Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 99 / Monday, May 23, 2022 / Notices 31213 

individuals, organizations, Native 

American tribes, and Federal, State, and 

local agencies on the proposed action. 

The scoping process will inform the 

scope and significant issues to be 

analyzed in the PEIS. Interested parties 

may submit public comments according 

to the instructions described in the 

DATES and ADDRESSES sections above. 

Additional information may be found 

online at https://www.fisheries.

noaa.gov/west-coast/aquaculture/westcoast-region-southern-californiaaquaculture-opportunity-area. 

Accessible options for the visually or 

hearing impaired include full recordings 

and written transcripts of the webinarbased listening sessions. All 

presentation materials, recordings, and 

transcripts will be posted to the website 

within five business days of the 

webinar. Persons needing reasonable 

accommodations to attend and 

participate in the public meetings 

should contact Diane Windham at 

socalaoa.wcr@noaa.gov. To allow 

sufficient time to process requests, 

please notify at least five business days 

prior to the relevant meeting. 

Request for Identification of Potential 

Alternatives, Information, and 

Analyses Relevant to the Proposed 

Action 

NMFS requests data, comments, 

views, information, analysis, 

alternatives, or suggestions from the 

public; affected federal, state, tribal, and 

local governments, agencies, and offices; 

the scientific community; industry; or 

any other interested party on the 

Proposed Action that would help the 

agency consider both beneficial and 

adverse impacts. Specifically, for 

offshore regions in the Southern 

California Bight, NMFS requests public 

input on the following: 

(1) The scope of the NEPA analysis, 

including the range of reasonable 

alternatives described above. 

(2) Suitable species and gear for 

aquaculture. 

(3) Suitable reporting requirements for 

owners and operators of aquaculture 

facilities. 

(4) Types of aquaculture (e.g., finfish, 

shellfish, seaweed, integrated multitrophic aquaculture) that could be 

supported and/or analyzed. 

(5) Potential impacts to biological, 

physical, social, cultural, and economic 

resources. 

(6) Information related to social 

barriers and/or economic constraints for 

aquaculture development. 

(7) Information related to technologies 

and strategies that could increase 

opportunity or mitigate risks of 

aquaculture development. 

(8) Information related to diversity, 

equity, and inclusion in aquaculture 

and the seafood sector. 

(9) Information related to climate 

change and climate equity. 

(10) Potential interactions with 

protected species, essential fish habitat, 

and other sensitive habitats. 

(11) Potential interactions with 

commercial and recreational fishing 

industries, tourism and recreation, and 

other offshore ocean users. 

(12) Information on other current or 

planned activities in, or in the vicinity 

of, the areas described in this NOI and 

their possible impacts on aquaculture 

development, or the impact of 

aquaculture developments on those 

activities. 

(13) Input on the size parameters of a 

single AOA that would be suitable to 

support aquaculture development in the 

Southern California Bight. 

(14) Input related to the risks and/or 

benefits of whether an AOA should be 

a single, continuous geographic space, 

or a collection of discrete areas 

separated from one another. 

(15) Input related to how an AOA 

could simultaneously support 

aquaculture development along with 

environmental, economic, and social 

sustainability—including ways to 

incorporate mitigation and cost-benefit 

analyses. 

(16) Other information relevant to the 

Proposed Action and its impacts on the 

human environment. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies 

Consistent with E.O. 13921, NOAA is 

designated as the lead agency for the 

proposed action. The NMFS West Coast 

Region invited the EPA Region 9, the 

USCG District Eleven, and the USACE 

Los Angeles District to act as 

cooperating agencies for the purposes of 

the PEIS. EPA, USCG, and USACE have 

agreed to act as cooperating agencies. 

Decision Maker 

Scott M. Rumsey, Acting Regional 

Administrator of NOAA Fisheries’ West 

Coast Region. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

If an action alternative is selected, the 

decision maker would select an 

alternative that identifies one or more 

AOAs as part of a planning exercise for 

offshore marine aquaculture in Southern 

California. No specific aquaculture 

projects are being proposed or will be 

permitted through the PEIS. The 

analysis presented in the Draft and Final 

PEIS and the identification of any AOAs 

in the ROD will serve to guide and 

inform future decision-making (e.g., 

environmental review and permitting 

processes) if and when specific 

proposals to conduct aquaculture 

operations are proposed within these 

areas. 

Authority: Executive Order on 

Promoting American Seafood 

Competitiveness and Economic Growth 

(E.O. 13921). 

Dated: May 13, 2022. 

Danielle Blacklock, 

Director, Office of Aquaculture, National 

Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11010 Filed 5–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XC040] 

Marine Mammals; File No. 26394 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Pangolin Pictures, 1650 Broadway, Suite 

1208, New York, NY 10019 (Responsible 

Party: Kevin Bachar), has applied in due 

form for a permit to conduct commercial 

and educational photography on 

humpback whales (Megaptera 

novaeangliae) and other cetaceans. 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email 

comments must be received on or before 

June 22, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: These documents are 

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. 26394 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: 

Carrie Hubard or Amy Hapeman, (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 applicant proposes to film up to 

75 humpback whales in the Au1au 


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31214 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 99 / Monday, May 23, 2022 / Notices 

channel in Hawai1i. Filming would take 

place from onboard a boat, using 

underwater divers, and from an 

unmanned aircraft system. Other 

species that would be filmed if 

encountered are up to 150 bottlenose 

dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), 50 

pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella 

attenuata), 250 spinner dolphins (S. 

longirostris), 50 melon-headed whales 

(Peponocephala electra), 50 pygmy 

killer whales (Feresa attenuata), and 10 

minke whales (Balaenoptera 

acutorostrata). Footage would be used 

for a documentary to air on National 

Geographic Television. The permit 

would be valid from December 2022 

through May 2023. 

It has come to the agency’s attention 

that the 2016 interim final humpback 

approach rule (50 CFR 216.19; 81 FR 

62010, September 8, 2016) does not 

explicitly exempt permits issued under 

section 104(c)(6) of the MMPA from its 

prohibitions. It is not the agency’s intent 

to preclude the issuance of permits or 

authorizations consistent with the 

requirements of the MMPA. We 

interpret the rule to allow issuance of 

these permits. Consistent with this 

interpretation, it has been our practice 

to continue to issue section 104(c)(6) 

permits that are in compliance with the 

MMPA’s requirements and our review 

procedures, as evidenced by issuance of 

four such permits since the rule’s 

effective date. However, to eliminate 

any potential ambiguity, we intend to 

revise the rule to explicitly clarify that 

photography permits issued under 

section 104(c)(6) of the MMPA are 

exempt from the prohibitions on 

approach. 

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 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of the 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors. 

Dated: May 18, 2022. 

Amy Sloan, 

Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11015 Filed 5–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XC006] 

Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Southeast Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 75 Life History 

Topical Working Group 

Recommendations Webinar for Gulf of 

Mexico Gray Snapper. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR 75 assessment of 

Gulf of Mexico gray snapper will consist 

of a series of assessment webinars. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The SEDAR 75 

Recommendations Webinar for the Life 

History Topical Working Group will be 

held June 16, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 4 

p.m., Eastern. The established times 

may be adjusted as necessary to 

accommodate the timely completion of 

discussion relevant to the assessment 

process. Such adjustments may result in 

the meeting being extended from or 

completed prior to the time established 

by this notice. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. The webinar is open to 

members of the public. Those interested 

in participating should contact Julie A. 

Neer at SEDAR (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an 

invitation providing webinar access 

information. Please request webinar 

invitations at least 24 hours in advance 

of each webinar. 

SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place 

Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 

29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571– 

4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 

the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop; (2) Assessment Process 

utilizing webinars; and (3) Review 

Workshop. The product of the Data 

Workshop is a data report that compiles 

and evaluates potential datasets and 

recommends which datasets are 

appropriate for assessment analyses. 

The product of the Assessment Process 

is a stock assessment report that 

describes the fisheries, evaluates the 

status of the stock, estimates biological 

benchmarks, projects future population 

conditions, and recommends research 

and monitoring needs. The assessment 

is independently peer reviewed at the 

Review Workshop. The product of the 

Review Workshop is a Summary 

documenting panel opinions regarding 

the strengths and weaknesses of the 

stock assessment and input data. 

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are 

appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South 

Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils and NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 

HMS Management Division, and 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center. 

Participants include data collectors and 

database managers; stock assessment 

scientists, biologists, and researchers; 

constituency representatives including 

fishermen, environmentalists, and 

NGO’s; International experts; and staff 

of Councils, Commissions, and state and 

federal agencies. 

The items of discussion: 

Participants will make 

recommendations on life history data 

available for use in the assessment of 

Gulf of Mexico gray snapper. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified 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 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 the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 

10 business days prior to each 

workshop. 

Note: The times and sequence 

specified in this agenda are subject to 

change. 

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

Dated: May 18, 2022. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–11021 Filed 5–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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