 in order to 

provide better protection for spawning 

aggregations of large snappers and 

groupers as well as coral reef habitat. 

Option a: prohibit fishing for all 

species, including Highly Migratory 

Species (HMS) 

Option b: prohibit fishing for and 

possession of all species, including 

HMS 

Option c: prohibit fishing for Council 

managed species 

Option d: (Preferred) prohibit fishing 

for and possession of Council managed 

species 

Alternative 3: Establish a 6 month 

closure of Bajo de Sico from December 

1 to May 31 in order to provide better 

protection for spawning aggregations of 

large snappers and groupers as well as 

coral reef habitat. 

Option a: prohibit fishing for all 

species, including HMS 

Option b: prohibit fishing for and 

possession of all species, including 

HMS 

Option c: prohibit fishing for Council 

managed species 

Option d: prohibit fishing for and 

possession of Council managed species 

Alternative 4: Extend closure of Bajo 

de Sico to 12 months in order to provide 

full protection for spawning 

aggregations of large snappers and 

groupers as well as coral reef habitat. 

Option a: prohibit fishing for all 

species, including HMS 

Option b: prohibit fishing for and 

possession of all species, including 

HMS 

Option c: prohibit fishing for Council 

managed species 

Option d: prohibit fishing for and 

possession of Council managed species 

Action 2: Prohibit anchoring by 

fishing vessels 

Alternative 1: No action—do not 

prohibit anchoring by fishing vessels 

Alternative 2: Prohibit anchoring for 

six (6 months). The six (6)-month 

closure will coincide with the closure 

period chosen in action 1. 

Alternative 3: (Preferred) Prohibit 

anchoring year round. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, in 

accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during these meetings. Actions 

will be restricted to those issues 

specifically identified in this notice and 

any issues arising after publication of 

this notice that require emergency 

action under section 305 (c) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the 

public has been notified of the Council’s 

intent to take final action to address the 

emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

These meetings are physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

For more information or request for sign 

language interpretation and other 

auxiliary aids, please contact Mr. 

Miguel A. Rolon, Executive Director, 

Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 

268 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918–2577; 

telephone: (787) 766–5926, at least 5 

days prior to the meeting date. 

Dated: April 3, 2009. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–8006 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Notice of Intent To Conduct 

Restoration Planning To Evaluate 

Potential Injuries to Natural Resources 

and Services Resulting From the 

Discharge of Oil From the Tank Barge 

(T/B) DBL 152 in the Gulf of Mexico 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Conduct 

Restoration Planning to evaluate 

potential injuries to natural resources 

and services resulting from the 

discharge of oil from the Tank Barge 

(T/B) DBL 152 in the Gulf of Mexico. 

NOAA also seeks public involvement in 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES