95186 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 231 / Monday, December 2, 2024 / Notices 

Act, Public Law 104–447 (Act) 

authorizes a fishing capacity reduction 

program implementing capacity 

reduction plans submitted to NMFS by 

catcher processor subsectors of the 

Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) 

non-pollock groundfish fishery 

(reduction fishery) as set forth in the 

Act. 

The longline catcher processor 

subsector (Longline Subsector) is among 

the catcher processor subsectors eligible 

to submit to NMFS a capacity reduction 

plan under the terms of the Act. The 

longline subsector non-pollock 

groundfish reduction program’s 

objective was to reduce the number of 

vessels and permits endorsed for 

longline subsector of the non-pollock 

groundfish fishery. All post-reduction 

fish landings from the reduction fishery 

are subject to the longline subsector 

non-pollock groundfish program’s fee. 

NMFS proposed the implementing 

notice on August 11, 2006 (71 FR 

46364), and published the final notice 

on September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57696). 

NMFS allocated the $35,000,000 

reduction loan (A Loan) to the reduction 

fishery and this loan is repayable by fees 

from the fishery. 

On September 24, 2007, NMFS 

published in the Federal Register (72 

FR 54219), the final rule to implement 

the industry fee system for repaying the 

non-pollock groundfish program’s 

reduction loan and established October 

24, 2007, as the effective date when fee 

collection and loan repayment began. 

The regulations implementing the 

program are located at § 600.1012. 

NMFS published a final rule to 

implement a second $2,700,000 

reduction loan (B Loan) for this fishery 

in the Federal Register on September 

24, 2012 (77 FR 58775). The loan was 

disbursed December 18, 2012 with fee 

collection of $0.001 per pound to begin 

January 1, 2013. This fee is in addition 

to the A Loan fee. 

Purpose 

The purpose of this notice is to adjust 

the fee rate for the reduction fishery in 

accordance with the framework rule’s 

§ 600.1013(b). Section 600.1013(b) 

directs NMFS to recalculate the fee rate 

that will be reasonably necessary to 

ensure reduction loan repayment within 

the specified 30 year term. 

NMFS has determined for the 

reduction fishery that the current fee 

rate of Loan A, $0.020 per pound, is 

more than that needed to service the 

loan in 2025. Therefore, NMFS is 

decreasing the Loan A fee rate to $0.016 

per pound. NMFS has determined 

$0.017 per pound is sufficient to ensure 

timely loan repayment, with an 

additional temporary $0.001 per pound 

adjustment related to the 2024 Season B 

rate having been set at $0.020 per pound 

rather than $0.019 per pound. The fee 

rate for Loan B will remain $0.001 per 

pound. 

Subsector members may continue to 

use Pay.gov to disburse collected fee 

deposits at: https\://www.pay.gov/ 

paygov/. 

Please visit the NMFS website for 

additional information at:https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ 

funding-and-financial-services/longlinecatcher-processor-subsector-bering-seaand-aleutian-islands-non-pollock. 

Notice 

The new fee rate for the non-pollock 

groundfish fishery will begin on January 

1, 2025. 

From and after this date, all subsector 

members paying fees on the non-pollock 

groundfish fishery shall begin paying 

non-pollock groundfish fishery program 

fees at the revised rate. 

Fee collection and submission shall 

follow previously established methods 

in § 600.1013 of the framework rule and 

in the final fee rule published in the 

Federal Register on September 24, 2007 

(72 FR 54219). 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.; Pub. 

L. 108–447. 

Dated: November 26, 2024. 

Brian T. Pawlak, 

Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative 

Officer, Director, Office of Management and 

Budget, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28163 Filed 11–29–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE341] 

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to 

Specified Activities; Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to the Maryland 

Offshore Wind Project Offshore of 

Maryland 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of Letter of 

Authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA) as amended, and implementing 

regulations, notification is hereby given 

that a Letter of Authorization (LOA) has 

been issued to US Wind, Inc. (US 

Wind), for the taking of marine 

mammals incidental to the construction 

of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project 

(hereafter known as the ‘‘Project’’). 

DATES: The LOA is effective from 

January 1, 2025 through December 31, 

2029. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting 

documentation are available online at: 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act. In case 

of problems accessing these documents, 

please call the contact listed below (see 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jessica Taylor, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of 

marine mammals, with certain 

exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and 

(D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce 

(as delegated to NMFS) 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, regulations are promulgated 

(when applicable), and public notice 

and an opportunity for public comment 

are provided. 

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) and 

will not have an unmitigable adverse 

impact on the availability of the species 

or stock(s) for taking for subsistence 

uses (where relevant). If such findings 

are made, NMFS must prescribe the 

permissible methods of taking; ‘‘other 

means of effecting the least practicable 

adverse impact’’ on the affected species 

or stocks and their habitat, paying 

particular attention to rookeries, mating 

grounds, and areas of similar 

significance, and on the availability of 

the species or stocks for taking for 

certain subsistence uses (referred to as 

‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements 

pertaining to the monitoring and 

reporting of such takings. The MMPA 

defines ‘‘take’’ to mean harass, hunt, 

capture, or kill, or attempt to harass, 

hunt, capture, or kill any marine 

mammal (16 U.S.C. 1362(13); 50 CFR 

216.103). Level A harassment is defined 

as any act of pursuit, torment, or 

annoyance which has the potential to 

injure a marine mammal or marine 

mammal stock in the wild (16 U.S.C. 

1362(18); 50 CFR 216.3). Level A 

harassment is defined as any act of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 231 / Monday, December 2, 2024 / Notices 95187 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance which 

has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (16 U.S.C. 1362(18); 50 CFR 216.3). 

Level B harassment is defined as any act 

of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which 

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 (16 U.S.C. 

1362(18); 50 CFR 216.3). Section 

101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA and the 

implementing regulations at 50 CFR part 

216, subpart I authorize NMFS to 

propose and, if appropriate, promulgate 

regulations and issue associated LOA(s). 

NMFS promulgated regulations on 

October 23, 2024 (89 FR 84676) for the 

taking of marine mammals incidental to 

the construction of the Maryland 

Offshore Wind Project offshore of 

Maryland. The LOA authorizes US 

Wind, and those persons it authorizes or 

funds to conduct activities on its behalf, 

to take marine mammals incidental to 

specified activities during the 

construction of the Project and requires 

them to implement mitigation, 

monitoring, and reporting requirements. 

Summary of Request 

On October 23, 2024, NMFS 

promulgated a final rule (89 FR 84674) 

responding to a request from US Wind 

for authorization to take marine 

mammals (19 species comprising 20 

stocks) by Level B harassment (all 20 

stocks) and by Level A harassment (5 

stocks of the 20 stocks) incidental to 

construction activities occurring in 

Federal and State waters off of 

Maryland, specifically within and 

around the Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management (BOEM) Commercial Lease 

of Submerged Lands for Renewable 

Energy Development on the Outer 

Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Area 

OCS–A 0490 (collectively, ‘‘Lease 

Area’’) and along two export cable 

routes to sea-to-shore transition points 

(collectively referred to as the ‘‘Project 

Area’’), over the course of 5 years 

(January 1, 2025 through December 31, 

2029). The final rule included the 

following specified activities: the 

installation of up to 114 wind turbine 

generators (WTGs) on monopile 

foundations using impact pile driving; 

the installation of 4 offshore substations 

(OSSs) on jacket foundations consisting 

of post-piled pin piles using impact pile 

driving; the installation of one 

meteorological tower (Met Tower) on 

pin piles using impact pile driving; 

installation and subsequent removal of 

gravity cells to connect the offshore 

export cables to onshore facilities 

within Delaware Seashore State Park; 

high-resolution geophysical (HRG) 

marine site characterization surveys 

using active acoustic sources; fishery 

and ecological monitoring surveys; the 

placement of scour protection; the 

installation of the export cable routes 

from OSSs to shore-based converter 

stations and inter-array cables between 

turbines by trenching, laying, and burial 

activities; vessel transit within the 

specified geographical region to 

transport crew, supplies, and materials; 

and WTG operation. 

Marine mammals exposed to elevated 

noise levels during foundation impact 

pile driving may be taken by Level A 

harassment, and marine mammals 

exposed to elevated noise levels during 

impact pile driving and HRG site 

characterization surveys may be taken 

by Level B harassment. No mortality or 

serious injury of any marine mammal is 

anticipated or authorized. The number 

of takes, by species, authorized may be 

found in table 1 in the LOA, which is 

available at https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/permit/incidental-takeauthorizations-under-marine-mammalprotection-act. 

Authorization 

In accordance with the final rule (89 

FR 84674, October 23, 2024; see 50 CFR 

217.306), NMFS has issued a LOA to US 

Wind authorizing the take, by 

harassment, of marine mammals 

incidental to specified activities within 

the specified geographical region. As 

previously stated, no mortality or 

serious injury of any marine mammal 

species is anticipated or authorized. The 

incidental takes authorized herein are 

the same as those analyzed and 

authorized in the final rule (89 FR 

84674, October 23, 2024). Takes of 

marine mammals will be minimized 

through the following planned 

mitigation and monitoring measures, as 

applicable for each specified activity: (1) 

implementation of seasonal pile driving 

work restrictions; (2) use of multiple 

NMFS-approved Protected Species 

Observers (PSOs) to visually observe for 

marine mammals (with any detection 

within specifically designated zones 

triggering a delay or shutdown, as 

applicable); (3) use of NMFS-approved 

passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) 

operators to acoustically detect marine 

mammals, with a focus on detecting 

baleen whales (with any detection 

within designated zones triggering a 

delay or shutdown, as applicable); (4) 

implementation of clearance and 

shutdown zones; (5) use of soft-start 

upon commencement of impact pile 

driving and ramp-up of acoustic sources 

during HRG surveys; (6) use of noise 

attenuation technology during 

foundation pile driving; (7) use of 

situational awareness monitoring for 

marine mammal presence; (8) use of 

sound field verification monitoring; (9) 

use of PAM within the vessel transit 

corridor for Project vessels to travel over 

10 knots (11.5 miles per hour); and (10) 

implementation of several vessel strike 

avoidance measures to avoid vessel 

strikes, including but not limited to, 

vessel separation zones between marine 

mammals and project vessels. 

Additionally, NMFS may modify the 

LOA’s mitigation, monitoring, or 

reporting measures, based on new 

information. US Wind is also required 

to submit reports, as specified in the 

final rule. 

Based on the findings discussed in the 

preamble of the final rule, NMFS has 

determined that the take authorized in 

the LOA is of small numbers, will have 

a negligible impact on marine mammal 

stocks, will not have an unmitigable 

adverse impact on the availability of the 

affected marine mammal stock for 

subsistence uses, and the mitigation 

measures provide a means of affecting 

the least practicable adverse impact on 

the affected stocks and their habitat. 

Dated: November 26, 2024. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28215 Filed 11–29–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Draft Revised Management Plan for the 

Narragansett Bay National Estuarine 

Research Reserve 

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, 

National Ocean Service, National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 

soliciting comments from the public 

regarding a proposed revision of the 

management plan for the Narragansett 

Bay National Estuarine Research 

Reserve (NBNERR). A management plan 

provides a framework to guide a 

reserve’s programs, track progress 

toward meeting its goals, and identify 

potential opportunities or changes in 

direction. It is also used to guide 

programmatic evaluations. Management 

plan revisions are required at least every 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1