Federal Register/Vol. 84, No. 216/Thursday, November 7, 2019

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Federal Register/Vol. 84, No. 216/Thursday, November 7, 2019 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2019 / Notices 60059 Estimated Total Annual Burden DATES: This Authorization is applicable marine mammals by Level B Hours: 6000 hours. from November 3, 2019 through harassment. Neither SIO nor NMFS Estimated Total Annual Cost to November 2, 2020. expects serious injury or mortality to Public: 0. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: result from this activity and, therefore, an IHA is appropriate. IV. Request for Comments Stephanie Egger, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401. Description of Planned Activity Comments are invited on: (a) Whether Electronic copies of the application and the proposed collection of information supporting documents, as well as a list SIO plans to conduct low-energy is necessary for the proper performance of the references cited in this document, marine seismic surveys in the South of the functions of the agency, including may be obtained online at: https:// Atlantic Ocean during November- whether the information shall have www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ December 2019. The seismic surveys practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the incidental-take-authorizations-under- would be conducted to understand the agency’s estimate of the burden marine-mammal-protection-act. In case volcanic and tectonic development of (including hours and cost) of the of problems accessing these documents, Walvis Ridge and Rio Grande Rise in the proposed collection of information; (c) please call the contact listed above. South Atlantic Ocean. The seismic ways to enhance the quality, utility, and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: surveys would be conducted in clarity of the information to be International Waters with water depths collected; and (d) ways to minimize the Background ranging from approximately 500 to 5700 burden of the collection of information The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of m. The surveys would involve one on respondents, including through the marine mammals, with certain source vessel, R/V Thomas G. use of automated collection techniques exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and Thompson (Thompson). The Thompson or other forms of information (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et would deploy up to two 45-in 3 GI technology. seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce airguns at a depth of 2–4 m with a ∼ 3 Comments submitted in response to (as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon maximum total volume of 90 in along this notice will be summarized and/or request, the incidental, but not predetermined tracklines. Seismic included in the request for OMB intentional, taking of small numbers of surveys would occur in five survey approval of this information collection; marine mammals by U.S. citizens who areas including Libra Massif in the they also will become a matter of public engage in a specified activity (other than Southwest Atlantic and Valdivia Bank, record. commercial fishing) within a specified Gough, Tristan, and Central survey areas in the Southeast Atlantic. Sheleen Dumas, geographical region if certain findings are made and either regulations are SIO proposes to conduct low-energy Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the seismic surveys low-energy seismic Chief Information Officer, Commerce issued or, if the taking is limited to Department. harassment, a notice of a proposed surveys in five areas in the South Atlantic Ocean. Reconnaissance Surveys [FR Doc. 2019–24306 Filed 11–6–19; 8:45 am] incidental take authorization may be provided to the public for review. are planned for three survey areas BILLING CODE 3510–22–P Authorization for incidental takings (Gough, Tristan, Central) and High shall be granted if NMFS finds that the Quality Surveys are planned to take DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE taking will have a negligible impact on place along the planned seismic transect the species or stock(s) and will not have lines in the main survey area (Valdivia National Oceanic and Atmospheric an unmitigable adverse impact on the Bank) and Libra Massif survey area Administration availability of the species or stock(s) for (Figure 1). However, High-Quality taking for subsistence uses (where Surveys may be replaced by [RTID 0648–XR056] relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe Reconnaissance Surveys depending on the permissible methods of taking and weather conditions and timing (e.g., 10 Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to other ‘‘means of effecting the least percent of survey effort at Valdivia Bank Specified Activities; Taking Marine practicable adverse impact’’ on the is expected to consist of Reconnaissance Mammals Incidental to a Low-Energy affected species or stocks and their Surveys). All data acquisition in the Geophysical Survey in the South habitat, paying particular attention to Tristan survey area would occur in Atlantic Ocean rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of water >1000 m deep; all other survey similar significance, and on the areas have effort in intermediate (100– AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries availability of such species or stocks for 1,000 m) and deep (≤1,000 m) water. Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and taking for certain subsistence uses Most of the survey effort (97 percent) Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), (referred to in shorthand as would occur in water >1000 m deep. Commerce. ‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements The planned surveys would be in ACTION: Notice; Issuance of an Incidental pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring support of a potential future Harassment Authorization. and reporting of such takings are set International Ocean Discovery Program forth. (IODP) project and to improve our SUMMARY: In accordance with the understanding of volcanic and tectonic regulations implementing the Marine Summary of Request development of oceanic ridges and to Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as On May 15, 2019, NMFS received a enable the selection and analysis of amended, notification is hereby given request from SIO for an IHA to take potential future IODP drill sites. To that NMFS has issued an incidental marine mammals incidental to achieve the program’s goals, the harassment authorization (IHA) to the conducting a low-energy marine Principal Investigators propose to Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) geophysical survey in the South collect low-energy, high-resolution to incidentally harass, by Level B Atlantic Ocean. The application was multi-channel seismic (MCS) profiles. harassment only, marine mammals deemed adequate and complete on The planned cruise would consist of during a low-energy marine geophysical August 12, 2019. SIO’s request was for digital bathymetric, echosounding, and survey in the South Atlantic Ocean. take of a small number of 48 species of MCS surveys. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:55 Nov 06, 2019 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM 07NON1 60060 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2019 / Notices The highest-quality mode is carried harassment for short beaked common refraction or seafloor refractions could out using a pair of 45-in3 airguns, with dolphin; 17 to 18 authorized takes by potentially occur, NMFS disagrees with airguns spaced 2 m apart at a depth of Level B harassment for pygmy sperm the Commission that these features need 2–4 m, with a 400, 800, or 1,600 m whales; 12 to 13 authorized takes by be explicitly addressed through the hydrophone streamer and with the Level B harassment for dwarf sperm model given the conservative approach vessel traveling at to 5 knots (5 kn) to whales; and 54 to 58 authorized takes by taken. Published results from Tolstoy achieve high-quality seismic reflection Level B harassment for hourglass (2009), Diebold (2010), and Crone et al. data. The reconnaissance mode is dolphins. (2014, 2017), along with nearly 20 years carried out using either one or two 45- Response: NMFS agreed and made of PSO observations from previous NSF- in 3 airguns, with airguns spaced 8 m those revisions to the authorized takes funded seismic surveys in various water apart (if 2 are being used) at a water by Level B harassment. Instances of take depths validate the approach. L–DEO depth of 2–4 m, with a 200 m by Level A and Level B harassment are has presented their modeling approach hydrophone streamer and with the independently calculated. The instances to NMFS and the Commission on vessel traveling at 8 kn. The receiving of take by Level A harassment are several occasions. Given the information system would consist of one typically subtracted from the take by presented, numerous discussions, and hydrophone streamer, 200 to 1,600 m in Level B harassment before being observations from past NSF-funded length, as described below. As the presented in the Estimated Take section seismic surveys that used the L–DEO airguns are towed along the survey to ensure they are not double-counted. modeling approach, NMFS remains lines, the hydrophone streamer would Since the likelihood of take by Level A confident that the methodology used is receive the returning acoustic signals harassment was qualitatively ruled out, appropriate and conservatively protects and transfer the data to the on-board the calculated take by Level A marine mammals. processing system. harassment were previously deducted, Comment: The Commission noted In addition to the operations of the but are now added back in to the tables depicting source levels in both airgun array, a hull-mounted multibeam authorized take by Level B harassment. the IHA application and the Federal echosounder (MBES) and a sub-bottom Comment: The Commission noted Register notice contained inadequate profiler (SBP) would also be operated some minor errors of the monitoring information and that the appendices of from the Thompson continuously requirements between the preamble and SIO’s IHA application did not contain throughout the seismic surveys, but not the draft IHA. necessary information. The Commission during transits to and from the project Response: NMFS agreed and made recommended that NMFS ensure that all area.
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