30-Day FRN

60066

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 / Notices

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and opportunity to comment on a
Proposed Evaluation and Pending
Determination Documents (PEPD) on
implementing the proposed hatchery
program and enforcing the associated
HGMP, which concludes that it will not
appreciably reduce the likelihood of
survival and recovery nor modify or
destroy critical habitat of Hood CanalStrait of Juan de Fuca summer chum
salmon, Puget Sound Chinook salmon,
or Puget Sound steelhead.
DATES: Comments must be received no
later than 5 p.m. Pacific time on January
22, 2026. Comments received after this
date may not be considered.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2025–0736, by the following
method:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit
https://www.regulations.gov and type
NOAA–NMFS–2025–0736 in the Search
box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• The HGMP is available online
concurrently while the comment period
for the PEPD is open at: https://
wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/
hatcheries/hgmp#comment.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on https://www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chante Davis at (503) 321–2307; or by
email at chante.davis@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Endangered Species Act (ESA)-Listed
Species Covered in This Notice
• Hood Canal-Strait of Juan de Fuca
summer chum salmon (Oncorhynchus
keta): threatened, naturally and
artificially propagated;
• Puget Sound Chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha):
threatened, naturally and artificially
propagated; and
• Puget Sound Steelhead
(Oncorhynchus mykiss): threatened,
naturally and artificially propagated.

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Background
The term ‘‘take’’ is defined under the
ESA to mean harass, harm, pursue,
hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture,
or collect, or to attempt to engage in any
such conduct. The ESA prohibits the
take of endangered salmonids and,
pursuant to ESA section 4(d), ESA
regulations can be extended to prohibit
the take of threatened salmonids.
However, NMFS may make exceptions
to the take prohibitions for hatchery
programs that are approved by NMFS
under the limits on the prohibitions
outlined in 50 CFR 223.203(b). The
operators, WDFW collaborating with
tribal co-manager Jamestown S’Klallam
Tribe, have submitted an HGMP to
NMFS pursuant to NMFS’ Limit 6 of the
4(d) Rule of the ESA for hatchery
activities in the Skokomish River basin,
Washington. The PEPD is NMFS’ initial
determination for how the HGMP
addresses the criteria in 50 CFR
223.203(b)(5).
The hatchery program under review is
designed to contribute to the
reintroduction and recovery of Chinook
salmon, sockeye salmon and steelhead
in the Skokomish River basin. These
fish contribute to the stability of Pacific
salmon fish stocks in order to maintain
sustainable U.S. fisheries and strengthen
the national seafood supply chain. The
hatchery programs are intended to
contribute to fulfilling federal trust
responsibilities toward Tribes with
rights guaranteed through treaties, as
affirmed in United States v. Washington
(1974), by contributing to the recovery
of ESA-listed salmon. Additionally, the
programs are intended to contribute to
the survival and recovery of Puget
Sound Chinook Salmon and Puget
Sound Steelhead, provide information
on exploitation rates, and support
returns of coho salmon, Chinook
salmon, and sockeye salmon to the
Skokomish River basin.
Classification
Under section 4 of the ESA, the
Secretary of Commerce is required to
adopt such regulations as deemed
necessary and advisable for the
conservation of species listed as
threatened. The ESA salmon and
steelhead 4(d) Rule (50 CFR 223.203(b))
specifies categories of activities that
contribute to the conservation of listed
salmonids and sets out the criteria for
such activities. The rule further
provides that the prohibitions of
paragraph (a) of the rule do not apply to
actions undertaken in compliance with
a plan developed jointly by a state and
a tribe and determined by NMFS to be
in accordance with the salmon and

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steelhead 4(d) Rule (65 FR 42422, July
10, 2000).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 16
U.S.C. 742a et seq.
Dated: December 18, 2025.
Jennifer Leigh Quan,
Regional Administrator, West Coast Region,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025–23684 Filed 12–22–25; 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; Alaska Community Quota
Entity (CQE) Program
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 July 15,
2025 during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration,
Commerce.
Title: Alaska Community Quota (CQE)
Program.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0665.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission
[revision and extension of a current
information collection].
Number of Respondents: 62.
Average Hours per Response:
Application for a Non-profit
Corporation to be Designated as a CQE:
200 hours; Transfer applications: 2
hours; Application for a CQE to Receive
a Non-trawl Groundfish LLP License: 20
hours; Application for Community
Charter Halibut Permit: 1 hour; CQE
Annual Report: 40 hours; CQE LLP
Authorization Letter: 1 hour.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,355
hours.
Needs and Uses: This is a request for
revision and extension of an approved
information collection. The National

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khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 / Notices
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
Alaska Regional Office (AKR), is the
sponsor of this information collection.
This information collection contains
applications, permits, and reports
required under the Community Quota
Entity (CQE) Program. The revision to
this collection incorporates minor
updates for clarity and regulatory
accuracy. These changes to the forms
include updating the Public Reporting
Burden Statement to include the form’s
specific purpose and updating website
links. Additionally, the ‘‘Application for
Transfer of Quota Share to or from a
Community Quota Entity’’ form was
updated to include the correct the
language from ‘‘The party to whom a
CQE is seeking to transfer the IFQ must
hold a Transfer Eligibility Certificate
(TEC) unless they are a resident of the
Aleutian Islands (Adak) for at least 12
months’’ to ‘‘The party to whom a CQE
is seeking to transfer the IFQ must hold
a Transfer Eligibility Certificate (TEC)
unless they hold an Aleutian Islands
(Adak) TEC.’’ This change accurately
reflects current regulations and
requirements. No other changes were
made to the collection other than
adjustments to reflect the most current
available data.
NMFS AKR manages the groundfish
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
management area under the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area. The MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)
authorizes the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council to prepare and
amend fishery management plans for
any fishery in waters under its
jurisdiction. The International Pacific
Halibut Commission (IPHC) and NMFS
AKR manage fishing for Pacific halibut
(Hippoglossus stenolepis) through
regulations established under the
authority of the Northern Pacific Halibut
Act of 1982, 16 U.S.C. 773c (Halibut
Act).
The CQE Program is a Federal
program administered by NMFS. The
CQE Program allocates to eligible
communities in Alaska a portion of the
harvest quotas for groundfish, halibut,
crab, and prohibited species. The
allocations provide these communities
the means for starting or supporting
commercial fisheries activities that will
result in an ongoing, regionally based,
fisheries-related economy. Participating
communities are represented by a CQE,
which is a NMFS-approved non-profit
organization.
Under the Pacific Halibut and
Sablefish Individual Fishing Quota

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(IFQ) Program, a CQE may purchase
commercial Halibut and sablefish quota
share (QS) for lease to residents of the
eligible community. Under the Charter
Halibut Limited Access Program, a CQE
may request community charter halibut
permits for use in southeast Alaska and
the central Gulf of Alaska by charter
vessel operators designated by the CQE.
Under the License Limitation Program
(LLP), a CQE may request non-trawl
groundfish LLP licenses endorsed for
Pacific cod in the central or western
Gulf of Alaska for use on vessels
designated by the CQE. More
information on the CQEs and the CQE
Program is provided on the NMFS
Alaska Region website at https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/
sustainable-fisheries/community-quotaand-license-programs-communityquota-entities.
This information collection is
required in Federal regulations at 50
CFR 300 Subpart E and Part 679. The
eligible communities and the
community governing body that
recommends the CQE are listed in Table
21 to 50 CFR part 679.
This collection contains applications
used by a nonprofit corporation to
become a CQE; by CQEs to receive nontrawl groundfish LLP licenses and
Charter Halibut Permits (CHPs); by
CQEs to transfer or receive IFQ QS; by
CQEs to transfer IFQ to an eligible
community resident or non-resident;
and by CQEs to transfer between
commercial halibut IFQ and halibut
guided angler fish (GAF). In addition,
this collection contains two reporting
requirements: an annual report and an
authorization letter. Annually each CQE
must submit a report describing its
business operations and fishing
activities for each eligible community it
represents. CQEs requesting LLP
groundfish licenses must annually
submit an authorization letter that
assigns each community LLP license to
a user and vessel.
The type of information collected
includes information on the applicants,
transferors, transferees, authorized
representatives, and communities
represented, as well as information on
the procedures, criteria, administrative
activities, business operations,
community fishing activities, sweep-up
information, certificate and licensing
information, and fishing activities
pertaining to the application.
NMFS requires this information for
fisheries management and to evaluate
the ability of a specific CQE to represent
an eligible community. NMFS uses the
information collected to establish
eligibility of the CQEs; review each
CQE’s business operations and fishing

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60067

activity; monitor participation of the
eligible communities in the CQE
Program and associated limited access
programs; and gather information on
distribution and use among these
communities of LLP groundfish
licenses, CHPs, and halibut and
sablefish QS and IFQ.
All of the forms, except for the
Application for Community Charter
Halibut Permit at § 300.67(k), can now
be submitted electronically via email.
These forms will be updated
accordingly to clarify that electronic
submission is allowed.
Affected Public: Not-for-profit
institutions; Individuals or households.
Frequency: Annually and
occasionally.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.); The
Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (16
U.S.C. 773c).
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 0648–0665.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Compliance Officer, Office
of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2025–23767 Filed 12–22–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XF389]

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species;
Schedules for Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshops and
Protected Species Safe Handling,
Release, and Identification Workshops
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.

AGENCY:

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