60-day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 13 / Thursday, January 20, 2022 / Notices
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) (hereinafter, ‘‘territory’’
or ‘‘territories’’). The regulations further
allow NMFS to authorize the
government of each territory to allocate
a portion of its catch or fishing effort
limit to U.S. fishing vessels permitted
under an FEP through specified fishing
agreements between the vessels and the
respective territories. Payments made
under these agreements support
fisheries development in the territories.
A specified fishing agreement
provides access to an identified portion
of catch or fishing effort limit and may
not exceed the limit specified for the
territory and that NMFS has made
available for allocation. The identified
portion of catch or fishing effort limit in
an agreement must account for recent
and anticipated harvest on the fish stock
or stock complex or fishing effort, and
any other valid agreements with the
territory during the same year not to
exceed the territory’s catch or fishing
effort limit or allocation limit.
II. Method of Collection
Each participating territory may
submit a complete specified fishing
agreement for review by the Council and
review and approval by NMFS (see 50
CFR 665.819(c)). The agreement must:
(i) Identify the vessels and document
that each fishing vessel has a valid
permit issued under 50 CFR 665.801; (ii)
identify the limit on catch of western
Pacific pelagic management unit
species, if applicable; (iii) identify the
limit on fishing effort, if applicable; (iv)
be signed by an authorized official of
the participating territory or designated
representative; and (v) be signed by each
vessel owner or designated
representative. There is no form for an
agreement. Agreements may be
submitted by mail, fax, or secure email.

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III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0689.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; Business or other for-profit
organizations; State, Local, or Tribal
governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 3.
Estimated Time per Response: 30
hours per agreement, 2 hours per
appeal.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 90.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $4,885.20.

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IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department to: (a) Evaluate
whether the proposed information
collection is necessary for the proper
functions of the Department, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information
collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2022–01005 Filed 1–19–22; 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; Groundfish Tagging Program
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection,
request for comment.
AGENCY:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the

SUMMARY:

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impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before March 21, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0276 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to, Rebecca
Reuter, Fisheries Biologist, NOAA
Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science
Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE,
Seattle, WA 98115, 425–666–9578, and
Rebecca.reuter@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for extension of a
currently approved information
collection. The groundfish tagging
program provides scientists with
information necessary for effective
conservation, management, and
scientific understanding of the
groundfish fishery off Alaska and the
Northwest Pacific. The program area
includes the Pacific Ocean off Alaska
(the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands Area, and the
Alexander Archipelago of Southeast
Alaska), California, Oregon, and
Washington. Fish movement
information from recovered tags is used
in population dynamics models for
stock assessment. There are three
general categories of tags. Simple plastic
tags (spaghetti tags) are external tags
approximately two inches long, printed
with code numbers. When a tag is
returned, the tag number is correlated
with databases of released, tagged fish to
determine the net movement and
growth rate of the tagged fish. Archival
tags are microchips with sensors
encased in plastic cylinders that record
the depth, temperature or other data,
which can be downloaded electronically
from the recovered tags. Pop-off satellite
tags are programmed to release from the
fish and upload archived data (depth,
temperature, and approximate
geolocation) to passing satellites,
therefore data is received independent
of the fishery. The groundfish tagging

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 13 / Thursday, January 20, 2022 / Notices

and tag recovery program is part of the
fishery resource assessment and data
collection that the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducts
under the Magnuson-Stevens Act
authority as codified in 16 U.S.C. 1801
(a)(8).
II. Method of Collection
This is a volunteer program requiring
the actual tag from the fish to be
returned, along with recovery
information. Reporting forms with preaddressed and postage-free envelopes
are distributed to processors and catcher
vessels.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0276.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a currently approved
collection).
Affected Public: Not-for-profit
institutions; State, local, or tribal
government; business or other for-profit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
440.
Estimated Time per Response: 5
minutes for returning a regular tag, and
20 minutes for returning an internal
archival tag.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 89.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $30 in recordkeeping/reporting
costs.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Act.

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IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that

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your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you may ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2022–01009 Filed 1–19–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XB645]

Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys
Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the
Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of Letter of
Authorization.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, its implementing
regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA
Regulations for Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Geophysical
Surveys Related to Oil and Gas
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico,
notification is hereby given that a Letter
of Authorization (LOA) has been issued
to LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C.
(LLOG) for the take of marine mammals
incidental to geophysical survey activity
in the Gulf of Mexico.
DATES: The LOA is effective from March
1, 2022, through December 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: The LOA, LOA request, and
supporting documentation are available
online at: www.fisheries.noaa.gov/
action/incidental-take-authorization-oiland-gas-industry-geophysical-surveyactivity-gulf-mexico. In case of problems
accessing these documents, please call
the contact listed below (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Laws, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct

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the Secretary of Commerce 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
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.
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).
On January 19, 2021, we issued a final
rule with regulations to govern the
unintentional taking of marine
mammals incidental to geophysical
survey activities conducted by oil and
gas industry operators, and those
persons authorized to conduct activities
on their behalf (collectively ‘‘industry
operators’’), in Federal waters of the
U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over the
course of 5 years (86 FR 5322; January
19, 2021). The rule was based on our
findings that the total taking from the
specified activities over the 5-year
period will have a negligible impact on
the affected species or stock(s) of marine
mammals and will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of those species or stocks for
subsistence uses. The rule became
effective on April 19, 2021.
Our regulations at 50 CFR 217.180 et
seq. allow for the issuance of LOAs to
industry operators for the incidental
take of marine mammals during

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