Notice2021-21778
Nominations to the Marine Mammal Scientific Review Groups
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 6, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
As required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Secretary of Commerce established three independent regional scientific review groups (SRG) to provide advice on a range of marine mammal science and management issues. NMFS 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 (see below).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 191 (Wednesday, October 6, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55589-55590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21778]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID: 0648-XB430]
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 the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the
Secretary of Commerce established three independent regional scientific
review groups (SRG) to provide advice on a range of marine mammal
science and management issues. NMFS 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 (see below).
DATES: Nominations must be received by November 5, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Nominations can be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#673d06040f06151e4934040f060c090215270908060649000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e5bf84868d84979ccbb6868d848e8b8097a58b8a8484cb828a93">[email protected]</span></a>,
Assessment Branch, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine
Fisheries Service, Attn: SRGs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Zachary Schakner, Office of
Science and Technology, 301-427-8106, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#257f44464d44575c0b76464d444e4b4057654b4a44440b424a53"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c19ba0a2a9a0b3b8ef92a2a9a0aaafa4b381afaea0a0efa6aeb7">[email protected]</span></a>.
Information about the SRGs, including the SRG Terms of Reference, is
available at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/scientific-review-groups">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/scientific-review-groups</a>.
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 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.
SRG 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 3 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 Alaska SRG, NMFS seeks individuals with expertise in one or
more of the following areas (not in order of priority): Alaska Native
harvest and use of marine mammals for subsistence and handicraft
purposes, especially in the Gulf of Alaska, Kodiak, and the Arctic;
abundance estimation, especially distance sampling and mark-recapture
methods and survey design; climate and oceanographic changes impacting
marine mammals; quantitative ecology, population dynamics, modeling,
and statistics, especially as related to abundance, bycatch, and
distribution; Alaska commercial fishing industry and commercial fishing
methods/gear, particularly fisheries with marine mammal bycatch;
genetics as a method of identifying population structure; anthropogenic
impacts, particularly fisheries interactions, vessel strikes, and the
effects of anthropogenic sound; and marine mammal health.
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 (not in order of priority): Stock assessment, including
quantitative ecology, population dynamics, modeling or statistics; West
Coast and Pacific Islands marine mammal expertise, including
assessment, life history, ecology, or human-marine mammal interactions;
applied conservation and management, including evaluating bycatch or
fisheries impacts on marine mammals; marine mammal stock definition
under
[[Page 55590]]
the MMPA; incorporation of methodological or technological advancements
for data collection or data analysis, particularly for large complex
datasets; West Coast and Pacific Islands fishing gear/techniques,
including fisheries/marine mammal interactions for State, Tribal, or
regional/local fisheries; oceanography or marine ecology, particularly
decadal and long-term understanding and impacts of climate change.
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 priority
areas (not in order of priority): Protected species conservation,
wildlife management, and policy/science interface especially in the
non-governmental sector; expertise in statistical analyses relevant to
marine mammal population assessment including line-transect methods,
mark-recapture methods, bycatch estimation, survey design, and
population dynamics modelling; marine mammal life history, health, and
ecology; Gulf of Mexico and/or Atlantic Ocean cetacean population
dynamics with a focus on estuarine and nearshore bottlenose dolphins;
Caribbean marine mammals; marine mammal health, physiology, energetics,
genetics, and/or toxicology; fishing gear and practices, particularly
fisheries with protected species bycatch, and bycatch reduction in the
Southeast; emerging ecosystem changes such as climate change, renewable
energy, and/or marine aquaculture impacts on marine mammal populations;
and manatee population dynamics.
Submitting a Nomination
Nominations for new members should be sent to Dr. Zachary Schakner
in the NMFS Office of Science & Technology (see ADDRESSES) and must be
received by November 5, 2021. 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.
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, and the ability
to serve as 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 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 2022 SRG meetings.
Dated: September 30, 2021.
Evan Howell,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-21778 Filed 10-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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