Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 44389 

been notified of the Council’s intent to 

take final action to address the 

emergency. The public also should be 

aware that the meeting will be recorded. 

Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy 

of the recording is available upon 

request. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at 

(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to 

the meeting date. 

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

Dated: September 19, 2017. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20236 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF703 

Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South 

Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 

Public Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting of the 

South Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council’s (Council) Information & 

Education Advisory Panel (AP). 

SUMMARY: The Council’s Information 

and Education AP will meet to address 

outreach efforts and communication 

needs. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The Information and Education 

AP meeting will be held Tuesday, 

October 10, 2017, from 1:30 p.m. until 

5 p.m. and from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. on 

Wednesday, October 11, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: The meeting will be 

held at the Hilton Garden, 5265 

International Boulevard, North 

Charleston, SC 29418. 

Council address: South Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council, 4055 

Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. 

Charleston, SC 29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim 

Iverson, Public Information Officer, 

South Atlantic Fishery Management 

Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 

201, N. Charleston, SC 29405; phone 

843/571–4366 or toll free 866/SAFMC– 

10; FAX 843/769–4520; email: 

kim.iverson@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Information and Education AP will 

review and provide recommendations 

on the Council’s transition to a new 

fishing regulations mobile application 

and the development of the Council’s 

online Fishermen’s Forum. The AP will 

also receive presentations and have the 

opportunity to provide 

recommendations on the Council’s 

recreational reporting projects, 

specifically the MyFishCount 

Recreational Reporting Project, the ForHire Electronic Reporting Outreach 

Project, and the use of iAngler for 

possible recreational reporting 

opportunities. Additionally, the AP will 

receive program updates from the 

Council’s Citizen Science Program and 

the Marine Resource Education 

Program. 

Although other non-emergency issues 

not on the agenda may come before this 

group for discussion, those issues may 

not be the subject of formal action 

during this meeting. Actions 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 Council’s intent to take 

final action to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

This meeting is accessible to people 

with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary 

aids should be directed to the SAFMC 

office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

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: September 19, 2017. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20237 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF681 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone off Alaska; Application for an 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

exempted fishing permit. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt 

of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

application from the International 

Halibut Commission (IPHC). If granted, 

this EFP would allow crew members on 

a selected hook-and-line vessel targeting 

Pacific cod in the western Aleutian 

Islands in winter to collect biological 

samples from incidentally caught 

halibut and release those fish back to 

the water in a timely manner to increase 

survivability. Biological samples 

collected would include a fork length 

measurement and a small tissue sample 

from the caudal fin for genetic analysis. 

A NMFS-trained fishery observer would 

assign a viability category for each 

sampled halibut as per existing IPHC/ 

NMFS protocols. The objective of the 

EFP application is to confirm or reject 

results of a previous genetic stock 

structure study which indicated that 

Pacific halibut in the western Aleutian 

Islands are genetically distinct from the 

remainder of the eastern Pacific 

population. This experiment has the 

potential to promote the objectives of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act and 

the Northern Pacific Halibut Act. 

DATES: Comments on this EFP 

application must be submitted to NMFS 

on or before October 10, 2017. The 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) will consider the 

application at its meeting from October 

2, 2017, through October 10, 2017, in 

Anchorage, AK. 

ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be 

held at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500 

W 3rd Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501. The 

agenda for the Council meeting is 

available at http://www.npfmc.org. You 

may submit comments on this 

document, identified by NOAA–NMFS– 

2017–0114, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017- 

0114, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

Instructions: Comments sent by any 

other method, to any other address or 

44390 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 

individual, or received after the end of 

the comment period, may not be 

considered. All comments received are 

a part of the public record and will 

generally be posted for public viewing 

on www.regulations.gov without change. 

All personal identifying information 

(e.g., name, address) submitted 

voluntarily by the sender will be 

publicly accessible. NMFS will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

Electronic copies of the EFP 

application and the basis for a 

categorical exclusion under the National 

Environmental Policy Act are available 

from the Alaska Region, NMFS Web site 

at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brandee Gerke, 907–586–7228. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the domestic groundfish 

fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands management area (BSAI) under 

the Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the Bering Sea and 

Aleutian Islands Management Area 

(FMP), which the Council prepared 

under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

Regulations governing the BSAI 

groundfish fisheries appear at 50 CFR 

parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the 

implementing regulations at 

§ 600.745(b) and § 679.6 allow the 

NMFS Regional Administrator to 

authorize, for limited experimental 

purposes, fishing that would otherwise 

be prohibited. Procedures for issuing 

EFPs are contained in the implementing 

regulations. 

The IPHC and NMFS manage fishing 

for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus 

stenolepis) through regulations 

established under the authority of the 

Convention between the United States 

and Canada for the Preservation of the 

Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific 

Ocean and Bering Sea (Convention) and 

the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 

1982. The IPHC promulgates regulations 

pursuant to the Convention. The IPHC’s 

regulations are subject to approval by 

the Secretary of State with concurrence 

from the Secretary of Commerce 

(Secretary). 

Background 

The International Pacific Halibut 

Commission (IPHC) has a long history of 

studying population structure in Pacific 

halibut, including a population genetics 

research program that was initiated in 

the late 1990s. Population genetics 

research is conducted to resolve stock 

components from one another and to 

identify barriers to gene flow that may 

(1) Limit the mixing of halibut among 

regions, (2) Warrant different halibut 

fishery management actions or strategies 

among regions, or (3) Suggest changes in 

the spatial structure of the numerical 

halibut stock assessment model. In 

2016, a population genetic analysis was 

completed (Drinan et al., 2016 Journal 

of Fish Biology 89:2571–2594) using 

halibut tissue samples that had been 

collected from 10 sampling locations 

across the eastern Pacific Ocean: From 

British Columbia in the south; to 

Pribilof Canyon in the north; and 

westward into the Aleutian Islands 

region at Adak Island, Petrel Bank, and 

Attu Island. The Drinan et al. (2016) 

analysis is the most extensive 

population genetic analysis of the 

eastern Pacific halibut stock to-date. The 

results suggest that significant stock 

structure exists within the managed 

range; in particular, that halibut residing 

in the western Aleutian Islands are 

genetically distinct from the remainder 

of the eastern Pacific population. Of 

greatest potential importance to 

management is the implication that a 

boundary of significant stock 

segregation may bisect a single IPHC 

regulatory area: i.e., Area 4B, with 

significantly different population 

components residing on either side of 

Amchitka Pass. 

However, these results may be called 

into question due to a weakness in the 

underlying sampling design: Whereas 

the majority of study locations were 

surveyed in mid-winter, Attu Island and 

Petrel Bank (i.e., the two sites found to 

be genetically distinct) were sampled 

during the IPHC’s summer setline 

survey. Ultimately, genetic population 

structure is established via the 

formation and maintenance of spatially 

segregated spawning populations. In the 

case of Pacific halibut, spawning occurs 

in midwinter following the migration of 

the spawning stock from its summer 

feeding grounds to potentially distant 

spawning grounds. As such, summercollected samples from any given 

location may be composed of 

individuals from multiple spawning 

groups that co-mingle on common 

feeding grounds. Although it is highly 

unlikely that such a process could result 

in the generation of spuriously 

significant genetic stock structure where 

none exists, best practices mandate that 

the results be re-tested using samples 

from the western Aleutian Islands that 

are collected during the winter 

spawning period. 

The Aleutian Islands winter hookand-line fishery for Pacific cod provides 

a platform of opportunity to collect 

Pacific halibut length data and 

accompanying tissue samples from the 

western Aleutian Islands. Small 

numbers of halibut are caught as 

bycatch incidental to the Aleutian 

Islands Pacific cod hook-and-line 

fishery which would allow for the 

collection of biological samples that 

meet requirements of a supplementary 

genetic analysis to confirm or reject the 

results from the previous study. 

Proposed Action 

On August 31, 2017, the IPHC 

submitted an application for an EFP for 

2018 to collect biological samples from 

incidentally caught halibut on a select 

hook-and-line vessel targeting Pacific 

cod in the western Aleutian Islands in 

winter and release those fish back to the 

water in a timely manner to increase 

survivability. The objective of the 

proposed 2018 EFP is to provide 

samples for genetic analyses that would 

be expected to confirm or reject 

conclusions about Pacific halibut 

spawning stock structure in the western 

Aleutian Islands inferred by data 

collected in summer by sampling during 

the winter halibut spawning period. 

This project would allow crew to collect 

biological samples of incidentally 

caught halibut and return the fish to sea, 

alive. 

The EFP would allow crew on board 

the selected vessel to measure fork 

length of approximately 20 to 30 

incidentally caught halibut and collect a 

small tissue sample from the caudal fin 

of each sampled fish. Sampled halibut 

would be released back to the water 

after a NMFS-trained fishery observer 

conducted a viability assessment for 

each sampled halibut using existing 

IPHC protocols. 

The applicant proposes to conduct 

sampling on a single vessel in the hookand-line catcher/processor sector during 

the ‘‘A’’ season fishery for Pacific cod 

between January 1, 2018 and March 31, 

2018 west of 180° W longitude (i.e., in 

NMFS Statistical Areas 542 and 543). 

The participating vessel would be 

selected on a voluntary basis and would 

carry a NMFS-trained fishery observer 

as required by regulation. 

The applicant’s proposed sampling 

protocol would consist of: (a) Bringing 

an incidentally-caught halibut aboard 

the vessel to be sampled; (b) releasing 

the halibut from the hook using an 

approved Careful Release technique 

(i.e., either by hook twisting or cutting 

the gangion near the hook); (c) 

measuring and recording the halibut’s 

forklength; (d) collecting a small 

(approximately one-quarter inch) tissue 

sample from the caudal fin; (e) assigning 

the halibut to a viability category as per 

existing IPHC/NMFS protocols; and (f) 

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 44391 

returning the halibut to the water 

without further delay. 

All stages of the sampling process 

with the exception of (e), above, would 

be conducted by a member of the fishing 

vessel’s crew. Viability assignments 

would be conducted by the NMFStrained fishery observer on the vessel. 

The sampling process is expected to 

require less than 2 minutes and have no 

impact on the probability of survival of 

the sampled fish. The sampling protocol 

outlined above is quicker and less 

obtrusive than any of the protocols used 

by the IPHC for halibut tag-and-release 

that have been shown to yield excellent 

survival of the handled individuals. 

Halibut is a prohibited species in the 

groundfish fishery, requiring immediate 

return to the sea with a minimum of 

injury. This proposed action would 

exempt the participating vessel from the 

requirement to return all prohibited 

species, or parts thereof, to the sea 

immediately, with a minimum of injury, 

regardless of its condition at 

§ 679.21(b)(2)(ii). Under the EFP, the 

participating vessel would be limited to 

its groundfish allocations under the 

2018 harvest specifications. No 

additional target or prohibited species 

catch (PSC) amounts beyond those 

authorized through regulation would be 

needed for this EFP; all groundfish 

catch will accrue against the Pacific cod 

sector’s catch and PSC allowances. EFPauthorized fishing activities would not 

be expected to change the nature or 

duration of the Pacific cod hook-andline fishery or the amount or species of 

fish caught by the participating vessel. 

In 2018, the IPHC would be required 

to submit to NMFS a report of the EFP 

results after EFP experimental fishing 

has ended in 2018. The report would 

include: The number of halibut sampled 

and their recorded lengths. 

The fieldwork that would be 

conducted under this EFP is not 

expected to have a significant impact on 

the human environment as detailed in 

the categorical exclusion prepared for 

this action (see ADDRESSES). 

In accordance with § 679.6, NMFS has 

determined that the application 

warrants further consideration and has 

forwarded the application to the 

Council to initiate consultation. The 

Council is scheduled to consider the 

EFP application during its October 2017 

meeting, which will be held in 

Anchorage, AK. The EFP application 

will also be provided to the Council’s 

Scientific and Statistical Committee for 

review at the October Council meeting. 

The applicant has been invited to 

appear in support of the application. 

Public Comments 

Interested persons may comment on 

the application at the October 2017 

Council meeting during public 

testimony or until October 10, 2017. 

Information regarding the meeting is 

available at the Council’s Web site at 

http://www.npfmc.org. Copies of the 

application and categorical exclusion 

are available for review from NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES). Comments also may be 

submitted directly to NMFS (see 

ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment 

period (see DATES). 

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

Dated: September 18, 2017. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20186 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Patent and Trademark Office 

[Docket No. PTO–P–2017–0038] 

Grant of Interim Extension of the Term 

of U.S. Patent No. 6,100,082; OCSTM

Lung System 

AGENCY: United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of interim patent term 

extension. 

SUMMARY: The United States Patent and 

Trademark Office has issued an order 

granting a one-year interim extension of 

the term of U.S. Patent No. 6,100,082. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mary C. Till by telephone at (571) 272– 

7755; by mail marked to her attention 

and addressed to the Commissioner for 

Patents, Mail Stop Hatch-Waxman PTE, 

P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313– 

1450; by fax marked to her attention at 

(571) 273–7755; or by email to 

Mary.Till@uspto.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

156 of Title 35, United States Code, 

generally provides that the term of a 

patent may be extended for a period of 

up to five years if the patent claims a 

product, or a method of making or using 

a product, that has been subject to 

certain defined regulatory review, and 

that the patent may be extended for 

interim periods of up to one year if the 

regulatory review is anticipated to 

extend beyond the expiration date of the 

patent. 

On September 6, 2017, TransMedics, 

Inc, an exclusive licensee of the patent 

owner of record, the Department of 

Veterans Affairs, timely filed an 

application under 35 U.S.C. 156(d)(5) 

for an interim extension of the term of 

U.S. Patent No. 6,100,082. The patent 

claims the medical device product, the 

OCS Lung System. The application for 

patent term extension indicates that a 

Premarket Approval Application (PMA) 

P160013 was submitted to the Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA) on April 28, 

2016. 

Review of the patent term extension 

application indicates that, except for 

permission to market or use the product 

commercially, the subject patent would 

be eligible for an extension of the patent 

term under 35 U.S.C. 156, and that the 

patent should be extended for one year 

as required by 35 U.S.C. 156(d)(5)(B). 

Because the regulatory review period 

will continue beyond the original 

expiration date of the patent, September 

23, 2017, interim extension of the patent 

term under 35 U.S.C. 156(d)(5) is 

appropriate. 

An interim extension under 35 U.S.C. 

156(d)(5) of the term of U.S. Patent No. 

6,100,082 is granted for a period of one 

year from the original expiration date of 

the patent. 

Dated: September 14, 2017. 

Robert Bahr, 

Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination 

Policy, United States Patent and Trademark 

Office. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20272 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM 

PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR 

SEVERELY DISABLED 

Procurement List; Proposed Additions 

and Deletions 

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From 

People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled. 

ACTION: Proposed addition to and 

deletions from the Procurement List. 

SUMMARY: The Committee is proposing 

to add a service to the Procurement List 

that will be furnished by nonprofit 

agencies employing persons who are 

blind or have other severe disabilities, 

and deletes products and services 

previously furnished by such agencies. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 22, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Committee for Purchase 

From People Who Are Blind or Severely 

Disabled, 1401 S. Clark Street, Suite 

715, Arlington, Virginia 22202–4149. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information or to submit 

comments contact: Amy B. Jensen, 

Telephone: (703) 603–7740, Fax: (703)