61786 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 202 / Friday, October 17, 2008 / Notices 

Dated: October 10, 2008. 

Samuel D. Rauch III, 

Deputy Assistant Administrator For 

Regulatory Programs, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–24795 Filed 10–16–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and 

Sponge Research and Management 

Strategic Plan 

AGENCY: Coral Reef Conservation 

Program, NOAA, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

publishes this notice to announce the 

availability of the Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan for public 

comment. The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan identifies 

objectives, priorities and approaches 

that will guide NOAA’s research, 

management, and international 

activities from Fiscal Year 2009 through 

2013 as they relate to deep coral and 

sponge ecosystems. 

DATES: Comments on this draft must be 

received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern 

Standard Time, January 15, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan will be 

available at the following location: 

http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/Library/ 

Publications/deepcstratplan.pdf. 

The public is encouraged to submit 

comments on the Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan 

electronically to: 

deepseacoral.strategicplan.gov. For 

commenters who do not have access to 

a computer, comments on the document 

may be submitted in writing to: NOAA 

National Marine Fisheries Service, c/o 

Karen Palmigiano, NOAA’s Deep-Sea 

Coral Program, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Room 15828, Silver Spring, 

Maryland 20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen Palmigiano by mail at NOAA 

National Marine Fisheries Service, c/o 

Karen Palmigiano, NOAA’s Deep-Sea 

Coral Program, 1315 East-West 

Highway, Room 15828, Silver Spring, 

Maryland 20910 or phone at 301–713– 

3459 or e-mail at 

karen.palmigiano@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA) announces that 

the Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and 

Sponge Research and Management 

Strategic Plan is available for public 

review and comment. All interested 

parties are encouraged to provide 

comments. The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Management and 

Strategic Plan is being issued for 

comment only and is not intended for 

interim use. Suggested changes will be 

considered for incorporation into the 

final version, where appropriate. 

The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and 

Sponge Research and Management 

Strategic Plan identifies objectives, 

priorities, and approaches that will 

guide NOAA’s research, management, 

and international activities from Fiscal 

Year 2009 through Fiscal Year 2013 as 

they relate to deep coral and sponge 

ecosystems. It is intended to integrate 

research and conservation needs and to 

be a flexible, evolving document that 

allows NOAA and its partners to 

address our growing understanding of 

management challenges and allow new 

issues and priorities to be addressed as 

appropriate. NOAA is soliciting review 

and comment from the public and all 

interested parties on the Draft Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan. 

The Draft NOAA Deep-Sea Coral and 

Sponge Research and Management 

Strategic Plan is presented in three 

sections: (I) Exploration and Research; 

(II) Conservation and Management; and 

(III) International Cooperation. 

Section I identifies the role of 

research in management, including 

NOAA’s priorities and objectives for 

research and exploration of deep-sea 

coral and sponge ecosystems and 

anticipated deliverables for each 

objective. Section II provides objectives 

and approaches that NOAA will 

undertake to enhance protection of 

deep-sea coral and sponge communities 

working with the Councils, other 

Federal agencies and interested 

partners. NOAA’s strategy for managing 

deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems is 

centered on the authority provided to 

NOAA through the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fisheries Conservation and Management 

Act as amended January 12, 2007, and 

the National Marine Sanctuary Act. 

Section III describes NOAA’s 

participation in international activities 

to protect and/or conserve deep-sea 

coral and sponge ecosystems. 

NOAA welcomes all comments on the 

content of the Draft NOAA Deep-Sea 

Coral and Sponge Research and 

Management Strategic Plan. We also 

request commenters to acknowledge 

areas where more language may be 

needed and to provide specific language 

for those areas. 

Using the format guidance described 

below will facilitate the processing of 

reviewer comments and assure that all 

comments are appropriately considered; 

however, all comments received will be 

considered. Please format your 

comments into the following three 

sections: (1) Background information 

about yourself (optional); (2) overview 

or general comments; and (3) specific 

comments. Section one may include the 

following background information about 

yourself on the first page of your 

comments: Your name(s), 

organization(s), area(s) of expertise, and 

contact information such as mailing 

address, telephone and fax numbers, 

and e-mail address(s). Section two 

should consist of overview comments, 

and each should be numbered. Section 

three should consist of comments that 

are specific to particular pages, 

paragraphs, or lines in the document, 

and each comment should identify the 

page and line numbers to which it 

applies. Please number and print 

identifying information at the top of all 

pages. 

Public comments may be submitted 

from October 17, 2008, through January 

15, 2009. 

Dated: October 2, 2008. 

David Kennedy, 

Director, Ocean and Coastal Resource 

Management. 

[FR Doc. E8–24469 Filed 10–16–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XL14 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Take of Anadromous Fish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of decision and 

availability for permit 13537. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that a scientific research permit has 

been issued to the Washington 

Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

pursuant of the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973 (ESA), and that the decision 

documents are available upon request. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES