105004 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 

‘‘Demersal shelf rockfish’’ means Sebastes pinniger (canary), S. nebulosus (china), S. caurinus (copper), S. maliger (quillback), S. 

helvomaculatus (rosethorn), S. nigrocinctus (tiger), and S. ruberrimus (yelloweye). 

‘‘Other rockfish’’ in the Western and Central Regulatory Areas means ‘‘other rockfish (slope rockfish)’’ and demersal shelf rockfish. 

‘‘Other rockfish’’ in the West Yakutat District of the EGOA means ‘‘other rockfish (slope rockfish),’’ northern rockfish, S. polyspinous, and 

demersal shelf rockfish. 

‘‘Other rockfish’’ in the SEO District of the GOA (and SEAK for Table 2) means ‘‘other rockfish (slope rockfish) and northern rockfish, S. 

polyspinous. 9 ‘‘Other rockfish’’ in the BSAI includes all Sebastes and Sebastolobus species except for Pacific ocean perch, northern, shortraker, and 

rougheye rockfish. 

Halibut and Sablefish IFQ and CDQ 

Standard Ex-vessel Prices 

Table 3 shows the observer fee 

standard ex-vessel prices for halibut and 

sablefish. These standard prices are 

calculated as a single annual average 

price, by species and port or port group. 

Volume and ex-vessel value data 

collected on the 2024 IFQ Buyer Report 

for landings made from October 15, 

2023 through September 30, 2024 were 

used to calculate the standard ex-vessel 

prices for the 2025 observer fee for 

halibut IFQ, halibut CDQ, sablefish IFQ, 

and sablefish landings that accrue 

against the fixed gear sablefish CDQ 

reserve. 

TABLE 3—STANDARD EX-VESSEL PRICES FOR HALIBUT IFQ, HALIBUT CDQ, SABLEFISH IFQ, AND SABLEFISH ACCRUING

AGAINST THE FIXED GEAR SABLEFISH CDQ RESERVE FOR THE 2025 OBSERVER FEE

[based on 2024 IFQ Buyer Reports] 

Species Port/area 1 Price 2

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... Craig ........................................................................................... $5.63 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... SEAK .......................................................................................... 5.51 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... Cordova ...................................................................................... 5.46 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... EGOAxSE ................................................................................... 5.44 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... Homer ......................................................................................... 5.63 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... Kodiak ......................................................................................... 4.88 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... Seward ....................................................................................... 4.08 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... CGOA ......................................................................................... 4.97 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... GOA ............................................................................................ 5.19 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... BS ............................................................................................... 4.15 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... BSAI ........................................................................................... 4.15 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... AK ............................................................................................... 5.05 

Halibut (200) ............................................................................... ALL ............................................................................................. 5.05 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... Petersburg .................................................................................. 1.67 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... SEAK .......................................................................................... 1.58 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... Cordova ...................................................................................... 1.65 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... EGOAxSE ................................................................................... 1.48 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... Homer ......................................................................................... 1.54 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... Kodiak ......................................................................................... 1.11 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... Seward ....................................................................................... 1.07 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... CGOA ......................................................................................... 1.11 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... GOA ............................................................................................ 1.30 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... BS ............................................................................................... 1.22 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... BSAI ........................................................................................... 1.22 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... AK ............................................................................................... 1.28 

Sablefish (710) ........................................................................... ALL ............................................................................................. 1.28 

1 Regulatory areas are defined at § 679.2. (AK = Alaska; ALL = all ports including those outside Alaska; BS = Bering Sea subarea; CGOA = 

Central Gulf of Alaska; EGOAxSE = Eastern Gulf of Alaska except Southeast Alaska; SEAK = Southeast Alaska; WGOA = Western Gulf of Alaska). 2 If a price is listed for the species and port combination, that price will be applied to the round weight equivalent for sablefish landings and the 

headed and gutted weight equivalent for halibut landings. If no price is listed for the port, use port group. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: December 19, 2024. 

Kelly Denit, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30712 Filed 12–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XE540 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Alabama Department of 

Conservation and Natural Resources 

Fisheries Independent Research 

Programs 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

Letter of Authorization; request for 

comments and information. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the Alabama Department of 

Conservation and Natural Resources 

(ALDCNR) for authorization to take 

small numbers of marine mammals 

incidental to fisheries independent 

research programs in Mobile Bay and 

adjacent waters of Alabama over the 

course of five years from the date of 

issuance. Pursuant to regulations 

implementing the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is 

announcing receipt of the ALDCNR’s 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 247 / Thursday, December 26, 2024 / Notices 105005 

request for the development and 

implementation of regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals. NMFS invites the 

public to provide information, 

suggestions, and comments on the 

ALDCNR’s application and request. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than January 27, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

applications should be addressed to 

Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. Physical comments 

should be sent to 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and 

electronic comments should be sent to 

ITP.cockrell@noaa.gov. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments received 

electronically, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted online at 

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

national/marine-mammal-protection/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-researchand-other-activities without change. All 

personal identifying information (e.g., 

name, address) voluntarily submitted by 

the commenter may be publicly 

accessible. Do not submit confidential 

business information or otherwise 

sensitive or protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Craig Cockrell, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. An 

electronic copy of the ALDCNR’s 

application may be obtained online at: 

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

national/marine-mammal-protection/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-researchand-other-activities. In case of problems 

accessing these documents, please call 

the contact listed above. 

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 (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 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 incidental take authorization 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. 

The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’ 

means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or 

attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill 

any marine mammal. 

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). 

Summary of Request 

On April 12, 2024, NMFS received an 

application from the ALDCNR 

requesting authorization for take of 

marine mammals incidental to their 

fisheries independent research programs 

related to sampling activities with 

gillnet and trawl gear in Mobile Bay and 

adjacent waters of Alabama. Following 

NMFS’ review of the application, 

ALDCNR provided responses to NMFS 

initial questions on July 11, 2024 and 

responses to follow up questions on 

December 10, 2024. NMFS determined 

the application was adequate and 

complete on December 12, 2024. The 

requested regulations would be valid for 

five years from the date of issuance. The 

ALDCNR plans to conduct the research 

in Mobile Bay and adjacent waters 

including Mississippi Sound, Perdido 

Bay, Wolf Bay, and Little Lagoon. It is 

possible that marine mammals may 

interact with fishing gear (e.g. gillnets 

and trawl gear) proposed for use in 

ALDCNR’s fishery independent 

resulting in injury, serious injury, or 

mortality. Therefore, the ALDCNR 

requests authorization to incidentally 

take marine mammals. 

Specified Activities 

The ALDCNR conducts fishery 

independent surveys throughout the 

inshore and coastal waters of Alabama, 

in the northern Gulf of Mexico, to 

produce scientific information 

necessary for the management and 

conservation of living marine resources 

in that area. The fisheries independent 

research programs use sampling gear 

including gillnets, seines, and otter 

trawls to assess marine organisms in 

different habitats and trophic levels and 

provides data about post-larval, 

juvenile, and adult populations of 

marine organisms in Alabama inshore 

and coastal waters. The collective data 

is used by fisheries scientists to monitor 

growth, seasonal and geographical 

distribution, changes in population 

structures, and correlation of abundance 

with some abiotic factors for all 

Alabama marine fauna. These proposed 

activities by ALDCNR would be 

conducted over the 5-year period of the 

regulations and subsequent LOA. 

Information Solicited 

Interested persons may submit 

information, suggestions, and comments 

concerning the ALDCNR’s request (see 

ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all 

information, suggestions, and comments 

related to the request during the 

development of proposed regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals by the ALDCNR, if 

appropriate. 

Dated: December 18, 2024. 

Kimberly Damon-Randall, 

Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30726 Filed 12–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE536] 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting open to the 

public. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a second Recreational Initiative 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1