[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 70 (Thursday, April 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21597-21598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-08493]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BB71


Marine Mammals: Alaska Harbor Seal Habitats

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will hold two public workshops to solicit input from 
stakeholders regarding our advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) 
on potential management measures to protect glacially-associated harbor 
seal habitats in Alaska (78 FR 15669; March 12, 2013). During the 
workshops NMFS will present information regarding harbor seal habitat 
usage and available research on the effects of vessel disturbance. NMFS 
will seek input as to whether management measures are needed, and if 
so, what types of measures should be considered.

DATES: We will conduct public workshops on the harbor seal ANPR on the 
specific dates listed below:
    1. April 22, 2013, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time (ADT) 
in Juneau, Alaska.
    2. April 23, 2013, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (ADT) in Yakutat, Alaska.

ADDRESSES: The workshop locations are:
    1. Juneau, AK--Centennial Hall, Hickel Room, 101 Egan Drive, 
Juneau, AK 99801.
    2. Yakutat, AK--ANB Hall, 522 Max Italio Dr., Yakutat, AK 99689.
    You may submit written comments, identified by FDMS Docket Number 
NOAA-NMFS-2011-0284, before May 12, 2013 by any one of the following 
methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at http://www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, 
first click the ``Submit a Comment'' icon, then enter NOAA-NMFS-2011-
0284 in the keyword search. Locate the document you wish to comment on 
from the resulting list and click on the ``Submit a Comment'' icon on 
the right of that line.
     Mail: Address written comments to Jon Kurland, Assistant 
Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region 
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, 
AK 99802-1668.
     Fax: Address written comments to Jon Kurland, Assistant 
Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region 
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Fax comments to 907-586-7557.
     Hand delivery to the Federal Building: Address written 
comments to Jon Kurland, Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected 
Resources Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Deliver 
comments to 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.
     Hand delivery to NMFS at one of the public workshops 
listed in this notice.
    Comments must be submitted by one of the above methods to ensure 
that the comments are received, documented, and considered by NMFS. 
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.
    All comments received are a part of the public record and will 
generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All 
Personal Identifying Information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily 
submitted by the commenter will be publicly accessible. Do not submit 
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected 
information.
    NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required 
fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or 
Adobe portable document file (pdf) formats only.
    Electronic copies of the ANPR may be obtained from http://www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alicia Bishop, NMFS Alaska Regional 
Office, (907) 586-7224; or Shannon Bettridge, NMFS Office of Protected 
Resources, (301) 427-8402.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 12, 2013, NMFS published an ANPR in 
the Federal Register (78 FR 15669) to consider whether to propose 
regulations to protect glacially-associated harbor seal habitats in 
Alaska used for pupping, nursing, resting, and molting, and to limit 
vessel disturbance to harbor seals in those habitats. We will conduct 
two public workshops to inform interested parties of the ANPR and 
receive written comments.
    In response to the ANPR, and at the workshops, we are seeking 
information and comments concerning: (1) The advisability of and need 
for regulations; (2) the geographic scope and time horizon of 
regulations; (3) management options for regulating vessel interactions 
with harbor seals, including but not limited to the options listed in 
this notice; (4) scientific and commercial information regarding the 
effects of vessels on harbor seals and their habitat; (5) information 
regarding potential economic effects of regulating vessel interactions; 
(6) the feasibility of any management measure or regulation (for 
example, navigational safety or security concerns); and (7) any 
additional relevant information that NMFS should consider should it 
undertake rulemaking.
    Oral statements will not be recorded at the workshop. We encourage 
interested people, groups, and organizations to provide a written copy 
of their statement and present it to us at

[[Page 21598]]

the workshop. Blank ``comment sheets'' will be provided at the public 
meetings for those without prepared written comments. In addition, we 
encourage the submission of comments in accordance with the 
instructions the ANPR. If attendance at the public workshops is large, 
the time allotted for individual oral comments may be limited. There 
are no limits on the length of written comments submitted to us. There 
is no need to register for these workshops.

    Dated: April 5, 2013.
Helen M. Golde,
Acting Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-08493 Filed 4-10-13; 8:45 am]
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