30-day FRN

24102

Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2022 / Notices

Wednesday, May 11, 2022; 9 a.m.–5
p.m., EDT
The Committees will receive a
presentation of an update on the
Number of Active Gulf Shrimp Permits,
Economic Estimates, and Royal Red
Shrimp Landings. The Committees will
review the SEFSC Analysis of Red
Grouper Stock Assessments using
Alternative Marine Recreational
Information Program Landings Data,
followed by a review of Additional
Sector Allocation-informed Projections
for Gulf of Mexico Greater Amberjack.
The Committees will then hold a
discussion of the Council’s April 2022
motion about Goliath Grouper and
review available data and background
material for SSC discussion.
The Committees will review the
Terms of Reference for the State Reef
Fish Survey Run of the Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 72
base model for Gulf Gag Grouper. Lastly,
the Committees will receive public
comment before addressing any items
under Other Business.
—Meeting Adjourns
The meeting will also be broadcast via
webinar. You may register for the
webinar by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org
and clicking on the SSC meeting on the
calendar.
The Agenda is subject to change, and
the latest version along with other
meeting materials will be posted on
www.gulfcouncil.org as they become
available.
Although other non-emergency issues
not on the agenda may come before the
Scientific and Statistical Committees for
discussion, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
those issues may not be the subject of
formal action during this meeting.
Actions of the Scientific and Statistical
Committee will be restricted to those
issues specifically identified in the
agenda 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-action to
address the emergency.

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Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aid
should be directed to Kathy Pereira,
(813) 348–1630, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

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Dated: April 19, 2022.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022–08609 Filed 4–21–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Surfclam/Ocean Quahog
Individual Transferable Quota
Administration
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing
information collections, which helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on January 20,
2022, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Surfclam/Ocean Quahog
Individual Transferable Quota
Administration.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0240.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission
[extension of a current information
collection].
Number of Respondents: 180.
Average Hours Per Response: ITQ
permit application form, review of a
pre-filled form for renewing entities,
ITQ transfer form, 5 minutes each; 1
hour to complete the ITQ ownership
form for new applicants and 30 minutes
for the application to shuck surfclams
and ocean quahogs at sea. The
requirements under the PSP protocol are
based on the number of vessels that land
surfclams or ocean quahogs and the
number of trips taken into the area, with
a total estimated annual burden of 2,400
hours.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,642.
Needs and Uses: This request is for an
extension of a currently approved

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collection associated with the Atlantic
surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries.
National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) Greater Atlantic Region
manages these fisheries in the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) of the
Northeastern United States through the
Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council prepared the FMP pursuant to
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). The
regulations implementing the FMP are
specified at 50 CFR part 648.
The recordkeeping and reporting
requirements at §§ 648.74, 648.75, and
648.76 form the basis for this collection
of information. We request information
from surfclam and ocean quahog
individual transferable quota (ITQ)
permit holders to issue ITQ permits and
to process and track requests from
permit holders to transfer quota share or
cage tags. We also request information
from surfclam and ocean quahog ITQ
permit holders to track and properly
account for surfclam and ocean quahog
harvest shucked at sea. Because there is
not a standard conversion factor for
estimating unshucked product from
shucked product, NMFS requires
vessels that shuck product at sea to
carry on board the vessel a NMFSapproved observer to certify the amount
of these clams harvested. This
information, upon receipt, results in an
efficient and accurate database for
management and monitoring of fisheries
of the Northeastern U.S. EEZ.
Georges Bank has been closed to the
harvest of surfclams and ocean quahogs
since 1990 due to red tide blooms that
cause paralytic shellfish poisoning
(PSP). We reopened a portion of the
Georges Bank Closed Area starting in
2012 under certain conditions. We
request information from surfclam and
ocean quahog ITQ permit holders who
fish in the reopened area to ensure
compliance with the Protocol for
Onboard Screening and Dockside
Testing in Molluscan Shellfish. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, the
commercial fishing industry, and NMFS
developed the PSP protocol to test and
verify that clams harvested from
Georges Bank continue to be safe for
human consumption. The National
Shellfish Sanitation Program adopted
the PSP protocol at the October 2011
Interstate Shellfish Sanitation
Conference.
The Council has approved
Amendment 20 to the Surfclam and
Ocean Quahog FMP, which would
implement an excessive shares cap in
this fishery. If that action is approved

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 78 / Friday, April 22, 2022 / Notices
and implemented, some of the fields in
the ITQ ownership form and the ITQ
transfer form may change as a result.
Any revisions to this collection will be
specified in the proposed rule for the
amendment.
Affected Public: Individuals and
Business or other for-profit
organizations.
Frequency: Frequency varies from
collection to collection (e.g., annual, per
trip, as requested by public).
Respondent’s Obligation: Obligation
varies from collection to collection (e.g.,
mandatory, voluntary, required to retain
benefits).
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq, Section 303).
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function and
entering either the title of the collection
or the OMB Control Number 0648–0240.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2022–08661 Filed 4–21–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XB775]

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Marine Site
Characterization Surveys Off New
Jersey and New York for Atlantic
Shores Offshore Wind, LLC
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of an incidental
harassment authorization.

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AGENCY:

In accordance with the
regulations implementing the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as
amended, notification is hereby given

SUMMARY:

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that NMFS has issued an IHA to
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC to
incidentally harass marine mammals
during marine site characterization
surveys off New Jersey and New York.
DATES: This Authorization is effective
from April 20, 2022 through April 19,
2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelsey Potlock, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
Electronic copies of the application and
supporting documents, as well as a list
of the references cited in this document,
may be obtained online at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/
incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act. In case
of problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of
marine mammals, with certain
exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and
(D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et
seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce
(as delegated to NMFS) 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
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
incidental take authorization may be
provided to the public for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s) and will not have
an unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
taking for subsistence uses (where
relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe
the permissible methods of taking and
other ‘‘means of effecting the least
practicable adverse impact’’ on the
affected species or stocks and their
habitat, paying particular attention to
rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of
similar significance, and on the
availability of the species or stocks for
taking for certain subsistence uses
(referred to in shorthand as
‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements
pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring
and reporting of the takings are set forth.
The definitions of all applicable
MMPA statutory terms cited above are
included in the relevant sections below.
Summary of Request
On August 16, 2021, NMFS received
a request from Atlantic Shores for an

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24103

IHA to take marine mammals incidental
to marine site characterization surveys
occurring in three locations (Lease Area
and Export Cable Routes (ECR) North
and South) off of New Jersey and New
York in and around the area of
Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands
for Renewable Energy Development on
the Outer Continental Shelf Lease Area
(OCS)–A 0499. The application was
deemed adequate and complete on
December 13, 2021. Atlantic Shores’
request is for take of a small number of
15 species of marine mammals
(comprised of 16 stocks) by Level B
harassment only. Neither Atlantic
Shores nor NMFS expects serious injury
or mortality to result from this activity;
therefore, an IHA is appropriate.
Description of Activities
Overview
As part of its overall marine site
characterization survey operations,
Atlantic Shores will conduct highresolution geophysical (HRG) surveys in
and around the Lease Area (OCS)–A
0499 and along potential submarine
cable routes (ECRs North and South) to
a landfall location in either New York
or New Jersey.
The purpose of these surveys are to
support the site characterization, siting,
and engineering design of offshore wind
facilities including wind turbine
generators, offshore substations, and
submarine cables within the Lease Area
and along export cable routes (ECRs). As
many as three survey vessels may
operate concurrently. 360 days of survey
days are planned with vessels operating
for 24-hours as part of the planned
surveys (Table 1). Underwater sound
resulting from Atlantic Shores’ planned
site characterization survey activities,
specifically certain acoustic sources
operating at <180 kilohertz (kHz), has
the potential to result in incidental take
of marine mammals in the form of
behavioral harassment (Table 2).

TABLE 1—NUMBER OF SURVEY DAYS
THAT ATLANTIC SHORES PLANS TO
PERFORM THE DESCRIBED HRG
SURVEY ACTIVITIES
Survey area

Number
of active
survey days
expected 1

Lease Area ...............................
ECR North ................................
ECR South ................................

120
180
60

Total ...................................

360

1 Surveys in each area may temporally overlap; therefore, actual number of days of activity in a given year would be less than 360.

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