31010 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Regional Administrator, 

Southwest Region, NMFS, has made a 

preliminary determination that an 

application for an Exempted Fishing 

Permit (EFP) warrants further 

consideration. The application was 

submitted by members of the Pacific 

sardine fishing industry and requests an 

exemption from commercial quotas in 

order to conduct a survey to obtain a 

estimate of the population of Pacific 

sardine. NMFS requests public 

comment on the application. 

DATES: Comments must be received by 

July 14, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on this notice identified by 0648–XP83 

by any one of the following methods: 

• Mail: Rodney R. McInnis, Regional 

Administrator, Southwest Region, 

NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 

4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. 

• Fax: (562) 980–4047, Att: Joshua 

Lindsay 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A 

copy of the application can viewed on 

the Pacific Fishery Management 

Council’s website at http:// 

www.pcouncil.org/cps/cpsefp.html; or 

contact Joshua Lindsay, Southwest 

Region, NMFS, (562) 980–4034. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

February 20, 2009, NMFS published a 

final rule implementing the harvest 

guideline (HG) and annual 

specifications for the 2009 Pacific 

sardine fishing season off the U.S. West 

Coast (74 FR 7826). These specifications 

and associated management measures 

were based on recommendations 

adopted by the Pacific Fishery 

Management Council (Council) at their 

November 2008 public meeting in San 

Diego, California (73 FR 60680). As part 

of these management measures the 

Council recommended, and NMFS 

approved, that 1,200 metric tons (mt) of 

the available acceptable biological catch 

(ABC) be initially subtracted from the 

ABC and reserved for a potential 

industry-based research project. This 

1,200 mt set-aside was intended to 

allow research fishing, that had been 

proposed for the second seasonal period 

(July 1–September 15, 2009), to 

continue if that period’s allocation is 

reached and directed fishing is closed. 

Members of the Pacific sardine fishing 

industry requested this separate 

allocation so that they could conduct 

research fishing activities after fishing is 

closed because of foreseen difficulties in 

attempting to have vessels fish for the 

purposes of research during the normal 

fishing season. 

At the March 2009 Council meeting, 

the Council reviewed two industry 

research/EFP proposals to allow access 

to the 1,200 mt set-aside. Both proposals 

went forward for public comment with 

the recommendation from the Council 

that the proposals be combined to create 

a single EFP application to be reviewed 

at the June 2009 Council meeting. After 

hearing the research proposals and 

public comment, the Council also 

recommended, and NMFS issued a 

Federal Register notice proposing, that 

the original 1200 mt set-aside be 

increased to 2400 mt (74 FR 20897). 

Sardine industry representatives and 

scientists have since collaborated on a 

single proposal and on June 16, 2009, 

the Council made a final 

recommendation to NMFS to approve 

and implement this single EFP 

application. The goal set forth in the 

EFP application is the development of 

an index of biomass for Pacific sardine, 

with the desire that this index be 

included in the next Pacific sardine 

stock assessment. If NMFS decides not 

to issue this EFP, then the set-aside will 

be re-allocated to the third period’s 

directed harvest allocation. 

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

Dated: June 22, 2009. 

Kristen C. Koch 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15190 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XQ04 

Marine Mammals; File No. 774–1714 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

NMFS, Southwest Fisheries Science 

Center (SWFSC) (Jeremy Rusin, 

Principal Investigator), Protected 

Resources Division, 8604 La Jolla Shores 

Dr., La Jolla, CA 92037 has been issued 

an amendment to scientific research 

Permit No. 774–1714–09. 

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following offices: See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Amy Hapeman or Kristy Beard, 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

3, 2009, notice was published in the 

Federal Register (74 FR 9222) that an 

amendment to Permit No. 774–1714, 

issued June 30, 2004 (68 FR 57673), had 

been requested by the above-named 

organization. The requested amendment 

has been granted 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.), 

the regulations governing the taking, 

importing, and exporting of endangered 

and threatened species (50 CFR 222– 

226), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.). 

Permit No. 774–1714–10 authorizes 

the SWFSC to conduct research on 

seven pinniped species, 53 cetacean 

species, and five sea turtle species in the 

Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Arctic and 

Southern Oceans. The permit authorizes 

Level B harassment during aerial and 

vessel surveys for photo-identification/ 

photogrammetry, incidental harassment, 

collection of sloughed skin, and salvage 

of carcasses and parts; Level A 

harassment for capture, biopsy 

sampling, and tagging activities; and the 

import/export of specimens. This 

amendment increases the number of 

short-beaked and long-beaked common 

dolphins (Delphinus spp.) that may be 

harassed during vessel and aerial 

surveys. For each species, up to 60,000 

dolphins may be harassed annually 

during aerial surveys, up to 10,000 

approached by vessel for photoidentification, and 1,500 approached 

and biopsy sampled annually. During 

research up to 40,000 animals of each 

species may be incidentally harassed 

annually. The purposes of this research 

are to investigate the life history traits 

and assess the relative reproductive 

rates of these species off the coast of 

California and Baja California. This 

amendment also extends the duration of 

the permit to June 30, 2010. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental 

assessment was prepared analyzing the 

effects of the permitted activities. After 

a Finding of No Significant Impact, the 

determination was made that it was not 

necessary to prepare an environmental 

impact statement. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 123 / Monday, June 29, 2009 / Notices 31011 

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 such endangered 

species; 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, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521; 

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; and 

Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601 

Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, Honolulu, HI 

96814–4700; phone (808)944–2200; fax 

(808)973–2941. 

Dated: June 24, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15344 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP94 

Marine Mammals; File No. 984–1587–08 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit 

amendment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Dr. Terrie Williams, Department of 

Biology, University of California at 

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 has 

been issued an amendment to scientific 

research Permit No. 984–1587–07. 

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office: 

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2521. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Skidmore or Amy Sloan 

(301)713–2289. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

requested permit amendment has been 

issued 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). 

Permit No. 984–1587 authorized 

captive research activities on two 

bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops 

truncatus) and juvenile California sea 

lions (Zalophus californianus) 

undergoing rehabilitation at The Marine 

Mammal Center through June 7, 2009. 

The minor amendment (No. 984–1587– 

08) extends the duration of the permit 

through September 7, 2009, but does not 

change any other terms or conditions of 

the permit. 

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

P. Michael Payne, 

Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–15343 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

The Manufacturing Council: Meeting 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Manufacturing Council 

will hold an introductory meeting with 

the Secretary of Commerce to discuss 

topics related to the U.S. manufacturing 

sector. 

DATES: July 20, 2009. 

Time: 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m. 

Location: U.S. Department of 

Commerce, Room 4832, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

J. Marc Chittum, The Manufacturing 

Council, Room 4043, 1401 Constitution 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; 

telephone: 202–482–4501; and e-mail: 

Marc.Chittum@mail.doc.gov. 

Dated: June 23, 2009. 

J. Marc Chittum, 

Executive Secretary, The Manufacturing 

Council. 

[FR Doc. E9–15232 Filed 6–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XP92 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to Construction and 

Operation of Offshore Oil and Gas 

Facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of issuance of a letter of 

authorization. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Marine Mammal Protection Act 

(MMPA), as amended, and 

implementing regulations, notice is 

hereby given that NMFS has issued a 

letter of authorization (LOA) to BP 

Exploration (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) to 

take marine mammals incidental to the 

production of offshore oil and gas at the 

Northstar development in the Beaufort 

Sea off Alaska. 

DATES: This Authorization is effective 

from July 7, 2009, through July 6, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: The LOA and supporting 

documentation may be obtained by 

writing to P. Michael Payne, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910, or by telephoning one of the 

contacts listed here. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Candace Nachman (301) 713–2289 or 

Brad Smith (907) 271–3023. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 

1361 et seq.) directs NMFS to allow, on 

request, the incidental, but not 

intentional, taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who 

engage in a specified activity (other than 

commercial fishing) within a specified 

geographical region, if certain findings 

are made by NMFS and regulations are 

issued. Under the MMPA, the term 

‘‘take’’ means to harass, hunt, capture, 

or kill or to attempt to harass, hunt, 

capture, or kill marine mammals. 

Authorization may be granted for 

periods up to 5 years if NMFS finds, 

after notice and opportunity for public 

comment, that the taking will have a 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES