[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 119 (Thursday, June 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28477-28479]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12986]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF464


Nominations to the Marine Mammal Scientific Review Groups

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

ACTION: Notice; request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: As required by section 117(d) of the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act (MMPA), the Secretary of Commerce established three independent 
regional scientific review groups (SRGs) to provide advice on a range 
of marine mammal science and management issues. NMFS has conducted a 
membership review of the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific SRGs, and is 
soliciting nominations for new members to fill vacancies and gaps in 
expertise.

DATES: Nominations must be received by July 24, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Nominations can be emailed to [email protected], or 
mailed to: Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office 
of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226, Attn: SRGs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannon Bettridge, Office of Protected 
Resources, 301-427-8402, [email protected]. Information about 
the SRGs, including the SRG Terms of Reference, is available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/group.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Section 117(d) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1386(d)) directs the 
Secretary of Commerce to establish three independent regional SRGs to 
advise the Secretary (authority delegated to NMFS). The Alaska SRG 
advises on marine mammals that occur in waters off Alaska that are 
under the jurisdiction of the United States. The Pacific SRG advises on 
marine mammals that occur in waters off the U.S. West Coast, Hawaiian 
Islands, and the U.S. Territories in the Central and Western Pacific 
that are under the jurisdiction of

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the United States. The Atlantic SRG advises on marine mammals that 
occur in waters off the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. 
Territories in the Caribbean that are under the jurisdiction of the 
United States.
    SRGs members are highly qualified individuals with expertise in 
marine mammal biology and ecology, population dynamics and modeling, 
commercial fishing technology and practices, and stocks taken under 
section 101(b) of the MMPA. The SRGs provide expert reviews of draft 
marine mammal stock assessment reports and other information related to 
the matters identified in section 117(d)(1) of the MMPA, including:
    A. Population estimates and the population status and trends of 
marine mammal stocks;
    B. Uncertainties and research needed regarding stock separation, 
abundance, or trends, and factors affecting the distribution, size, or 
productivity of the stock;
    C. Uncertainties and research needed regarding the species, number, 
ages, gender, and reproductive status of marine mammals;
    D. Research needed to identify modifications in fishing gear and 
practices likely to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury 
of marine mammals in commercial fishing operations;
    E. The actual, expected, or potential impacts of habitat 
destruction, including marine pollution and natural environmental 
change, on specific marine mammal species or stocks, and for strategic 
stocks, appropriate conservation or management measures to alleviate 
any such impacts; and
    F. Any other issue which the Secretary or the groups consider 
appropriate.
    SRG members collectively serve as independent advisors to NMFS and 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and provide their expert review and 
recommendations through participation in the SRG. Members attend annual 
meetings and undertake activities as independent persons providing 
expertise in their subject areas. Members are not appointed as 
representatives of professional organizations or particular stakeholder 
groups, including government entities, and are not permitted to 
represent or advocate for those organizations, groups, or entities 
during SRG meetings, discussions, and deliberations.
    SRG membership is voluntary, and, except for reimbursable travel 
and related expenses, service is without pay. The term of service for 
SRG members is three years, and members may serve up to three 
consecutive terms if reappointed.
    NMFS annually reviews the expertise available on the SRG and 
identifies gaps in the expertise that is needed to provide advice 
pursuant to section 117(d) of the MMPA. In conducting the reviews, NMFS 
attempts to achieve, to the maximum extent practicable, a balanced 
representation of viewpoints among the individuals on each SRG.

Expertise Solicited

    For the Atlantic SRG (including waters off the Atlantic coast, Gulf 
of Mexico, and U.S. Territories in the Caribbean), NMFS seeks 
individuals with expertise in one or more of the following areas: 
Fishing gear and practices, particularly for fisheries in the U.S. mid-
Atlantic and southeast (trap/pot and gillnet fisheries), Gulf of Mexico 
(shrimp trawl fishery), and maritime Canada; quantitative ecology, 
modeling, population dynamics, statistics, and/or biometry; species-
habitat associations; conservation; and Gulf of Mexico oceanic marine 
mammal species.
    For the Pacific SRG (including waters off the Pacific coast, 
Hawaiian Islands and the U.S. Territories in the Central and Western 
Pacific), NMFS seeks individuals with expertise in one or more of the 
following areas: Quantitative ecology, population dynamics, modeling, 
and statistics; abundance estimation, especially distance sampling and 
mark-recapture methods and survey design; passive acoustics; 
oceanography; West Coast fishing gear/techniques; large whales, 
particularly with regard to entanglement issues; pinnipeds; and sea 
otters.
    For the Alaska SRG, NMFS seeks individuals with expertise in one or 
more of the following areas, in order of priority: The Alaska 
commercial fishing industry and commercial fishery methods/gear, 
particularly fisheries with marine mammal bycatch and/or ecological 
interactions; pinnipeds; quantitative ecology, population dynamics, 
modeling, and statistics; abundance estimation, especially distance 
sampling and mark-recapture methods and survey design; and acoustics. 
Knowledge of the MMPA and processing of marine mammal stock assessments 
would be helpful but not essential.

Submitting a Nomination

    Nominations for new members should be sent to Dr. Shannon Bettridge 
in the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (see ADDRESSES) and must be 
received by July 24, 2017. Nominations should be accompanied by the 
individual's curriculum vitae and detailed information regarding how 
the recommended person meets the minimum selection criteria for SRG 
members (see below). Nominations should also include the nominee's 
name, address, telephone number, and email address. Self-nominations 
are acceptable.

Selection Criteria

    Although the MMPA does not explicitly prohibit Federal employees 
from serving as SRG members, NMFS interprets MMPA section 117(d)'s 
reference to the SRGs as ``independent'' bodies that are exempt from 
Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements to mean that SRGs are 
intended to augment existing Federal expertise and are not composed of 
Federal employees or contractors. Therefore, NMFS will not consider any 
nominee who is currently a Federal employee or a full-time contractor 
supporting a Federal agency.
    When reviewing nominations, NMFS, in consultation with the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, will consider the following six criteria:
    (1) Ability to make time available for the purposes of the SRG;
    (2) Knowledge of the species (or closely related species) of marine 
mammals in the SRG's region;
    (3) Scientific or technical achievement in a relevant discipline, 
particularly the areas of expertise identified above, to be considered 
an expert peer reviewer for the topic;
    (4) Demonstrated experience working effectively on teams;
    (5) Expertise relevant to current and expected needs of the SRG, in 
particular, expertise required to provide adequate review and 
knowledgeable feedback on current or developing stock assessment 
issues, techniques, etc. In practice, this means that each member 
should have expertise in more than one topic as the species and 
scientific issues discussed in SRG meetings are diverse; and
    (6) No conflict of interest with respect to their duties as a 
member of the SRG.

Next Steps

    Following review, nominees who are identified by NMFS as potential 
new members must be vetted and cleared in accordance with Department of 
Commerce policy. NMFS will contact these individuals and ask them to 
provide written confirmation that they are not registered Federal 
lobbyists or registered foreign agents, and to complete a confidential 
financial disclosure form, which will be reviewed by the Ethics Law and 
Programs

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Division within the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of General 
Counsel. All nominees will be notified of a selection decision in 
advance of the 2018 SRG meetings.

    Dated: June 16, 2017.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-12986 Filed 6-21-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P