Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 117 / Monday, June 18, 2001 / Notices 32793

incidental impacts on ESA-listed sea

turtles will be minimized. NCDMF

would use a variety of adaptive fishery

management measures and restrictions

through their state proclamation

authority to reduce sea turtle mortality.

The EA package includes a draft EA

and a draft Finding of No Significant

Impact (FONSI) which concludes that

issuing the incidental take permit is not

a major Federal action significantly

affecting the quality of the human

environment, within the meaning of

section 102(2)(C) of the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969, as amended. Three Federal action

alternatives have been analyzed in the

EA, including: (1) the no action

alternative (deny the ITP); (2) issue the

ITP; and (3) close this area to shrimp

fishing.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(c) of the ESA and the NEPA

regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). NMFS will

evaluate the application, associated

documents, and comments submitted

thereof to determine whether the

application meets the requirements of

the NEPA regulations and section 10 (a)

of the ESA. If it is determined that the

requirements are met, a permit will be

issued for incidental takes of ESA-listed

sea turtles under the jurisdiction of

NMFS. The final NEPA and permit

determinations will not be completed

until after the end of the 30–day

comment period and will fully consider

all public comments received during the

comment period. NMFS will publish a

record of its final action in the Federal

Register.

Dated: June 11, 2001.

Phil Williams,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–15195 Filed 6–15–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 060601B]

Pacific 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 Pacific Fishery

Management Council’s (Council)

Groundfish Stock Assessment Review

(STAR) Panels will hold consecutive

work sessions to review assessment

information for shortspine thornyhead/

Dover sole, and for sablefish. These

meetings are open to the public.

DATES: The STAR Panel for shortspine

thornyhead and Dover sole will meet

beginning at 8 a.m., July 9, 2001 and

continue through July 12, 2001. The

STAR Panel for sablefish will meet

beginning at 8 a.m., July 13, 2001 and

continue through July 16, 2001. The

STAR Panels will meet each day from

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The STAR Panel meetings

will be held in the Marilyn Potts Guin

Library, at the Hatfield Marine Science

Center, Oregon State University, 2030

South Marine Science Drive, Newport,

OR 97365.

Council address: Pacific Fishery

Management Council, 7700 Ambassador

Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220–

1384.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chuck Tracy or Dan Waldeck, Staff

Officers; telephone: (503) 326–6352.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Two

meetings will be held consecutively, the

first from July 9-12, 2001; the second

from July 13-16, 2001. The purpose of

the first meeting is to review

assessments of shortspine thornyhead

and Dover sole. The purpose of the

second meeting is to review assessments

of sablefish. The STAR Panels will work

with stock assessment teams to make

necessary revisions to assessment

documents and produce STAR Panel

reports for use by the Council family

and other interested persons.

Although non-emergency issues not

contained in STAR Panel agendas may

come before the STAR Panel for

discussion, those issues may not be the

subject of formal Panel action during

this meeting. STAR Panel 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

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act, provided the public has been

notified of the Panel’s intent to take

final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

The meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms.

Carolyn Porter at (503) 326–6352 at least

5 days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: June 12, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–15192 Filed 6–15–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 060501D]

Marine Mammals; File No.775–1600–01

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

Permit No. 775–1600, issued to Dr.

Micheal P. Sissenwine, Northeast

Fisheries Science Center, NMFS,166

Water Street, Woods Hole,

Massachusetts 02543–1026, has been

amended to include takes of 28 species

of cetacean for purposes of scientific

research.

DATES: Written or telefaxed comments

must be received on or before July 18,

2001.

ADDRESSES: The amended permit and

related documents are available for

review upon written request or by

appointment in the following office(s):

Permits and Documentation Division,

Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,

1315 East-West Highway, Room 13130,

Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301/713–

2289); and Northeast Region, NMFS,

One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA

01930–2298; phone (508)281–9250; fax

(508)281–9371.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tammy Adams or Ruth Johnson, 301/

713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On

October 27, 2000, notice was published

in the Federal Register (65 FR 64432)

that a request for a scientific research

permit to take seven species of baleen

whale, 21 species of odontocetes, and

four species of pinnipeds had been

submitted by the above-named

organization.

The requested permit was issued for

the four species of pinniped only, under

the authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216),

pending completion of a consultation on

the proposed activities on the species of

cetacean listed as endangered, as