[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 78 (Friday, April 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24099-24101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08483]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB655]


NOAA Fisheries Draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans (2022-
2024)

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of the NOAA Fisheries Draft Climate 
Science Regional Action Plans (2022-2024); request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the availability of Draft Climate Science 
Regional Action Plans designed to increase the production, delivery and 
use of climate-related information to fulfill our stewardship mission 
for the Nation's valuable living marine resources. We are soliciting 
review and comment from the public and all interested parties, and will 
consider all substantive comments received during the review period 
before publishing final Plans. Comments are invited on: (a) The clarity 
of the goals and activities in the draft Plans, (b) how to strengthen 
the draft Plans and activities; (c) what additional goals and 
activities need to be addressed. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be provided to the Regional Action Plan Teams for 
consideration in development of the final Plans.

DATES: Comments on the Draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans must 
be received by June 2, 2022.

ADDRESSES: To review the draft regional plans, visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/climate/climate-science-strategy-regional-action-plans.
    Comments may be submitted on the NOAA Fisheries Draft Climate 
Science Regional Action Plans, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2022-0007 by any 
of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov 
and enter NOAA-NMFS-2022-0007 in the Search box. Click the ``Comment'' 
icon and complete the required fields, and enter or attach your 
comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Roger Griffis, NMFS/
Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910. Include on the envelope the following identifier 
``Draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans Comments.''
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or

[[Page 24100]]

individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be 
considered by NMFS. All comments received are part of the public record 
and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov 
without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, 
address, etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise 
sensitive information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be 
publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' 
in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
    The NOAA Fisheries Draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans are 
available online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/climate/climate-science-strategy-regional-action-plans or upon request from the 
NMFS Office of Science and Technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roger Griffis, (301)-980-4694, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Changing climate and ocean conditions are affecting the Nation's 
valuable living marine resources and the many people, businesses and 
communities that depend on them. From warming oceans and rising sea 
levels, to ocean acidification and changes in the distribution and 
abundance of marine resources, these impacts are expected to increase 
with continued changes in the planet's climate and ocean systems. There 
is much at risk--for example fishing and seafood industries support 
over $240 billion dollars in economic activity and 1.7 million jobs 
every year. There is growing demand from decision-makers for better 
information on what's changing, what's vulnerable and how to respond. 
NMFS is working to provide decision-makers with the information they 
need to reduce impacts and increase resilience of marine resources and 
the people that depend on them in a changing climate.
    The NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy, released in August of 
2015 and available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/climate-change, responded to the growing demand from fisheries and other 
decision makers for better information about what's changing, what's at 
risk and how to respond to changing climate and ocean conditions. The 
Climate Science Strategy identified seven key objectives to produce and 
deliver the climate-related information to meet decision-maker needs 
and fulfill NMFS mandates in a changing climate. It also provided a 
national framework designed to be customized and implemented in each 
region through Climate Science Regional Action Plans.
    In 2016 NMFS created the first Climate Science Regional Action 
Plans (available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/climate/climate-science-strategy-regional-action-plans) in collaboration with 
Fishery Management Councils and other partners to identify the 
strengths, weaknesses, priorities, and specific actions to implement 
the Climate Science Strategy in the Northeast, Southeast, Pacific 
Islands, West Coast and Alaska Regions. While some impacts of changing 
climate and oceans on living marine resources are shared across 
regions, each region has a unique combination of climate-related 
challenges, capabilities, and information requirements needed to 
implement the Strategy.
    The Climate Science Regional Action Plans are cross-agency, 
coordinated efforts to increase implementation of the Climate Science 
Strategy in each region. The Climate Science Regional Action Plans 
include goals and actions to help track changing marine ecosystem 
conditions, assess risks, provide early warnings and longer-term 
projections, and evaluate management strategies under changing 
conditions.

Development of the Draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans for 
2022-2024

    In 2021 NMFS conducted an assessment of progress to implement the 
Climate Science Strategy during 2016-2020 including efforts under the 
first Climate Science Regional Action Plans. This five year Progress 
Report (https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/content/tech-memo/noaa-fisheries-climate-science-strategy-five-year-progress-report) provided 
information that was used in development of the draft Climate Science 
Regional Action Plans for 2022-2024. NOAA also considered other 
information in development of the draft Climate Science Regional Action 
Plans including public input on how to increase the resilience of 
fisheries and protected resources to climate change pursuant to 
Executive Order 14008 Section 216c. The draft Climate Science Regional 
Action Plans were developed by regional teams consisting of NMFS 
personnel from Science Centers and Regional Offices. The draft Climate 
Science Regional Action Plans build upon previous efforts and identify 
proposed actions over the next 3 years to address key climate-science 
needs in each region.
    The goal of the draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans is to 
continue to increase the production, delivery and use of climate-
related information needed for fisheries management and protected 
species conservation in each region. Each draft Climate Science 
Regional Action Plan identifies specific actions to implement the seven 
objectives of the NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy. The actions 
address key needs in each region based on input from NMFS scientists, 
resource managers, stakeholders and other sources. The draft Climate 
Science Regional Action Plans include actions to provide decision 
makers with better information on what's changing, what's at risk and 
how different management strategies may perform under changing climate 
and ocean conditions.
    For example, the draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans 
include specific actions and products such as:
     Tracking Change: Monitor and assess key indicators of 
ecosystem conditions to better track and provide early warnings of 
changing conditions.
     Forecasting conditions: Research and modeling to 
understand the mechanisms of change and provide near and longer term 
forecasts of conditions.
     Assessing Risks: Assess the vulnerability of marine 
resources, fisheries, fishing communities and other sectors that depend 
on marine resources.
     Evaluating best strategies: Identify alternative 
management approaches and evaluate how they may perform under changing 
conditions to identify best approaches for stewardship of the Nation's 
valuable marine resources.

Public Comments Solicited

    NMFS is committed to increasing the production, delivery, and use 
of climate-related information to fulfill its living marine resource 
stewardship mandates. NMFS works with and depends on many partners to 
fulfill its science and information needs, including other government 
agencies, academia, fisheries, and other organizations. As such, NMFS 
is providing this opportunity for broad public review and comment on 
the draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans from the Northeast, 
Southeast, Pacific Islands, West Coast and Alaska Regions. These draft 
Climate Science Regional Action Plans will guide efforts to provide 
decision-makers with timely, actionable information to help reduce 
impacts and increase resilience of living marine resources and the many 
people, businesses and communities that depend on them.

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    Public comments are invited to help clarify and strengthen the 
draft Climate Science Regional Action Plans. Comments are invited on: 
(a) The clarity of the goals and activities in the draft Plans, (b) how 
to strengthen the draft Plans and activities; (c) what additional goals 
or activities need to be addressed. Comments submitted in response to 
this notice will be provided to the Regional Action Plan Teams for 
consideration in development of the final Plans.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1881c, Fisheries Research Section 404 (a) and 
Executive Order 14008, Section 216 (c).

    Dated: April 14, 2022.
Evan Howell,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS).
[FR Doc. 2022-08483 Filed 4-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P