107110 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 250 / Tuesday, December 31, 2024 / Notices 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of a 

meeting of the Sanctuary System 

Business Advisory Council (council). 

The meeting is open to the public, and 

an opportunity for oral and written 

comments will be provided. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 12 

p.m. to 1 p.m. eastern standard time 

(EST), and an opportunity for public 

comment will be provided around 12:50 

p.m. EST. Both times and agenda topics 

are subject to change. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

virtually using Google Meet. To 

participate, please use the weblink 

provided below. If you are unable to 

participate online, you can also connect 

to the public meeting using the phone 

number provided. 

• Weblink: meet.google.com/uqsgsxe-mtw 

• Phone: (US) +1 219–321–0702 PIN: 

875 524 484# 

To provide an oral public comment 

during the virtual meeting, please sign 

up prior to or during the meeting by 

contacting Sage Riddick by phone (240– 

560–3365) or email (sage.riddick@

noaa.gov). To provide written public 

comment, please send the comment to 

Sage Riddick prior to or during the 

meeting via email (sage.riddick@

noaa.gov). Please note, the meeting will 

not be recorded. However, public 

comments, including any associated 

names, will be captured in the minutes 

of the meeting, will be maintained by 

ONMS as part of its administrative 

record, and may be subject to release 

pursuant to the Freedom of Information 

Act. The entirety of the comment, 

including the name of the commenter, 

email address, attachments, and other 

supporting materials, will be publicly 

accessible. Sensitive personally 

identifiable information, such as 

account numbers and Social Security 

numbers, should not be included with 

the comment. Comments that are not 

responsive or contain profanity, 

vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate 

language will not be considered. By 

signing up to provide a public comment, 

you agree that these communications, 

including your name and comment, will 

be maintained as described here. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sage 

Riddick, Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries, 1305 East West Highway, 

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (Phone: 

240–560–3365; Email: sage.riddick@

noaa.gov). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ONMS 

serves as the trustee for a network of 

underwater parks encompassing more 

than 629,000 square miles of marine and 

Great Lakes waters from Washington 

State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake 

Huron to American Samoa. The network 

includes a system of 17 national marine 

sanctuaries and Papaha ̄naumokua ̄kea 

and Rose Atoll marine national 

monuments. National marine 

sanctuaries protect our Nation’s most 

vital coastal and marine natural and 

cultural resources, and through active 

research, management, and public 

engagement, sustain healthy 

environments that are the foundation for 

thriving communities and stable 

economies. 

One of the many ways ONMS ensures 

public participation in the designation 

and management of national marine 

sanctuaries is through the formation of 

advisory councils. The council provides 

advice and recommendations to the 

ONMS Director regarding the 

relationship of ONMS with the business 

community. Additional information on 

the council can be found at https://

sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ 

bac/. 

Matters to be discussed: The meeting 

will include updates from ONMS 

leadership, member updates, and a 

celebration of the council. For a 

complete agenda, including times and 

topics, please visit http://

sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/bac/ 

meetings.html. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. 

John Armor, 

Director, Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30690 Filed 12–30–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE566] 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Initiation of the 5-Year Review of the 

Island Grouper (Mycteroperca fusca) 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for information. 

SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the 

initiation of the 5-year review of the 

threatened island grouper (Mycteroperca 

fusca). The Endangered Species Act 

(ESA) requires us to conduct a review of 

listed species at least once every 5 years 

to determine whether a species should 

be removed from the list (i.e., delisted), 

reclassified from an endangered species 

to a threatened species (i.e., 

downlisted), or reclassified from a 

threatened species to an endangered 

species (i.e., uplisted). The 

determination must be based on the best 

scientific and commercial data available 

at the time of the review. Therefore, we 

request relevant information (e.g., 

biology, threats, and conservation 

efforts) that has become available since 

our previous review of the species. 

DATES: To allow us adequate time to 

conduct the 5-year review, we must 

receive your information no later than 

March 3, 2025. While we accept new 

information about any listed species at 

any time, information received after the 

date stated above may not be considered 

for the purposes of this review. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your information 

electronically via the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://

www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA– 

NMFS–2024–0149 in the Search box. 

Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, complete 

the required fields, and enter or attach 

your comments. 

Instructions: We may not consider 

comments or other information if sent 

by any other method, to any other 

address or individual, or received after 

the date stated above. All comments and 

information received are a part of the 

public record, and we will post the 

comments for public viewing on https:// 

www.regulations.gov. All personal 

identifying information (e.g., name, 

address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by 

the sender will be publicly accessible. 

Do not submit confidential business 

information, or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. We will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Alison Verkade, NMFS Office of 

Protected Resources, (301) 427–8074, 

alison.verkade@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice announces our initiation of the 

island grouper (Mycteroperca fusca) 5- 

year review. Section 4(c)(2) of the ESA 

requires us to conduct a review of listed 

species at least once every 5 years to 

determine whether species should be 

removed from the list, changed in status 

from an endangered species to a 

threatened species, or changed in status 

from a threatened species to an 

endangered species (16 U.S.C. 

1533(c)(2)). Section 4(a)(1) of the ESA 

requires us to determine whether any 

species is an endangered or threatened 

species because of any of the following 

factors: (A) the present or threatened 

destruction, modification, or 

curtailment of its habitat or range; (B) 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 250 / Tuesday, December 31, 2024 / Notices 107111 

overutilization for commercial, 

recreational, scientific, or educational 

purposes; (C) disease or predation; (D) 

the inadequacy of existing regulatory 

mechanisms; or (E) other natural or 

manmade factors affecting its continued 

existence (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(1)). Section 

4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA requires us to 

make the determination based solely on 

the best scientific and commercial data 

available at the time of the review and 

after taking into account efforts to 

protect the species (16 U.S.C. 

1533(b)(1)(A)). Regulations in 50 CFR 

424.21 require that we publish a notice 

in the Federal Register announcing 

species currently under active review. 

Based on such reviews, we determine 

whether a species should be delisted or 

reclassified (50 CFR 424.21). Any such 

change (i.e., delisting or reclassification) 

would require a separate rulemaking 

process. 

We last performed a review of the 

island grouper in 2015 prior to its listing 

as a threatened species under the ESA 

(81 FR 72545, October 20, 2016). 

Background information on the species 

is available on the NMFS website at: 

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

island-grouper/overview. 

Public Solicitation of Relevant 

Information 

To ensure that the 5-year review is 

based on the best scientific and 

commercial data available, we are 

soliciting information from the public, 

governmental agencies, Tribes, the 

scientific community, industry, 

environmental organizations, and any 

other interested parties. We request 

information that has become available 

since the previous review was 

published in 2015. Categories of 

requested information include: (1) 

species biology including, but not 

limited to, abundance, population 

trends, demographics, distribution, and 

diversity; (2) habitat conditions 

including, but not limited to, amount, 

distribution, suitability, and important 

features for conservation; (3) degree, 

nature, and trends of threats to the 

species and its habitats, especially those 

factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the 

ESA and listed above; (4) conservation 

efforts that have been implemented to 

benefit the species, including 

monitoring data demonstrating the 

effectiveness of such efforts; and (5) 

other information, data, or corrections 

including, but not limited to, taxonomic 

or nomenclatural changes and improved 

analytical methods for evaluating 

extinction risk. 

If you wish to provide information for 

the review, please submit your 

information and materials electronically 

(see ADDRESSES section). We request that 

all information be accompanied by 

supporting documentation such as 

maps, bibliographic references, or 

reprints of pertinent publications. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: December 20, 2024. 

Lisa Manning, 

Acting Chief, Endangered Species 

Conservation Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31175 Filed 12–30–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE575] 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 

will hold a three-day hybrid meeting 

with both in-person and remote 

participation to consider actions 

affecting New England fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 through 

Thursday, January 30, 2025, beginning 

at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. on 

Wednesday and Thursday. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place 

at The Venue at Portwalk Place, 22 

Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, NH; 

telephone: (603) 422–6114; online at 

https://

www.thevenueatportwalkplace.com. 

Join the webinar at https://

attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/ 

3666534172564880989. 

Council address: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; 

telephone (978) 465–0492; 

www.nefmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate 

O’Keefe, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council; 

telephone: (978) 465–0492, ext. 113. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 

After brief announcements, the 

Council will receive reports on recent 

activities from its Chair and Executive 

Director, the Greater Atlantic Regional 

Fisheries Office (GARFO) Regional 

Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries 

Science Center (NEFSC) Director, the 

NOAA Office of General Counsel, the 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council liaison, and representatives 

from the Atlantic States Marine 

Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the 

U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA’s Office of Law 

Enforcement, and the Advisory 

Committee to the U.S. Section to the 

International Commission for the 

Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). 

Next, the Council will receive a report 

from its Risk Policy Working Group on 

updates to the implementation strategy 

for the Council’s revised Risk Policy. 

The Habitat Committee report will 

follow. The Council will receive an 

overview of new essential fish habitat 

(EFH) designation methods and the EFH 

Review Report before providing 

direction on future actions. Next, the 

Council will: (1) approve updates to the 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC) section of the Council’s 

Operations Handbook; (2) adjourn the 

public portion of the meeting; and (3) 

enter into closed session to discuss SSC 

appointments. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 

The Council will begin the second 

day of its meeting with a survey update 

from the Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center on: (1) the 2024 survey season; 

(2) continency planning for the NOAA 

Ship Henry B. Bigelow; (3) the 

shakedown cruise for the NOAA Ship 

Pisces; (4) Northeast Trawl Advisory 

Panel work on an industry-based trawl 

survey; and (5) other survey-related 

issues. The Northeast Fisheries Science 

Center also will provide a presentation 

on the peer-reviewed results of the 2024 

Yellowtail Flounder Research Track 

Stock Assessment. The Council then 

will receive a NOAA Fisheries 

presentation on the Marine Recreational 

Information Program (MRIP) Fishing 

Effort Survey follow-up study, which 

will be followed by a public listening 

session on NOAA Fisheries’ 

collaborative initiative to re-envision 

recreational fishing data collection 

partnership approaches. 

Following the lunch break, the 

Council will hear from the Groundfish 

Committee and provide 

recommendations to GARFO on fishing 

year 2025 recreational measures for 

Western Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of 

Maine haddock. It also will receive an 

overview of the 2025 groundfish work 

priorities, including Phase 2 cod 

transition planning. The Council then 

will engage in a special session on 

fisheries and habitat research in offshore 


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