[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 9210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3424]
[[Page 9209]]
Vol. 76
Wednesday,
No. 32
February 16, 2011
Part IV
Department of Commerce
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Draft NOAA National Aquaculture Policy and Draft DOC National
Aquaculture Policy; Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2011 /
Notices
[[Page 9210]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XA214
Draft NOAA National Aquaculture Policy
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft aquaculture policy; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: NOAA is seeking public comment on a draft national aquaculture
policy that supports sustainable marine aquaculture in the United
States. The intent of the policy is to guide NOAA's actions and
decisions on aquaculture and to provide a national approach for
supporting sustainable aquaculture. The NOAA Aquaculture Program will
host national call-in briefings on the policy for the public.
DATES: Public comments must be received by midnight, EST, April 11,
2011.
ADDRESSES: The NOAA draft national aquaculture policy is available
online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm.
Paper copies of this document are also available on request from NOAA
Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315 East-West Highway,
SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
You may submit comments, identified by ``NOAA Aquaculture Policy,''
by any one of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments online by accessing http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/policy2/index.htm and following the instructions for submitting
comments.
Fax: (301) 713-9108, Attn: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture
Program.
Mail: NOAA Aquaculture Program, Attn: Susan Bunsick, 1315
East-West Highway, SSMC3-13th Floor, Rm. 13152, Silver Spring,
MD 20910. Mark the outside of the envelope, ``Comments on NOAA
Aquaculture Policy.''
Instructions: All comments received will be posted online. Do not
submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. All comments and attachments will be reviewed
based on the commenting guidelines listed below. If you have a question
about the status of your comment, send an email to
[email protected]. Do not submit comments to this e-mail
address. Use the comment form provided on line.
Commenting Guidelines. In accordance with NOAA's Online Privacy
Policy, we treat your name, city, state, and any comments you provide
as public information. You may enter a comment as `anonymous' if you do
not want this information available to the public. Also, supporting
documents, links, etc., are welcome as long as they are pertinent to
the policy. However, the appearance of external links, advertisements,
political opinions, or other comments do not constitute endorsement by
NOAA or that of the U.S. Government.
While this is a public process, NOAA will not post content that
meets the following criteria:
Contains vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, threats,
obscenity, or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial
groups;
Promotes services or products (non-commercial links that are
relevant to the comment are acceptable);
Are far off-topic (i.e., not pertinent to the draft policy); or
Make unsupported accusations.
You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft
Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bunsick, NOAA Aquaculture
Program, (301) 713-9079; fax: (301) 713-9108.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The draft NOAA Aquaculture Policy provides guidance for NOAA's
actions regarding the development of all forms of marine aquaculture,
from shellfish farming and habitat restoration to the culture of marine
fish and algae on land and offshore. The policy provides a national
approach for supporting sustainable commercial production, expanding
restoration aquaculture, and researching and developing new
technologies, and is part of NOAA's national approach to sustainable
seafood, which encompasses both aquaculture and capture fisheries. The
draft policy features:
A reaffirmation of the importance of aquaculture.
An overarching policy statement to guide agency actions.
A set of updated agency priorities to implement the policy
through initiatives in four areas:
[cir] Science and research
[cir] Regulation
[cir] Innovation, partnerships and outreach and
[cir] International cooperation
Detailed principles for aquaculture in federal waters.
The draft policy responds to public input submitted to NOAA at the
listening sessions held in 2010, by emphasizing the protection of wild
species, acknowledging the importance of sound science, and taking
other suggestions into account. It also affirms that sustainable U.S.
marine aquaculture is vital to the U.S. seafood supply, the economic
vitality of coastal communities, and the maintenance of working
waterfronts.
Informational Briefings for the Public
The NOAA Aquaculture Program will host a series of informational
briefings for stakeholders interested in learning more about the draft
policy. The briefings are as follows:
Feb. 16, 2011
10-11 a.m. (Eastern)
Call-in--800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4-5 p.m. (Eastern)
Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
Feb. 23, 2011
10-11:a.m. (Eastern)
Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
4--5 p.m. (Eastern)
Call-in --800-369-1823, Passcode: Aquaculture.
Dated: February 10, 2011.
Eric C. Schwaab,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-3424 Filed 2-15-11; 8:45 am]
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