Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 16, 2016 / Notices 7761 

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 threestep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop; (2) Assessment Process 

utilizing a workshop and webinars; and 

(3) Review Workshop. The product of 

the Data Workshop is a data report 

which 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 

which 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, 

Highly Migratory Species 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 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); 

international experts; and staff of 

Councils, Commissions, and state and 

federal agencies. 

The items of discussion in the Review 

Workshop are as follows: 

Independent peer review of the 

assessment developed during the Data 

Workshop and Assessment Process. 

Panelists will review the assessment 

and document their comments and 

recommendations in a Summary Report. 

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 these meetings. 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 

These meetings are accessible to 

people with disabilities. Requests for 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

SAFMC office (see ADDRESSES) at least 

10 business days prior to the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

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

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03049 Filed 2–12–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XE438 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

hold a meeting of its Scientific and 

Statistical Committee (SSC) to review 

methods for determining the 

recreational annual catch limit (ACL) in 

numbers for the Florida Keys/East 

Florida (FLK/EFL) Hogfish stock. 

DATES: The SSC meeting will be held via 

webinar on Friday, March 4, 2016, from 

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

via webinar. The webinar is open to 

members of the public. Those interested 

in participating should contact John 

Carmichael at the Council (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to 

request an invitation providing webinar 

access information. Please request 

webinar invitations at least 24 hours in 

advance of the webinar. 

Council address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. 

Charleston, SC 29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Carmichael; 4055 Faber Place Drive, 

Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; 

phone: (843) 571–4366 or toll free (866) 

SAFMC–10; fax: (843) 769–4520; email: 

john.carmichael@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

meeting is held to review proposed 

methods for calculating the recreational 

ACL of FLK/EFL Hogfish in numbers of 

fish. The Council stated at their 

September 2015 meeting in Hilton 

Head, SC that they would like the 

recreational ACL for the FLK/EFL stock 

of Hogfish to be set in numbers rather 

than in pounds. Items to be addressed 

during this meeting: 

Review and comment on the risks and 

uncertainties associated with proposed 

methods for calculating the recreational 

ACL of the FLK/EFL Hogfish stock in 

numbers. The SSC will provide 

recommendations for Council 

consideration as appropriate. 

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 the meeting. 

Note: The times and sequence specified in 

this agenda are subject to change. 

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

Dated: February 10, 2016. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03050 Filed 2–12–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XC348 

Endangered Species; File No.17364–01 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

modification. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS), Northeast Fishery Center, PO 

Box 75, Lamar, PA 16848 [Michael 

Millard: Responsible Party], has been 

issued a modification to scientific 

research Permit No. 17364 to take 

captive Atlantic sturgeon. 

ADDRESSES: The modification and 

related documents are available for 

review upon written request or by 

appointment in the Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13705, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427– 

8401; fax (301) 713–0376. 

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7762 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 30 / Tuesday, February 16, 2016 / Notices 

1Public Law 111–203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010). 

2 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq. 

3See Swap Data Repositories: Registration 

Standards, Duties and Core Principles, 76 FR 54538 

(Sept. 1, 2011). 

4Swap Data Recordkeeping and Reporting 

Requirements, 77 FR 2136 (Jan. 13, 2012). 

5See Section 21(c)(4)(A) of the CEA, 7 U.S.C. 

24a(c)(4)(A). 

6 17 CFR 49.17(b)(3). 

7See Swap Data Repositories: Registration 

Standards, Duties and Core Principles, 76 FR 54538, 

54551–52 (Sept. 1, 2011). 

8 17 CFR 170.1. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Malcolm Mohead or Rosa L. Gonza ́lez, 

(301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 

13, 2014, notice was published in the 

Federal Register (79 FR 47440) that a 

modification of Permit No. 17364, 

issued March 14, 2013 (78 FR 17640), 

had been requested by the above-named 

organization. The requested 

modification has been granted under the 

authority of 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). 

The Permit Holder’s original 

objectives were to refine propagation 

and culture techniques of captive 

Atlantic sturgeon held in refugia at the 

USFWS’s Northeast Fisheries Center, 

providing a source of research animals 

for studies related to tagging, tracking, 

behavior, physiology, genetics, health, 

cryopreservation, and other methods to 

advance population conservation, 

recovery, or enhancement of the species 

in the wild. 

The Permit Holder is now authorized 

to conduct similar scientific research on 

captive Atlantic sturgeon at five captive 

holding facilities of Atlantic sturgeon 

located in the state of Maryland. Study 

objectives would include nutrition, 

physiology, propagation, contaminants, 

genetics, fish health, cryopreservation, 

aging, tagging techniques, and refugia. 

Additionally, studies would examine 

abiotic factors (e.g., pH, temperature, 

salinity dissolved oxygen, etc) 

influencing the distribution and 

abundance of Atlantic sturgeon in the 

wild. The modification would be valid 

until expiration of the permit on March 

13, 2018. 

Issuance of this modification, 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 such endangered or 

threatened species, and (3) is consistent 

with the purposes and policies set forth 

in section 2 of the ESA. 

Dated: February 9, 2016. 

Perry F. Gayaldo, 

Deputy Director, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–03027 Filed 2–12–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING 

COMMISSION 

Order Authorizing the National Futures 

Association as a Commission 

Designee for Direct Electronic Access 

to Data in Swap Data Repositories 

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice and order. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures 

Trading Commission (‘‘Commission’’) is 

issuing an order (‘‘Order’’) authorizing 

the National Futures Association 

(‘‘NFA’’) as a Commission designee to 

receive direct electronic access to data 

maintained in swap data repositories 

(‘‘SDRs’’) registered with the 

Commission. The Commission is 

authorized to designate persons to 

receive direct electronic access to SDR 

data pursuant to Section 21(c)(4)(A) of 

the Commodity Exchange Act (‘‘CEA’’). 

NFA is registered with the Commission 

as a registered futures association 

(‘‘RFA’’) pursuant to Section 17 of the 

CEA. Direct access to SDR data will 

facilitate NFA’s performance of 

functions delegated to NFA by the 

Commission, as well as the performance 

of other duties authorized by the CEA 

and the Commission. As a condition to 

authorizing NFA as a Commission 

designee, NFA is required to keep all 

non-public information received 

through direct electronic access to SDR 

data confidential and to refer any 

request for such data to the Commission 

for handling. 

DATES: Effective date: February 16, 2016. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Eileen T. Flaherty, Director, 202–418– 

5326, eflaherty@cftc.gov, or Frank 

Fisanich, Chief Counsel, 202–418–5949, 

ffisanich@cftc.gov, Division of Swap 

Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, 

Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission, Three Lafayette Centre, 

1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 

20581. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Authority and Background 

Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall 

Street Reform and Consumer Protection 

Act 1 amended the CEA 2 to establish a 

comprehensive new regulatory 

framework for swaps. Amendments to 

the CEA included the addition of 

provisions requiring the retention, and 

the reporting to Commission-registered 

SDRs, of data regarding swap 

transactions in order to enhance 

transparency, promote standardization, 

and reduce systemic risk. Such 

amendments also included certain core 

principles governing the operations of 

SDRs. Pursuant to these newly added 

provisions, the Commission adopted 

certain SDR registration requirements 

and provisions implementing core 

principles in part 49 of its regulations,3

and adopted rules for the reporting of 

swap transaction data to registered SDRs 

in parts 45 and 46 of its regulations.4

Section 21(c) of the CEA sets forth the 

duties of a registered SDR. Among them 

is the duty to provide direct electronic 

access to the Commission (or any 

designee of the Commission).5 ‘‘Direct 

electronic access’’ is defined in 

Commission regulation 49.17(b)(3) as 

‘‘an electronic system, platform or 

framework that provides internet or 

web-based access to real-time swap 

transaction data and also provides 

scheduled data transfers to the 

Commission’s electronic systems.’’ 6 As 

used herein, ‘‘direct electronic access to 

SDR data’’ means ‘‘an electronic system, 

platform, or framework that provides 

internet or web-based access to real-time 

swap transaction data and/or swap 

transaction data transfers.’’ 

As the Commission stated in adopting 

the SDR registration requirements, 

direct electronic access by the 

Commission is a critical function and 

responsibility of an SDR because realtime access to swap data is necessary for 

adequate oversight and surveillance of 

the swaps market.7 The Commission 

implemented the access requirements 

for Commission designees under 

Section 21(c)(4)(A) of the CEA by 

adopting Commission regulation 

49.17(c)(1). 

Pursuant to Commission regulation 

170.1, a basic purpose of an RFA is to 

regulate the practices of its members.8

In order to help NFA achieve this 

purpose and strengthen its regulatory 

oversight of its members, including 

registered swap dealers (‘‘SDs’’) and 

major swap participants (‘‘MSPs’’), NFA 

has requested direct electronic access to 

all SDRs. 

II. Use of SDR Data 

NFA is the only futures association 

registered with the Commission 

pursuant to Section 17 of the CEA and 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES