Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review; Public Meeting

• Citation: 91 FR 24206
• Published date: 05 May 2026
• FR Document: 2026-08729
• Pages: 24206-24207
• Section: Notices
• Issuer: Commerce Department,National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

24206

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 86 / Tuesday, May 5, 2026 / Notices

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/rices-

whale#conservation-management. Any

recommended change (i.e., delisting or

reclassification) would require a

separate rulemaking process.

Background

Rice’s whale was initially listed in

2019 under the ESA as an endangered

subspecies of the Bryde’s whale,

Balaenoptera edeni (Gulf of America

subspecies (referred to as the Gulf of

Mexico subspecies in 84 FR 15446,

April 15, 2019)). The listing was

finalized after completing a status

review (Rosel et al., 2016) in response

to a petition from the Natural Resources

Defense Council, and after considering

the best scientific and commercial data

available, including the 2016 status

review and comments received on the

proposed listing rule (81 FR 88639,

December 8, 2016). The subspecies was

listed as endangered due to its small

population size and restricted range (the

Gulf of America), and exposure to

numerous threats. In 2021, the Society

for Marine Mammalogy reclassified

these whales as a species and renamed

them ‘‘Rice’s whale’’ to reflect new

evidence described in Rosel et al.

(2021). On August 23, 2021, NMFS

published a final rule that revised the

ESA listing to ‘‘Rice’s whale’’ to reflect

the change in the scientifically accepted

taxonomy and nomenclature (86 FR

47022, August 23, 2021). The ESA

defines the term ‘‘species’’ to include

any subspecies and any distinct

population segment of any species. (16

U.S.C. 1532(16)). Therefore, the

taxonomic reclassification from a

subspecies to species had no effect on

the whales’ endangered status under the

ESA.

Public Solicitation of New Information

To ensure that the status review is

based on the best scientific and

commercial data available, we are

soliciting new information from the

public, relevant governmental agencies,

tribes, the scientific community,

industry, environmental entities, and

any other interested parties concerning

the status of Rice’s whale.

Categories of requested information

include: (1) species biology including,

but not limited to, population trends,

distribution, abundance, demographics,

and genetics; (2) habitat conditions

including, but not limited to, amount,

distribution, and suitability; (3)

conservation measures that have been

implemented that benefit the species;

(4) status and trends of threats; and (5)

other new data regarding Rice’s whales

that have become available since

December 2016.

If you wish to provide your

information for this status review,

please submit it as described in the

ADDRESSES

section above. We request

that all information be accompanied by:

(1) supporting documentation such as

maps, bibliographic references, or

reprints of pertinent publications; and

(2) the submitter’s name, address, and

any association, institution, or business

that the person represents. While we

accept new information about any listed

species at any time, information

received after the date stated above may

not be considered for the purposes of

this review.

(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)

Dated: April 30, 2026.

Samuel D. Rauch, III,

Deputy Assistant Administrator for

Regulatory Programs, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026–08663 Filed 5–4–26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[RTID 0648–XF747]

Pacific Island Fisheries; Western

Pacific Stock Assessment Review;

Public Meeting

AGENCY

: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION

: Notice; public meeting.

SUMMARY

: The Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) and

NMFS will convene a Western Pacific

Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of

the stock assessment update for

American Samoa bottomfish

management unit species (BMUS). The

review will be conducted virtually.

DATES

: The WSPAR meeting will be

held May 18–19, 2026, from 11 a.m. to

5 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.

ADDRESSES

: The meeting will be held by

web conference via WebEx. Audio and

visual portions for all web conferences

can be accessed at https://

www.wpcouncil.org. Web conference

access information and instructions for

providing public comments will be

posted on the Council website at https://

www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance with

the web conference connection, contact

the Council office at (808) 552–8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

Sarah Malloy, (808) 725–5000, or

sarah.malloy@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: The

NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science

Center (PIFSC) developed a benchmark

stock assessment for the American

Samoa BMUS in 2023. PIFSC developed

an update to this assessment, and the

purpose of this WPSAR meeting is to

convene an expert panel to conduct a

peer review of the updated assessment.

The 2026 assessment update uses the

same modeling methodology as the 2023

benchmark assessment with updated

data through 2025. The 2026 assessment

update will provide new information to

inform management pursuant to the

Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation

and Management Act, including updates

on biomass and fishing mortality

relative to thresholds used to determine

stock status, and new projections to

inform recommendations of catch

limits. Public comment periods will be

provided in the agenda. The order in

which agenda items are addressed may

change. The meetings will run as late as

necessary to complete scheduled

business.

Meeting Agenda for WPSAR Review

The meeting schedule and agenda are

as follows:

Day 1

Monday, May 18, 2026 (11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Hawaii Standard Time)/Monday, May

18, 2026 (10 a.m.–4 p.m. Samoa

Standard Time)/Tuesday, May 19, 2026

(7 a.m.–1 p.m. Chamorro Standard

Time)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Objectives and Terms of Reference

3. Overview of Previous Benchmark

Stock Assessment and Management

Framework

4. Presentation on Updates and Data

Additions to the Assessment

5. Questions to Presenters

6. Public Comment

Day 2

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 (11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Hawaii Standard Time)/Tuesday, May

19, 2026 (10 a.m.–4 p.m. Samoa

Standard Time)/Wednesday, May 20,

2026 (7 a.m.–1 p.m. Chamorro Standard

Time)

1. Panel Presentation on the Review

Results and Recommendations

2. Questions to Reviewers

3. Public Comment

4. Closing Comments and Adjourn

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Please direct

requests for sign language interpretation

or other auxiliary aids to Sarah Malloy,

(808) 725–5000 (voice) or (808) 725–

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24207

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 86 / Tuesday, May 5, 2026 / Notices

1

See generally Request for Comment,

Comprehensive Review of the Commitments of

Traders Reporting Program, 71 FR 35627 (June

2006) (‘‘RFC’’). The first modern form of the COT

Reports was published in June of 1962 by the

predecessor entity to the CFTC, the Commodity

Exchange Authority.

5215 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the

meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: May 1, 2026.

Kelly Denit,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026–08729 Filed 5–4–26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING

COMMISSION

Review of the Commitments of Traders

Reporting Program

AGENCY

: Commodity Futures Trading

Commission.

ACTION

: Request for comment.

SUMMARY

: The Commodity Futures

Trading Commission (‘‘CFTC’’ or

‘‘Commission’’) throughout its history

has published a version of a

Commitments of Traders Reports that

shows aggregate trader positions in

certain futures and options markets. The

CFTC periodically reviews the

Commitments of Traders Reports in an

effort to ensure that it continues to

provide the public with useful market

information and evolves to meet

changing market conditions. The

Commission is issuing this request for

comment to solicit public input

regarding the Commitments of Traders

Reports, including the frequency of

publication and content of the reports.

DATES

: Comments must be received on

or before June 4, 2026.

ADDRESSES

: You may submit comments,

specifically referencing ‘‘Review of the

Commitments of Traders Reporting

Program,’’ by any of the following

methods:

•Regulations.gov: Go to https://

www.regulations.gov and press the

‘‘Search’’ button, then proceed as

follows:

1. Under Refine Documents Results—

check the box to ‘‘Only show documents

open for comment’’;

2. Under Agency—select ‘‘See More’’

and check the box for ‘‘Commodity

Futures Trading Commission,’’ then

press the Apply button;

3. Identify this proposal in the list of

CFTC documents open for comment,

press the ‘‘Comment’’ button to open the

submission form, and follow the

instructions on the form.

Alternatively, if you are viewing this

proposal on www.federalregister.gov,

click the ‘‘Submit A Public Comment’’

button at the top of the page to open the

comment form. Follow the instructions

on the form to submit your comment to

Regulations.gov.

•Mail: Send to—Christopher

Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the

Commission, Commodity Futures

Trading Commission, Three Lafayette

Centre, 1155 21st Street NW,

Washington, DC 20581.

•Hand Delivery/Courier: Address

to—CFTC Comment Submission, Attn:

Christopher Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the

Commission, Commodity Futures

Trading Commission, Three Lafayette

Centre, 1155 21st Street NW,

Washington, DC 20581.

Please submit your comments using

only one of these methods. To avoid

possible delays with mail or in-person

deliveries, submissions through

Regulations.gov are encouraged.

All comments must be submitted in

English or, if not, accompanied by an

English translation. Do not include in

your comment text or attachments any

personal identifying information or

business information that you do not

want published online. Comments

(regardless of submission method) will

be published without review for, and

without removal of, any personal

identifying information or information

your business may consider

confidential.

If you wish to submit confidential

information for the Commission’s

consideration, please contact the CFTC

personnel listed in this Notice under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

before making any submission. Please

also carefully review the Commission’s

procedures in 17 CFR 145.9 for

requesting confidential treatment under

the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

of information submitted to the

Commission.

The CFTC reserves the right, but shall

have no obligation, to review, pre-

screen, filter, or redact all or any part of

your comment submission. The CFTC

also reserves the right, without further

notification, to refuse to publish or to

remove from public view all or any part

of your submission to the extent it

contains content inappropriate for

publication in a comment file, such as—

without limitation—obscene language,

threats of violence, solicitations for

commercial sales or illegal activity, or

obvious spam. If a submission that is

refused for or withdrawn from

publication because of inappropriate

content also contains comments on the

merits of this proposal, such submission

will be retained in the record for the

matter and will be considered as

required under the Administrative

Procedure Act and other applicable

laws, and may be accessible under the

FOIA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

Thomas Guerin, Senior Special Counsel,

(202) 734–4194, tguerin@cftc.gov,

Division of Data; Harold Hild, Policy

Advisor, (202) 418–5376, hhild@

cftc.gov, Division of Market Oversight;

Commodity Futures Trading

Commission, Three Lafayette Centre,

1151 21st Street NW, Washington, DC

20581.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

:

I. Background

The Commission is requesting public

comment on the Commitments of

Traders Reports (‘‘COT Reports’’). This

request for comment provides

background on the history, purpose,

data, and evolution of the COT Reports

program, outlines changes in market

structure affecting the reports, and poses

specific questions regarding potential

future modifications. Public comment

for the Commission’s review of its

practices with respect to the COT

Reports will provide the Commission

with valuable information and

perspective as it evaluates potential

modifications to its COT Reports

procedures.

A. COT Reports and Public Information

The Commission, and its predecessor

entities, have long sought to provide the

public with information related to the

futures markets. Beginning with an

intent to provide the public with

comprehensive information regarding

trading in grain futures, the Commission

has enhanced its publication of market

information over time to include more

contract markets and more frequent

publication. Although there is no

statutory or regulatory mandated

requirement for the Commission to

publish the COT Reports, the

Commission has received feedback

indicating that the report generally

provides valuable information to market

participants.

1

This request for comment

continues a series of efforts by the

Commission to maintain an information

system that reflects changing market

conditions, and to provide the public

with useful information regarding

futures and options markets.

B. History and Evolution of the COT

Reports, Marketplace

1. Background

In 2006, the Commission undertook a

comprehensive review of its

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