[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 248 (Monday, December 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78061-78062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30346]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD643


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment for Fisheries Research Conducted and Funded by the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment; Request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of the ``Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (DPEA) for Fisheries Research Conducted and 
Funded by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC).'' Publication 
of this notice begins the official public comment period for this DPEA. 
The purpose of the DPEA is to evaluate, in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the potential direct, indirect, and 
cumulative impacts of conducting and funding fisheries and ecosystem 
research along the U.S. East Coast, including of the Northeast 
Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and the Southeast 
Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME).

DATES: Comments and information must be received no later than January 
28, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the DPEA should be addressed to Nathan Keith, 
NMFS NEFSC Woods Hole Laboratory, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA 
02543. The mailbox address for providing email comments is 
[email protected]. NMFS is not responsible for email comments sent to 
addresses other than the one provided here. Comments sent via email, 
including all attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte file size.
    A copy of the DPEA may be obtained by writing to the address 
specified above, telephoning the contact listed below (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT), or visiting the Internet at: http://nefsc.noaa.gov/dpea.aspx. Documents cited in this notice may also be 
viewed, by appointment, during regular business hours, at the 
aforementioned address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathan Keith, NEFSC, NMFS, (508) 495-
2224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NEFSC is the research arm of NMFS in the 
Northeast Region. The NEFSC conducts research and provides scientific 
advice to manage fisheries and conserve protected species in the 
Atlantic Ocean from the U.S.-Canada border to Florida. Most NEFSC-
conducted and funded fisheries research occurs in the Northeast U.S. 
Continental Shelf LME but also occurs in the Southeast U.S. Continental 
Shelf LME and adjacent offshore areas. Research is aimed at monitoring 
fish stock recruitment, survival and biological rates, abundance and 
geographic distribution of species and stocks, and providing other 
scientific information needed to improve our understanding of complex 
marine ecological processes. Primary research activities include: 
Bottom trawl surveys to support assessments of multiple groundfish and 
shrimp species as well as the status of benthic habitats, pelagic trawl 
surveys to assess Atlantic herring and Atlantic salmon stocks, dredge 
and video camera surveys to assess scallop stocks and habitat recovery, 
longline and gillnet surveys to research life history parameters and 
abundance of numerous shark species, and extensive cooperative research 
projects designed to address current or emerging information needs of 
the commercial fishing industry such as bycatch reduction efforts and 
development of new fisheries. Many research activities also include 
active acoustic systems, plankton nets, and other oceanographic 
equipment that provide important data on the status and trends of 
marine ecosystems important for various fisheries and natural resource 
management processes.
    NMFS has prepared the DPEA under NEPA to evaluate several 
alternatives for conducting and funding fisheries and ecosystem 
research activities as the primary federal action. Additionally in the 
DPEA, NMFS evaluates a secondary federal action--also called a 
``connected action'' under 40 CFR 1508.25 of the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.)--which is the proposed 
promulgation of regulations and authorization of the take of marine 
mammals incidental to the fisheries research under the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act (MMPA). Additionally, because the proposed research 
activities occur in areas inhabited by species of marine mammals, 
birds, sea turtles, and fish listed under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) as threatened or endangered, this DPEA evaluates activities that 
could result in unintentional takes of ESA-listed marine species.
    The following four alternatives are evaluated in the DPEA:
     No-Action/Status Quo Alternative--Conduct Federal 
Fisheries and Ecosystem Research with Scope and Protocols Similar to 
Past Effort.
     Preferred Alternative--Conduct Federal Fisheries and 
Ecosystem Research (New Suite of Research) with Mitigation for MMPA and 
ESA Compliance.
     Modified Research Alternative--Conduct Federal Fisheries 
and Ecosystem Research (New Suite of Research) with Additional 
Mitigation.
     No Research Alternative--No Fieldwork for Federal 
Fisheries and Ecosystem Research Conducted or Funded by NEFSC.
    The first three alternatives include a program of fisheries and 
ecosystem research projects conducted or funded by the NEFSC as the 
primary federal action. Because this primary action is connected to a 
secondary federal action to consider authorizing incidental take of 
marine mammals under the MMPA, NMFS must identify as part of this 
evaluation ``(t)he means of effecting the least practicable adverse 
impact on the species or stock and its habitat.'' (Section 101(a)(5)(A) 
of the MMPA [16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.]). NMFS must therefore identify and 
evaluate a reasonable range of mitigation measures to minimize impacts 
to marine mammals that occur in NEFSC research areas. These mitigation 
measures are considered as part of the identified alternatives in order 
to evaluate their effectiveness to minimize potential

[[Page 78062]]

adverse environmental impacts. The three action alternatives also 
include mitigation measures intended to minimize potentially adverse 
interactions with other protected species that occur within the action 
area. Protected species include all marine mammals, which are covered 
under the MMPA, all species listed under the ESA, and bird species 
protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
    NMFS is also evaluating a second type of no-action alternative that 
considers no federal funding for fieldwork on fisheries and ecosystem 
research activities. This is called the No Research Alternative to 
distinguish it from the No-Action/Status Quo Alternative. The No-
Action/Status Quo Alternative will be used as the baseline to compare 
all of the other alternatives.
    Potential direct and indirect effects on the environment are 
evaluated under each alternative in the DPEA. The environmental effects 
on the following resources are considered: Physical environment, 
special resource areas, fish, marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, 
invertebrates, and the social and economic environment. Cumulative 
effects of external actions and the contribution of fisheries research 
activities to the overall cumulative impact on the aforementioned 
resources is also evaluated in the DPEA for the geographic regions in 
which NEFSC surveys are conducted.
    NMFS requests comments on the DPEA for Fisheries Research Conducted 
and Funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center. Please include, with your comments, any 
supporting data or literature citations that may be informative in 
substantiating your comment.

    Dated: December 22, 2014.
William Karp,
Director, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-30346 Filed 12-22-14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P