[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 199 (Friday, October 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71076-71077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24919]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD990


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Essential Fish Habitat

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: On September 8, 2016, NMFS published a notice of availability 
of the Draft Environmental Assessment for Amendment 10 to the 2006 
Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP). The purpose of this Draft Amendment is to update Atlantic 
HMS Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) with recent information following the 
EFH delineation methodology established in Amendment 1 to the 2006 
Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP (Amendment 1); update and consider new 
Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs) for Atlantic bluefin tuna 
and sandbar, lemon, and sand tiger sharks based on recent information, 
as warranted; minimize to the extent practicable the adverse effects of 
fishing and non-fishing activities on EFH; and identify other actions 
to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH. NMFS announces 
two public hearing conference calls/webinars to allow opportunities for 
interested members of the public from all geographic areas to submit 
verbal comments on Draft Amendment 10.

DATES: NMFS will host public hearing conference calls/webinars on 
November 10, 2016, from 3 to 5 p.m. EST and November 18, 2016, from 10 
a.m. to 12 p.m. EST. Written comments on Draft Amendment 10 will be 
accepted until December 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Two public hearing conference calls/webinars will be 
conducted. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for information on how to 
access the conference calls/webinars. More information about Draft 
Amendment 10, including how to submit written comments, may be found at 
http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/documents/fmp/am10/index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Cudney or Randy Blankinship 
at (727) 824-5399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) includes provisions 
concerning the identification and conservation of EFH (16 U.S.C. 1801 
et seq.). EFH is defined at 50 CFR 600.10 as ``those waters and 
substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth 
to maturity.'' NMFS must identify and describe EFH, minimize to the 
extent practicable the adverse effects of fishing on EFH, and identify 
actions to encourage the conservation and enhancement of EFH (Sec.  
600.815(a)). Federal agencies that authorize, fund, or undertake 
actions that may adversely affect EFH must consult with NMFS (Sec.  
600.920(a)), and NMFS must provide comments and EFH conservation 
recommendations to Federal or state agencies regarding any such actions 
(Sec.  600.905).
    In addition to identifying and describing EFH for managed fish 
species, a review of EFH must be completed every 5 years, and EFH 
provisions must be revised or amended, as warranted, based on the best 
available scientific information. NMFS announced the initiation of this 
review and solicited information for compilation for the draft review 
from the public in a Federal Register notice

[[Page 71077]]

on March 24, 2014 (79 FR 15959). The initial public review/submission 
period ended on May 23, 2014. The Draft Atlantic HMS EFH 5-Year Review 
was made available on March 5, 2015 (80 FR 11981), and the public 
comment period ended on April 6, 2015. NMFS analyzed the information 
gathered through the EFH review process, and the Notice of Availability 
for the Final Atlantic HMS EFH 5-Year Review was published on July 1, 
2015 (80 FR 37598). As a result of this review, NMFS determined that a 
revision of HMS EFH was warranted, and that an amendment to the 2006 
Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP would be developed as Amendment 10.
    On September 8, 2016 (81 FR 62100), NMFS published a notice of 
availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment for Amendment 10 to 
the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS FMP. Specific actions analyzed 
included the update and revision of existing HMS EFH, as warranted; 
modification of existing HAPCs or designation of new HAPCs for bluefin 
tuna and sandbar, lemon, and sand tiger sharks, as warranted; and 
analysis of fishing and non-fishing impacts on EFH by considering 
environmental and management changes and new information since 2009.

Public Hearing Conference Calls/Webinars

    NMFS will conduct two public hearing conference calls/webinars to 
allow members of the public from all geographic areas to submit verbal 
comments on Draft Amendment 10. To participate in those calls, use the 
following information:

Table 1--Date, Time, and Access Information for Public Conference Calls/
                                Webinars
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        Date and time                      Access information
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November 10, 2016, 3-5 p.m.    To participate in the conference call,
 EST.                           call: (888) 455-5378 Passcode: 6522610.
                               To participate in the webinar, go to:
                                https://noaaevents3.webex.com/noaaevents3/onstage/g.php?MTID=e767babee686fc6fae2441d750ab3338c 338c.
                               Meeting Number: 396 375 761. Meeting
                                Password: NOAA.
November 18, 2016, 10 a.m.-12  To participate in the conference call,
 p.m. EST.                      call: (888) 455-5378 Passcode: 6522610.
                               To participate in the webinar, go to:
                                https://noaaevents3.webex.com/noaaevents3/onstage/g.php?MTID=ecebbb5a35ab25a56d9ef800370c24af6 4af6.
                               Meeting Number: 392 481 985. Meeting
                                Password: NOAA.
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    Participants are strongly encouraged to log/dial in 15 minutes 
prior to the meeting to allow time to address any technical issues. 
NMFS will show a brief presentation via webinar followed by public 
comment. To participate in the webinars online, enter your name and 
email address, and click the ``JOIN'' button. Participants that have 
not used WebEx before will be prompted to download and run a plug-in 
program that will enable them to view the webinar. Presentation 
materials and other supporting information will be posted on the HMS 
Web site at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms.
    The public is reminded that participants at public hearings and on 
conference calls must conduct themselves appropriately. At the 
beginning of the conference call, a representative of NMFS will explain 
the ground rules (all comments are to be directed to the agency on the 
proposed action; attendees will be called to give their comments in the 
order in which they registered to speak; each attendee will have an 
equal amount of time to speak; and attendees should not interrupt one 
another). The NMFS representative will attempt to structure the meeting 
so that all attending members of the public will be able to comment, if 
they so choose, regardless of the controversial nature of the subject 
matter. If attendees do not respect the ground rules, they will be 
asked to leave the conference call.

    Dated: October 11, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-24919 Filed 10-13-16; 8:45 am]
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