44388 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 

percent is applied to the 32 kg of halibut 

that are sampled in the factory, resulting 

in a halibut mortality of 28.8 kg in the 

factory. In this example, the total 

halibut mortality for the haul is 212.8 

kg. 

The halibut mortality data collected 

by observers would be available to 

NMFS in near-real time for inseason 

management in 2018 and 2019. In 

addition to the observer samples, under 

the 2018 EFP, at the discretion of the 

vessel operator, vessel crew could 

conduct a census (a full count) of 

halibut in the factory, after they have 

been available to the observer for 

sampling, to compare observer estimates 

of total halibut and census results. 

In 2018, EFP participants would 

continue to operate under a single catch 

handling and accounting method for all 

hauls on a fishing trip designated as an 

EFP trip. Operators of participating 

vessels would still have a way to opt out 

of sorting on deck when it is potentially 

unsafe or when the vessel has located a 

fishing area where halibut bycatch is 

very low. 

This proposed action would exempt 

participating catcher/processors from 

selected 50 CFR part 679 prohibitions, 

and monitoring and observer 

requirements. Should the Regional 

Administrator issue a permit based on 

this EFP application, the conditions of 

the permit will be designed to minimize 

halibut mortality and any potential for 

biasing estimates of groundfish and 

halibut mortality. Vessels participating 

in EFP fishing may be exempt from, at 

minimum, the following regulations: 

1. The prohibition against interfering 

with or biasing the sampling procedure 

employed by an observer including 

physical, mechanical, or other sorting or 

discarding of catch before sampling, at 

§ 679.7(g)(2); 

2. the requirements to weigh all catch 

by an Amendment 80 vessel on a 

NMFS-approved scale at § 679.93(c)(1) 

and by all vessels at § 679.28(b); and 

3. 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). 

In 2020, the AKSC would be required 

to submit to NMFS a report of the EFP 

results after EFP experimental fishing 

has ended in 2019. The report would 

include a comparison of halibut 

mortality from halibut sampled during 

the EFP and an estimate of halibut 

mortality under standard IPHC halibut 

mortality rates for those target fisheries. 

Under the EFP, participants would be 

limited to their groundfish allocations 

under the 2016 harvest specifications. 

The amount of halibut mortality applied 

to the EFP activities would be subject to 

review and approval by NMFS. 

This EFP would be valid upon 

issuance in 2018 until either the end of 

2019 or when the annual halibut 

mortality apportionment is reached in 

areas of the BSAI and GOA open to 

directed fishing by the various sectors. 

EFP-authorized fishing activities would 

not be expected to change the nature or 

duration of the groundfish fishery, gear 

used, or the amount or species of fish 

caught by the participants. 

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 at the 

Hilton Hotel, 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 February 2016 

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. 2017–20187 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF698 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

scheduling a public meeting of its 

Scientific & Statistical Committee to 

consider actions affecting New England 

fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 

(EEZ). Recommendations from this 

group will be brought to the full Council 

for formal consideration and action, if 

appropriate. 

DATES: This meeting will be held on 

Thursday, October 12, 2017 beginning at 

10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: The meeting will be 

held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Boston 

Logan, 100 Boardman Street, Boston, 

MA 02128; phone: (617) 567–6789. 

Council address: New England 

Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 

Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda 

The Committee will review 

information provided by the Council’s 

Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT) 

and recommend the overfishing levels 

(OFLs) and acceptable biological catches 

(ABCs) for Atlantic sea scallops for 

fishing years 2018–19 (default). They 

will also review information provided 

by the Council’s Whiting PDT and 

recommend the OFLs and ABCs for the 

northern and southern stocks of silver 

hake and separately for red hake for 

fishing years 2018–20. Other business 

will be discussed as needed. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained on this agenda may come 

before this Council for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Council 

action 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 MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has 

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