[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 9210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3424]



[[Page 9209]]

Vol. 76

Wednesday,

No. 32

February 16, 2011

Part IV





Department of Commerce





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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration



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Draft NOAA National Aquaculture Policy and Draft DOC National 
Aquaculture Policy; Notices

  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 9210]]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA214


Draft NOAA National Aquaculture Policy

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft aquaculture policy; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA is seeking public comment on a draft national aquaculture 
policy that supports sustainable marine aquaculture in the United 
States. The intent of the policy is to guide NOAA's actions and 
decisions on aquaculture and to provide a national approach for 
supporting sustainable aquaculture. The NOAA Aquaculture Program will 
host national call-in briefings on the policy for the public.

DATES: Public comments must be received by midnight, EST, April 11, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: The NOAA draft national aquaculture policy is available 
online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm. 
Paper copies of this document are also available on request from NOAA 
Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315 East-West Highway, 
SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    You may submit comments, identified by ``NOAA Aquaculture Policy,'' 
by any one of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments online by accessing http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm and following the instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Fax: (301) 713-9108, Attn: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture 
Program.
     Mail: NOAA Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315 
East-West Highway, SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on NOAA 
Aquaculture Policy.''
    Instructions: All comments received will be posted online. Do not 
submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. All comments and attachments will be reviewed 
based on the commenting guidelines listed below. If you have a question 
about the status of your comment, send an email to 
[email protected]. Do not submit comments to this e-mail 
address. Use the comment form provided on line.
    Commenting Guidelines. In accordance with NOAA's Online Privacy 
Policy, we treat your name, city, state, and any comments you provide 
as public information. You may enter a comment as `anonymous' if you do 
not want this information available to the public. Also, supporting 
documents, links, etc., are welcome as long as they are pertinent to 
the policy. However, the appearance of external links, advertisements, 
political opinions, or other comments do not constitute endorsement by 
NOAA or that of the U.S. Government.
    While this is a public process, NOAA will not post content that 
meets the following criteria:
    Contains vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, threats, 
obscenity, or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial 
groups;
    Promotes services or products (non-commercial links that are 
relevant to the comment are acceptable);
    Are far off-topic (i.e., not pertinent to the draft policy); or
    Make unsupported accusations.
    You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft 
Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture 
Program, (301) 713-9079; fax: (301) 713-9108.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The draft NOAA Aquaculture Policy provides guidance for NOAA's 
actions regarding the development of all forms of marine aquaculture, 
from shellfish farming and habitat restoration to the culture of marine 
fish and algae on land and offshore. The policy provides a national 
approach for supporting sustainable commercial production, expanding 
restoration aquaculture, and researching and developing new 
technologies, and is part of NOAA's national approach to sustainable 
seafood, which encompasses both aquaculture and capture fisheries. The 
draft policy features:
     A reaffirmation of the importance of aquaculture.
     An overarching policy statement to guide agency actions.
     A set of updated agency priorities to implement the policy 
through initiatives in four areas:
    [cir] Science and research
    [cir] Regulation
    [cir] Innovation, partnerships and outreach and
    [cir] International cooperation
     Detailed principles for aquaculture in federal waters.
    The draft policy responds to public input submitted to NOAA at the 
listening sessions held in 2010, by emphasizing the protection of wild 
species, acknowledging the importance of sound science, and taking 
other suggestions into account. It also affirms that sustainable U.S. 
marine aquaculture is vital to the U.S. seafood supply, the economic 
vitality of coastal communities, and the maintenance of working 
waterfronts.

Informational Briefings for the Public

    The NOAA Aquaculture Program will host a series of informational 
briefings for stakeholders interested in learning more about the draft 
policy. The briefings are as follows:

Feb. 16, 2011

10-11 a.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in--800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4-5 p.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.

Feb. 23, 2011

10-11:a.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4--5 p.m. (Eastern)
    Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.

    Dated: February 10, 2011.
Eric C. Schwaab,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-3424 Filed 2-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P