Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2017 / Notices 48801 

is an occasional chest rather than a bedroom 

chest; August 17, 2016. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment on the completeness of this 

list of completed scope inquiries. Any 

comments should be submitted to the 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for AD/CVD 

Operations, Enforcement and 

Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, 1401 Constitution 

Avenue NW., APO/Dockets Unit, Room 

18022, Washington, DC 20230. 

This notice is published in 

accordance with 19 CFR 351.225(o). 

Dated: October 16, 2017. 

James Maeder, 

Senior Director performing the duties of 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping 

and Countervailing Duty Operations. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22804 Filed 10–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF701 

Taking and Importing Marine 

Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 

Incidental to U.S. Navy Training and 

Testing Activities in the HawaiiSouthern California Training and 

Testing Study Area 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

Letters of Authorization; request for 

comments and information. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the U.S. Navy (Navy) for 

authorization to take marine mammals 

incidental to training and testing 

activities conducted in the HawaiiSouthern California Training and 

Testing (HSTT) Study Area for a period 

of five years, from December 26, 2018 

through December 25, 2023. Pursuant to 

regulations implementing the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS 

is announcing receipt of the Navy’s 

request for the development and 

implementation of regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals. NMFS invites the 

public to provide information, 

suggestions, and comments on the 

Navy’s application and request. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than November 20, 

2017. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on the 

application should be addressed to Jolie 

Harrison, Chief, Permits and 

Conservation Division, Office of 

Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. Physical comments 

should be sent to 1315 East-West 

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and 

electronic comments should be sent to 

ITP.Egger@noaa.gov. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments received 

electronically, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. Attachments to 

electronic comments will be accepted in 

Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF 

file formats only. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted to the 

Internet at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/ 

permits/incidental/military.htm without 

change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit confidential business 

information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Egger, Office of Protected 

Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. An 

electronic copy of the Navy’s 

application may be obtained online at: 

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ 

incidental/military.htm. In case of 

problems accessing these documents, 

please call the contact listed above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the 

MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct 

the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 

to allow, upon 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 geographic region if 

certain findings are made and either 

regulations are issued or, if the taking is 

limited to harassment, notice of a 

proposed authorization is provided to 

the public for review. 

An authorization for incidental 

takings shall be granted if NMFS finds 

that the taking will have a negligible 

impact on the species or stock(s), will 

not have an unmitigable adverse impact 

on the availability of the species or 

stock(s) for subsistence uses (where 

relevant), and if the permissible 

methods of taking and requirements 

pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring 

and reporting of such takings are set 

forth. 

NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible 

impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as an impact 

resulting from the specified activity that 

cannot be reasonably expected to, and is 

not reasonably likely to, adversely affect 

the species or stock through effects on 

annual rates of recruitment or survival. 

The MMPA states that the term ‘‘take’’ 

means to harass, hunt, capture, kill or 

attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill 

any marine mammal. 

Except with respect to certain 

activities not pertinent here, the MMPA 

defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: Any act of 

pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) 

has the potential to injure a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild (Level A harassment); or (ii) has 

the potential to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of behavioral 

patterns, including, but not limited to, 

migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (Level B 

harassment). 

The National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Pub. L. 108– 

136) removed the ‘‘small numbers’’ and 

‘‘specified geographical region’’ 

limitations indicated above and 

amended the definition of ‘‘harassment’’ 

as it applies to a ‘‘military readiness 

activity’’ to read as follows (Section 

3(18)(B) of the MMPA): (i) Any act that 

injures or has the significant potential to 

injure a marine mammal or marine 

mammal stock in the wild (Level A 

Harassment); or (ii) Any act that 

disturbs or is likely to disturb a marine 

mammal or marine mammal stock in the 

wild by causing disruption of natural 

behavioral patterns, including, but not 

limited to, migration, surfacing, nursing, 

breeding, feeding, or sheltering, to a 

point where such behavioral patterns 

are abandoned or significantly altered 

(Level B Harassment). 

Summary of Request 

On October 12, 2017, NMFS received 

an adequate and complete application 

from the Navy requesting authorization 

for take of marine mammals, by Level A 

and B harassment, incidental to 

training, testing, and routine military 

operations (all categorized as military 

readiness activities) from the use of 

sonar and other transducers, in-water 

detonations, airguns, and pile driving. 

In addition, the Navy is requesting 

authorization of three takes of large 

whales by serious injury or mortality 

resulting from vessel strikes. The 

requested regulations would be valid for 

five years, from 2018 through 2023. 

This will be the third time NMFS has 

promulgated incidental take regulations 

pursuant to the MMPA relating to 

similar military readiness activities in 


srobinson on DSKBC5CHB2PROD with NOTICES
48802 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2017 / Notices 

HSTT, following those effective from 

January 5, 2009, through January 5, 

2014, (74 FR 1456; January 12, 2009) 

and from December 24, 2013, through 

December 24, 2018 (78 FR 78106; 

December 24, 2013). 

Description of the Specified Activity 

The HSTT Study Area includes areas 

in the north-central Pacific Ocean, from 

Southern California west to Hawaii and 

the International Date Line, and 

including the Hawaii and Southern 

California (SOCAL) Range Complexes, 

as well as the Silver Strand Training 

Complex and overlaps a portion of the 

Point Mugu Sea Range. The Hawaii 

Range Complex encompasses ocean 

areas around the Hawaiian Islands, 

extending from 16 degrees north 

latitude to 43 degrees north latitude and 

from 150 degrees west longitude to the 

International Date Line. The SOCAL 

Range Complex is located 

approximately between Dana Point and 

San Diego, California, and extends 

southwest into the Pacific Ocean and 

also includes a small portion of the 

Point Mugu Sea Range. The Silver 

Strand Training Complex is an 

integrated set of training areas located 

on and adjacent to the Silver Strand, a 

narrow, sandy isthmus separating the 

San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean. 

Please refer to Figure 1–1 of the 

application for a map of the HSTT 

Study Area, Figures 2–1 to 2–4 for the 

Hawaii Operating Area (where the 

majority of training and testing activities 

occur within the Hawaii Range 

Complex), Figures 2–5 to 2–7 for the 

SOCAL Range Complex, and Figure 2– 

8 for the Silver Strand Training 

Complex. The following types of 

training and testing, which are classified 

as military readiness activities pursuant 

to section 315(f) of Public Law 101–314 

(16 U.S.C. 703), are included in the 

specified activity described in the 

Navy’s application: amphibious warfare 

(in-water detonations), anti-submarine 

warfare (sonar and other transducers, inwater detonations), surface warfare (inwater detonations), mine warfare (sonar 

and other transducers, in-water 

detonations), and other (sonar and other 

transducers, pile driving, air guns). 

The Navy’s application includes 

proposed mitigation measures for 

marine mammals that would be 

implemented during training and testing 

activities in the HSTT Study Area. 

Proposed procedural mitigation 

measures generally include: (1) The use 

of one or more trained lookouts to 

diligently observe for specific biological 

resources within a mitigation zone, (2) 

requirements for lookouts to 

immediately communicate sightings of 

specific biological resources to the 

appropriate watch station for 

information dissemination, and (3) 

requirements for the watch station to 

implement mitigation (e.g., halt an 

activity) until certain recommencement 

conditions have been met. Mitigation 

measures are also proposed for specific 

mitigation areas and consist of a variety 

of measures in those areas including, 

but not limited to: Conducting a limited 

number of major training exercises per 

year, not planning or avoiding planning 

major training exercises, minimizing or 

not conducting active sonar, conducting 

a limited amount of hull-mounted midfrequency active sonar per year, and not 

expending explosive or non-explosive 

ordnance. 

The Navy also proposes to undertake 

monitoring and reporting efforts to track 

compliance with incidental take 

authorizations and to help investigate 

the effectiveness of implemented 

mitigation measures in the HSTT Study 

Area. This can include Adaptive 

Management, the Integrated 

Comprehensive Monitoring Program, 

the Strategic Planning Process, and 

Annual Monitoring and Exercise and 

Testing Reports. As an example, under 

the Integrated Comprehensive 

Monitoring Program, the monitoring 

relating to the effects of Navy training 

and testing activities on protected 

marine species are designed to increase 

the understanding of the likely 

occurrence of marine mammals in the 

vicinity of the action (i.e., presence, 

abundance, distribution, and density of 

species) and to increase the 

understanding of the nature, scope, or 

context of the likely exposure of marine 

mammals to any of the potential 

stressors associated with the action. 

Information Solicited 

Interested persons may submit 

information, suggestions, and comments 

concerning the Navy’s request (see 

ADDRESSES). NMFS will consider all 

information, suggestions, and comments 

related to the request during the 

development of proposed regulations 

governing the incidental taking of 

marine mammals by the Navy, if 

appropriate. 

Dated: October 16, 2017. 

Cathryn E. Tortorici, 

Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–22733 Filed 10–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XF690 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone Off Alaska; Seabird Cable Strike 

Mitigation Workshop; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: Emerging seabird mitigation 

technologies will be discussed at the 

Seabird Cable Strike Mitigation 

Workshop. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

November 7, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., and November 8, 2017, from 

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Pacific Standard 

Time. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the NOAA Western Regional Center, 

Building 9 (Kelly C. Sandy III 

Auditorium), 7600 Sand Point Way NE., 

Seattle, WA 98115. For information on 

building access, see SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Anne Marie Eich, 907–586–7172, or 

Vanessa Tuttle, 206–860–3479. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Seabirds 

congregate around trawlers to feed on 

offal putting them at risk of colliding 

with cables (trawl warps and data 

cables) that run aft of trawlers. Cable 

strikes are a known source of seabird 

mortality, particularly on at-sea factory 

trawlers (referred to as catcher/ 

processors). Research projects observing 

seabird cable strikes have been 

conducted in the Alaska catcher/ 

processor fleet targeting pollock in the 

Bering Sea and in the West Coast at-sea 

hake fishery. Data from both studies 

indicate that estimated mortalities for 

cable strikes are greater than observed 

mortalities collected as part of typical 

observer duties. To address this issue, 

NMFS will host a 1.5-day workshop on 

gear modification strategies for reducing 

seabird cable strike mortality in West 

Coast trawl (hake) fisheries. The goal is 

to develop mitigation strategies that 

reduce cable strikes and could be used 

by both West Coast hake and Alaska 

pollock trawlers. This collaborative 

workshop will bring together the at-sea 

processing industry, engineers, 

biologists and fisheries managers to 

develop innovative, practical gearmodifications for reducing seabird cable 

strike mortality. 


srobinson on DSKBC5CHB2PROD with NOTICES