Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 29, 2001 / Notices 29095

• Longline and buoy gear endorsement

(Section 6.1.1):

6.1.1.1 Establish a longline/buoy gear

endorsement– [No Preferred Alternative

Selected]

6.1.1.2 Transferability of

endorsement– Fully transferable

6.1.1.3 Appeals board– Appeals to be

handled by NMFS

• Longline and buoy gear boundary line

(Section 6.1.2)– [No Preferred

Alternative Selected]

• Longline and buoy gear phase–out

(Section 6.1.3)– [No Preferred

Alternative Selected]

• Use of powerheads when spearfishing

(Section 6.2): Require a permit for the

use of powerheads when reef fish

fishing (both commercially and

recreationally), and eliminate the

regulatory exemption that allows the

use of powerheads in the stressed area

for harvest of sand perch, dwarf sand

perch, and hogfish.

• Use of reef fish for bait (Section 7.0):

Prohibit the use of all species in the reef

fish management unit or parts thereof,

except sand perch and dwarf sand

perch, with any gear for bait. (No

preferred alternative on whether to

apply this provision to commercial

fishing, recreational fishing, or both.)

Vessel monitoring system (Section 8.0):

Require fishing vessels engaged in the

bottom (reef fish) longline fishery to be

equipped with an electronic vessel

monitoring system (VMS), with the cost

of the vessel equipment, installation,

maintenance, and month-to-month

communications to be paid or arranged

by the owners as appropriate. NMFS

will maintain and will publish in the

Federal Register a list of type-approved

units and communications protocols.

• Dormant reef fish permits (Section

9.0)– [No Preferred Alternative Selected]

• Red grouper rebuilding plan (Section

10.0):

• 10.1 Red Grouper Sustainable Fishing

Parameters: Set red grouper maximum

sustainable yield (MSY), fishing

mortality rate at MSY (FMSY), and

spawning stock biomass proxy at MSY

(SSMSY) at the range of values

estimated by the Reef Fish Stock

Assessment Panel, MSY = 6.705 to 7.012

million pounds; FMSY = 0.223 to 0.270;

SSMSY = 350.7 to 433.2 million grams

female gonad weight.

10.2 Red Grouper Minimum Stock

Size Threshold (MSST): Red grouper

minimum stock size threshold (MSST)

shall be 80% of SSMSY (280.6 to 346.6

million grams female gonad weight).

10.3 Red Grouper Maximum Fishing

Mortality Threshold (MFMT): Red

grouper maximum fishing mortality

threshold (MFMT) shall be FMSY (0.223

to 0.270), or the F consistent with

recovery to the MSY level in no more

than 10 years.

10.4 Red Grouper Optimum Yield

(OY): Red grouper optimum yield (OY)

shall be 90% of MSY (6.035 to 6.311

million pounds).

10.5 Red Grouper Rebuilding Strategy:

Adopt a 10-year red grouper rebuilding

plan based on a constant catch strategy.

The annual ABC during the rebuilding

period is initially set at 4.3-5.2 million

pounds. (This is a reduction of 21%–

34% from the 1996–99 average landings

of 6.6 million pounds.) This ABC range

may be modified following a future

stock assessment by a regulatory

amendment or plan amendment.

10.6 Commercial Shallow-Water

Grouper Closed Seasons– [No Preferred

Alternative Selected]

10.7 Recreational Closed Seasons–

[No Preferred Alternative Selected]

10.8 Commercial Grouper Trip

Limits– [No Preferred Alternative

Selected]

10.9 Recreational Grouper Bag

Limits– [No Preferred Alternative

Selected]

10.10 Closed Areas– [No Preferred

Alternative Selected]

Tilefish and Deep-Water Grouper

(Section 11.0): Combine tilefish and

deep-water grouper into a new deep–

water reef fish aggregate, and set the

new deep-water reef fish quota at 1.47

million pounds (which is the average

annual harvest of tilefish and deepwater grouper from 1996–99).

• Changes to the reef fish management

unit (Section 12.0): Add the following

species to the management unit: a.

Marbled grouper (Epinephelus inermis)

- to the shallow-water aggregate, b. Sand

tilefish (Malacanthus plumieri)

• Modifications to the Framework

Procedure for Setting Total Allowable

Catch (TAC) (Section 13.0): The primary

modification is to allow a species TAC

and commercial-to-recreational

allocation to be set for an individual

species within an aggregate (such as the

shallow-water grouper aggregate) that

differs from the aggregate allocation,

provided the aggregate allocation

remains as specified. A second

modification allows NMFS stock

assessments to report the status of

stocks in terms of biomass or biomass

proxy instead of spawning potential

ratio (SPR).

Although other non-emergency issues

not on the agenda may come before the

SSC/AP for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal action during these meetings.

Actions of the SSC/AP will be restricted

to those issues specifically identified in

the agendas 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 action to

address the emergency.

Copies of the agenda can be obtained

by calling 813–228–2815.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Anne Alford at the Council (see

ADDRESSES) by June 5, 2001.

Dated: May 23, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13437 Filed 5–25–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 052201B]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

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) is

scheduling a public meeting of its Joint

Groundfish Oversight Committee, Ad

Hoc Capacity Committee and

Groundfish Advisory Panel in June

2001. Recommendations from these

committees will be brought to the full

Council for formal consideration and

action, if appropriate.

DATES: The meeting will held on

Tuesday, June 12, 2001, at 9:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Providence Biltmore, Kennedy

Plaza, Providence, RI 02903; telephone:

(401) 421–0700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, Executive Director, New

England Fishery Management Council;

(978) 465–0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There is a

concern that fishing effort may increase

in the groundfish fishery, threatening

recent improvements in stock condition.

The Groundfish Oversight Committee,

Groundfish Advisory Panel, and Ad Hoc

Capacity Committee will meet to review

issues concerning latent effort and

29096 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 29, 2001 / Notices

unused days-at-sea (DAS). They will

discuss four alternatives identified by

the Capacity Committee in 2000, as well

as an additional alternative developed

by the Groundfish Plan Development

Team (PDT). The joint Committees will

review these alternatives, identify

possible revisions, and develop

recommendations on which, if any,

should be included as part of

Amendment 13 to the Northeast

Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

The Committees may also develop

additional options for addressing latent

effort, and may develop a schedule for

addressing this issue and adopting any

suggested management measures.

Although non-emergency issues not

contained in this agenda may come

before these groups for discussion, those

issues may not be the subject of formal

action during this meeting. 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 Magnuson-Stevens

Act, provided the public has been

notified of the Council’s intent to take

final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5

days prior to the meeting dates.

Dated: May 23, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13436 Filed 5–25–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 041701C]

Marine Mammals; File No. 931–1597–00

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Sam H. Ridgway, RDTE Div 3503, 49620

Beluga Rd, San Diego, California 92152–

6266, has been issued a permit to take

48 species of stranded cetaceans for

scientific research.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill

Lewandowski or Trevor Spradlin, 301/

713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August

29, 2000, notice was published in the

Federal Register (65 FR 52410) that a

request for a scientific research permit

to take 48 species of stranded cetaceans

had been submitted by the above-named

individual.

The purpose of the research, as stated

in the application, is to conduct

audiometric and sonocular testing on 48

species of stranded cetaceans to

determine their acoustic sensitivities

and vestibular responses for use in

assessing the potential impacts of

manmade noise. Medical treatment may

also be provided, at the request of the

NMFS stranding network, to stranded or

entrapped cetaceans. Biological samples

may also be collected, upon

authorization by the NMFS Regional

Stranding Coordinator. Samples

collected abroad may also be imported

into the U.S. Research will occur in

waters under the jurisdiction of the U.S.

and the high seas over a 5-year period.

The requested permit has been issued

under the authority of the Marine

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the

Regulations Governing the Taking and

Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR

part 216), the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531

et seq.), and the regulations governing

the taking, importing, and exporting of

endangered and threatened species (50

CFR parts 222–226).

Issuance of this permit, as required by

the ESA, was based on a finding that

such permit (1) was applied for in good

faith, (2) will not operate to the

disadvantage of the endangered species

which is the subject of this permit, and

(3) is consistent with the purposes and

policies set forth in section 2 of the

ESA.

Documents may be reviewed in the

following locations:

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130,

Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713–

2289); and

Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand

Point Way NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1,

Seattle, WA 98115-0700; phone

(206)526–6150; fax (206)526–6426;

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box

21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668; phone

(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249;

Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West

Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,

CA 90802–4213; phone (562)980–4001;

fax (562)980–4018;

Coordinator, Pacific Area Office,

NMFS, 2570 Dole Street, Room 106,

Honolulu, HI 96822–2396; phone

(808)943–1221; fax (808)943–1240;

Northeast Region, NMFS, One

Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA

01930–2298; phone (508)281–9250; fax

(508)281–9371;

Southeast Region, NMFS, 9721

Executive Center Drive North, St.

Petersburg, FL 33702–2432; phone

(727)570–5301; fax (727)570–5300.

Dated: May 22, 2001.

Ann D. Terbush,

Chief, Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–13435 Filed 5–25–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Arms Control and

Nonproliferation; Proposed

Subsequent Arrangement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Subsequent arrangement.

SUMMARY: This notice is issued under

the authority of section 131 of the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended

(42 U.S.C. 2160). The Department is

providing notice of a proposed

‘‘subsequent arrangement‘‘ under the

Agreement for Cooperation Between the

Government of the United States of

America and the Swiss Federal Council

Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear

Energy.

This subsequent arrangement

concerns the addition of Argentina,

Brazil, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Romania,

South Africa and Ukraine to the list of

countries in Annex I to the Agreed

Minute to the Agreement for

Cooperation. As stated in paragraph B of

the Agreed Minute, countries on the list

are eligible to receive retransfers of

source material, uranium other than

high enriched uranium, moderator

material and equipment transferred

under Article 7 of the Agreement. The

United States has brought into force

new Agreements for Cooperation in the

Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, under

the authority of section 123 of the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended

(42 U.S.C. 2160), with Argentina, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Kazahstan, Romania, South

Africa and Ukraine. These seven

countries have also made effective nonproliferation commitments.

Accordingly, they are eligible third

countries to which retransfers may be

made.

In accordance with section 131 of the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,

we have determined that this

subsequent arrangement will not be