[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 202 (Friday, October 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48802-48803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22822]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF690


Fisheries Off West Coast States; Fisheries of the Exclusive 
Economic Zone Off Alaska; Seabird Cable Strike Mitigation Workshop; 
Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Emerging seabird mitigation technologies will be discussed at 
the Seabird Cable Strike Mitigation Workshop.

DATES: The meeting will be held November 7, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., and November 8, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Pacific 
Standard Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the NOAA Western Regional 
Center, Building 9 (Kelly C. Sandy III Auditorium), 7600 Sand Point Way 
NE., Seattle, WA 98115. For information on building access, see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anne Marie Eich, 907-586-7172, or 
Vanessa Tuttle, 206-860-3479.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Seabirds congregate around trawlers to feed 
on offal putting them at risk of colliding with cables (trawl warps and 
data cables) that run aft of trawlers. Cable strikes are a known source 
of seabird mortality, particularly on at-sea factory trawlers (referred 
to as catcher/processors). Research projects observing seabird cable 
strikes have been conducted in the Alaska catcher/processor fleet 
targeting pollock in the Bering Sea and in the West Coast at-sea hake 
fishery. Data from both studies indicate that estimated mortalities for 
cable strikes are greater than observed mortalities collected as part 
of typical observer duties. To address this issue, NMFS will host a 
1.5-day workshop on gear modification strategies for reducing seabird 
cable strike mortality in West Coast trawl (hake) fisheries. The goal 
is to develop mitigation strategies that reduce cable strikes and could 
be used by both West Coast hake and Alaska pollock trawlers. This 
collaborative workshop will bring together the at-sea processing 
industry, engineers, biologists and fisheries managers to develop 
innovative, practical gear-modifications for reducing seabird cable 
strike mortality.

[[Page 48803]]

Special Accommodations

    This workshop will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Vanessa Tuttle, 206-860-3479, at 
least 10 working days prior to the meeting date.

Building Access

    All visitors to the NOAA Western Regional Center's facility should 
bring one of the following forms of identification:

 Enhanced Driver's License from the states of Washington, 
Minnesota, and New York
 U.S. Passport
 U.S. Passport Card
 U.S. Department of Defense CAC
 U.S. Federal agency HSPD-12 compliant ID cards
 U.S. Veterans ID
 U.S. Military Dependent's ID Card
 U.S. Trusted Traveler Card--Global Entry, SENTRI, or NEXUS
 U.S. Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC)
 State issued Real ID Compliant Driver's Licenses and 
Identification Cards.

    Visitors who are foreign nationals (defined as a person who is not 
a citizen or national of the United States) will require additional 
security clearance to access the NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science 
Center. Foreign national visitors should contact Vanessa Tuttle, 206-
860-3479, at least 10 working days prior to the meeting date to 
initiate the security clearance process.

    Dated: October 17, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-22822 Filed 10-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P