NMFS has determined that the Atlantic tunas General category daily Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) retention limit should be adjusted for the September, OctoberNovember, and December time periods of the 2008 fishing year, based on consideration of the determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces the approval of Amendment 72 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. Amendment 72 amends the FMP to state that the Council will annually review information on the discard of shallowwater flatfish in Gulf of Alaska groundfish fisheries. After review of this annual information, the Council may recommend

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 630 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the C season allowance of the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) of pollock for Statistical Area 630 in the GOA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Notice is hereby given that Dr. Douglas Peterson, Warnell School of Forest Resources (Fisheries Division), University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, has been issued a permit to take shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) for purposes of scientific research.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council will hold scoping meetings to obtain input from fishers, the general public, and the local agencies representatives on the Regulatory Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands Concerning Bajo de Sico Seasonal Closure including a

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Advisory Panel and Recreational Advisory Panel will hold two meetings to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee (PNCIAC) will meet in Seattle, WA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS has received an application from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting a seismic survey within the Santa Barbara Channel, California. Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS requests

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is providing notice that it is increasing the number of fisheries for which the Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP) registration is integrated with existing state and Federal fishery licensing and permitting programs, beginning with the 2009 List of Fisheries (LOF). NMFS is integrating MMAP registration at this time only for specific

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Crab Plan Team (CPT) will meet in Seattle, WA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BS/AI) groundfish plan teams will meet in Seattle, WA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a joint meeting of its Executive and Finance Committees, a meeting of its Standard Operating, Policy and Procedure (SOPPs) Committee, Advisory Panel Selection Committee (Closed Session), Joint Ecosystem based Management and Habitat Committees, Shrimp Committee, Spiny Lobster

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This proposed rule would include three species of pelagic squid under Federal management, and establish permitting and reporting requirements for squid jig fishing vessels over 50 ft (15.4 m) in length. These vessels would also be required to carry Federal observers if requested by NMFS. This proposed rule is intended to improve monitoring and

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is delaying until November 15, 2008, the opening of the commercial and noncommercial fisheries in the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) for seven deepwater bottomfish species (``Deep 7'' bottomfish). This emergency rule to delay the fishery opening is necessary to prevent overfishing and ensure that regulations specifying the total allowable catch

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS withdraws a proposed rule for revisions to National Standard 1 (NS1) guidelines, which was published on June 22, 2005. Instead of going forward with a final rule directly resulting from the 2005 proposed rule, NMFS published a new proposed rule for the NS1 guidelines in the Federal Register on June 9, 2008, to address new provisions enacted

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere requested the NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to establish a standing working group to provide scientific advice and broad direction NOAA's climate program in the context of both national and international activities. The Climate Working Group (CWG) focuses on the broad research and

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA solicits public comment on whether development of regulations implementing certain aspects of the consultation provisions of section 304(d) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act is appropriate and, if so, what such regulations should contain to ensure the efficient application and implementation of, and compliance with, this statutory

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES) will meet October 7, 2008.

Date and Time: The meeting is scheduled as follows:

October 7, 2008, 9 a.m.4 p.m. The first part of this meeting will be closed to the public. The public portion of the meeting will begin at 1 p.m.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Aleutian Islands Ecosystem Team will meet in Seattle, WA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) Joint Protocol Committee of the Alaska Board of Fisheries and Council will meet in Anchorage, AK.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is prohibiting retention of Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary because the 2008 total allowable catch (TAC) of Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea subarea of the BSAI has been reached.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS announces the Commerce Secretary's approval of Amendment 79 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (FMP). Amendment 79 amends the FMP and requires the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) to recommend an aggregate overfishing level and acceptable biological catch for the ``other species'' category in

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from catcher vessels greater than or equal to 60 feet ([gteqt] 18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using hookandline gear to the B season allocation for vessels using jig gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to allow the 2008

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This announcement provides notice that the Secretary of Commerce has stayed, for a period of 60 days, closure of the decision record in an administrative appeal filed by Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency and its Board of Directors (TCA).

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This action serves as a notice that NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has determined that northeast smooth skate, South Atlantic red snapper, and Gulf of Mexico gray triggerfish are overfished and that northeast thorny skate is subject to overfishing. NMFS notified the respective regional fishery management councils

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration