Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 148 / Thursday, August 5, 2021 / Notices 42791 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XB295] 

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’s is convening its 

Scientific and Statistical Committee 

(SSC) via webinar to consider actions 

affecting New England fisheries in the 

exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

Recommendations from this group will 

be brought to the full Council for formal 

consideration and action, if appropriate. 

DATES: This webinar will be held on 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021, beginning at 

9 a.m. Webinar registration information: 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/

register/954374310389982478. Call in 

information: +1 (415) 655–0052, Access 

Code: 131–042–664. 

ADDRESSES: Council address: New 

England Fishery Management Council, 

50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, 

MA 01950. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda 

The Scientific and Statistical 

Committee will meet to review recent 

stock assessment information from the 

U.S/Canada Transboundary Resource 

Assessment Committee and information 

provided by the Council’s Groundfish 

Plan Development Team (PDT) and 

recommend the overfishing level (OFL) 

and acceptable biological catch (ABC) 

for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for 

the 2022 and 2023 fishing years. Other 

business will be discussed as necessary. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained on the agenda may come 

before this Council for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Council 

action will be restricted to those issues 

specifically listed in this notice and any 

issues arising after publication of this 

notice that require emergency action 

under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has 

been notified of the Council’s intent to 

take final action to address the 

emergency. The public also should be 

aware that the meeting will be recorded. 

Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy 

of the recording is available upon 

request. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at 

(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to 

the meeting date. 

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

Dated: August 2, 2021. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–16728 Filed 8–4–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XB298] 

Marine Mammals; File No. 25770 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Institute of Marine Sciences, 

University of California at Santa Cruz, 

Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (Responsible 

Party: Daniel Costa, Ph.D.), has applied 

in due form for a permit to conduct 

research on Antarctic pinniped species. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email 

comments must be received on or before 

September 7, 2021. 

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. 25770 from the list of 

available applications. These documents 

are also available upon written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted via email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include File No. 25770 in the subject 

line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. The request should set forth 

the specific reasons why a hearing on 

this application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara 

Young or Carrie Hubard, (301) 427– 

8401. 

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 purpose of this research is to 

understand the foraging ecology, 

physiology, habitat use, and diving 

behavior of Southern Ocean pinnipeds 

and the factors that affect and constrain 

their foraging and at-sea behaviors and 

how these ecological and physiological 

factors (1) vary in space and time, (2) 

influence and constrain the behavior of 

these species, (3) are impacted by 

environmental change, and (4) compare 

with other marine mammal species. To 

accomplish these objectives, the 

applicant proposes to capture and 

sample Ross seals (Ommatophoca 

rossii), leopard seals (Hydrurga 

leptonyx), crabeater seals (Lobodon 

carcinophaga), southern elephant seals 

(Mirounga leonina), Weddell seals 

(Leptonychotes weddellii), and Antarctic 

fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) 

throughout their range for five years. 

Researchers may capture, release, and 

recapture up to 40 adult animals per 

species per year at sites throughout their 

range to assess mass, sex, 

morphometrics, blood, total blood 

volume, hair, vibrissae, milk, muscle/ 

blubber/skin biopsies, swabs, urine, 

metabolic measurements, stomach 

lavage/enema, and ultrasound blubber 

measurements. Researchers may also 

capture 50 pups of each species for 

marking, morphometrics, and sample 

collection, including blood, blubber, 

nail, hair, mucous membrane swabs, 

and vibrissae. An additional 1,000 each 

of crabeater seals, leopard seals, and 

Ross seals, southern elephant seals, 

Weddell seals, and Antarctic fur seals 

may be taken annually by unintentional 

disturbance during captures, 

opportunistic sample collection, aerial 

surveys, and resights. Unintentional 

mortality or serious injury of up to four 

animals per species annually, not to 

exceed ten animals per species over five 

years, is requested. Blood and tissue 

samples from sampled animals or 

salvaged from carcasses would be 

imported from the Southern Ocean and 

Antarctica to the United States and 

exported world-wide for analyses. 

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 


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