Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit, 13173-13174 [E5-1186]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 52 / Friday, March 18, 2005 / Notices
Oregon State Delegation 7 a.m.
Washington State Delegation 7 a.m.
Enforcement Consultants As
necessary
Salmon Advisory Subpanel As
necessary
Salmon Technical Team As necessary
Tribal Policy Group As necessary
Tribal and Washington Technical
Group As necessary
Although nonemergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this Council for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
Council action during this meeting.
Council action will be restricted to those
issues specifically listed in this notice
and any issues arising after publication
of this notice that require emergency
action under Section 305(c) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act,
provided the public has been notified of
the Council’s intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Porter
at 503–820–2280 at least five days prior
to the meeting date.
Dated: March 15, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5–1182 Filed 3–17–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 031505D]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of exempted
fishing permit application.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt
of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from John Gauvin
and John Gruver. If granted, this permit
would be used to continue the
development and testing of a salmon
excluder device in the Bering Sea
pollock trawl fishery. It is intended to
promote the objectives of the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the
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16:14 Mar 17, 2005
Jkt 205001
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (FMP) by developing
a method for reducing salmon bycatch
in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP
application are available by writing to
Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668,
Juneau, AK 99802, Attn: Lori Durall.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melanie Brown, 907–586–7228 or
melanie.brown@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Management Area (BSAI) under
the FMP. The North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council)
prepared the FMP under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act. Regulations governing
the groundfish fisheries of the BSAI
appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and 679. The
FMP and the implementing regulations
at §§ 679.6 and 600.745(b) authorize
issuance of EFPs to allow fishing that
would otherwise be prohibited.
Procedures for issuing EFPs are
contained in the implementing
regulations.
NMFS received an application for an
EFP from John Gauvin, Principal
Investigator and John Gruver of the
United Catcher Boats Association. The
purpose of the project is to improve the
performance of the salmon excluder
device developed under an EFP in 2004
and 2005, and to validate the
performance of this device for pollock
trawls. The goal is to develop a device
for pollock trawls that reduces salmon
bycatch without significantly lowering
catch rates of pollock.
The EFP would allow for two types of
testing of the salmon excluder device in
fall 2005 and spring 2006. In the first
experiment, a catcher vessel would be
used to test minor adjustments to the
current excluder device design to
improve performance. The second
experiment would be conducted using a
catcher/processor for the paired-tow
experiment to validate the performance
of the excluder device. Depending on
the results from the work in 2005 and
2006, the EFP may need to be modified
to allow for an additional year of testing.
Exemptions from regulations for
salmon bycatch limits, observer
requirements, salmon savings area
closure, the Catcher Vessel Operating
Area (CVOA), and total allowable catch
amounts (TACs) for groundfish would
be necessary to conduct the work. The
taking of salmon during the experiment
is crucial for determining the
effectiveness of the device. Salmon
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13173
taken during the experiment would not
be counted toward the chinook and
chum salmon bycatch limits under
§§ 679.21(e)(1)(vii) and (e)(1)(viii).
Potentially, the amount of salmon
bycatch by the pollock trawl industry
during the EFP period could approach
or exceed the salmon bycatch limits.
The additional salmon taken during the
experiment would create an additional
burden on the pollock trawl industry
and may lead to closures of the salmon
savings areas, if the EFP salmon were
counted toward the salmon bycatch
limits. Approximately 2,500 chum
salmon and 1,500 chinook salmon
would be required to support the
project.
The applicants also have requested an
exemption from closures of the Chinook
Salmon Savings Areas and the Chum
Salmon Savings Area
(§§ 679.21(e)(7)(vii) and (e)(7)(viii)). The
experiment must be conducted in areas
of salmon concentration to ensure a
sufficient sample size. The salmon
savings areas are areas of known
concentration of salmon and provide an
ideal location for conducting the
experiment and ensuring that the
vessels encounter concentrations of
salmon.
Groundfish taken under the EFP
would be exempt from the TACs
specified in the annual harvest
specifications (§ 679.20). A total of 2,500
metric tons (mt) of groundfish
(primarily pollock) would be taken
during the EFP work and would not be
included in the harvest applied against
the Bering Sea groundfish TACs,
including the pollock TAC of
approximately 1.5 million mt. The 2005
Bering Sea pollock acceptable biological
catch is 1.960 million mt, well above the
combined TAC and the additional
harvest anticipated from the project.
Because of the nature of groundfish
bycatch in the pollock fishery, the
harvest of other groundfish species
during the project is expected to be very
minor.
The experiment using the catcher/
processor would require exemption
from the CVOA restriction
(§ 679.22(a)(5)) because of the location
of the Chinook Salmon Savings Area in
the CVOA. Catcher/processors are
prohibited from operating in the CVOA
during the B season. It would be
necessary for the catcher/processor to
conduct tows in this area to ensure
encountering sufficient pollock and
salmon.
The EFP would include an exemption
from the observer requirements at
§ 679.50. The applicants would use ‘‘sea
samplers’’ who are NMFS-trained
observers. They would not be deployed
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13174
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 52 / Friday, March 18, 2005 / Notices
as NMFS observers, however, at the
time of the experiment. The ‘‘sea
samplers’’ would conduct the data
collection and perform other observer
duties that would normally be required
for vessels directed fishing for pollock.
The activities under the EFP are not
expected to have a significant impact on
the marine environment, but the
potential effects on the marine
environment will be further analyzed
during review of the application.
In accordance with § 679.6, NMFS has
determined that the proposal warrants
further consideration and has initiated
consultation with the Council by
forwarding the application to the
Council. The Council will consider the
EFP application during its April 4–11,
2005, meeting which will be held at the
Hilton Hotel in Anchorage, AK. The
applicants have been invited to appear
in support of the application, if the
applicants desire. Interested persons
may comment on the application at the
Council meeting during public
testimony. A notice announcing the
upcoming meeting will be published in
the Federal Register.
A copy of the application is available
for review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 15, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5–1186 Filed 3–17–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 031505F]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of amended
application for an exempted fishing
permit.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS has received an
amended application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from William
Thornton Smith of the North Pacific
Longline Association (NPLA). If granted,
this EFP would authorize the applicant
to conduct an experiment to evaluate
the integrated weight groundline as a
potential seabird avoidance measure in
the 2005 Pacific cod hook-and-line
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16:14 Mar 17, 2005
Jkt 205001
fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Management Area (BSAI). The
project is intended to promote the
objectives of the Fishery Management
Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea
and Aleutian Islands Management Area
(FMP) by reducing fishery interactions
with the endangered short-tailed
albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) and
other seabird species.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP
application may be requested from Sue
Salveson, Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Lori Durall
by: mail to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK
99802; fax to 907–586–7557; or email to
Lori.Durall@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim
Rivera, 907–586–7424 or
Kim.Rivera@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS
manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the BSAI under the FMP.
The North Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) prepared the FMP
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). Regulations
governing the groundfish fisheries of the
BSAI appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and
679. The FMP and the implementing
regulations at §§ 679.6 and 600.745(b)
authorize the issuance of EFPs to allow
fishing that would otherwise be
prohibited. Procedures for issuing EFPs
are contained in the implementing
regulations.
In June 2004, the Council approved
the application for an EFP for this
experiment which was submitted by the
Washington Sea Grant Program (WSGP).
The WSGP was unable to secure vessels
for the work, and an EFP was not issued
in 2004. In February 2005, NMFS
received an amended application for
this EFP from the NPLA. The purpose
of this EFP is to authorize experimental
fishing using integrated weight
groundline to evaluate its effectiveness
as a potential new seabird avoidance
measure. The application calls for
testing integrated weight groundlines
against unweighted groundlines, with
and without paired streamer lines. This
proposed experiment builds on work
that was completed in Alaska in 2002,
and compliments efforts taking place in
other fisheries. Information from this
experiment could ultimately result in
better and more effective seabird
avoidance measures. The hook-and-line
fishing industry appears especially
interested in this experiment, because it
may provide a better tool with which to
avoid the incidental catch of the
endangered short-tailed albatross and
other seabird species. In addition, the
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Fmt 4703
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integrated weight groundline may
improve fishing efficiency with better
gear handling characteristics and
increased target catch rates resulting
from getting baited hooks down more
quickly. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service issued a Biological Opinion
(September 2003) that includes a
conservation recommendation for
NMFS to support research efforts to
develop new and novel deterrent
technologies such as integrated weight
groundlines. This experiment would
fulfill such a recommendation.
The goal of the experiment is to
reduce the incidental catch of the
endangered short-tailed albatross and
other seabird species in ways that are
consistent with Magnuson-Stevens Act
National Standard 9 which requires
conservation and management measures
to minimize bycatch and bycatch
mortality and that the effects on birds
should be considered when selecting
these measures. A preliminary WSGP
investigation in 2002 evaluated four
weightings of integrated weight
groundline (25g/m, 50g/m, 75g/m and
100 g/m). The four weighting treatments
were compared to a control of
unweighted groundline in the sablefish
fishery in the Aleutian Islands and the
Pacific cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska.
Preliminary results strongly suggest that
50g/m line was the optimal weighting.
It was the most practical gear in terms
of operational performance in
mechanical baiting (auto-bait) hook-andline systems, and it sank quickly beyond
the range of seabirds.
Based on these initial results, NPLA
proposes to continue this work by
comparing the catch rates of all species,
the abundance and behavior of seabirds,
and the sink rate of groundlines under
three scenarios: 50g/m integrated weight
groundline, and un-weighted
groundlines with and without paired
streamer lines. Regulations at
§ 679.24(e)(4)(ii)(c) require the use of
paired streamer lines by vessels greater
than 55 ft (16.8 m) length overall (LOA).
Because vessels used in the experiment
would be greater than 55 ft (16.8 m)
LOA, an EFP is necessary to conduct the
experimental control treatments that
call for the experimental gear to be
deployed in the absence of paired
streamer lines. Work will take place on
two freezer-longliner vessels using autobait systems in the Pacific cod fishery in
the BSAI during 2005 and 2006, if
unforeseen circumstances prohibit
completion of the work in 2005.
Amendments to the application
approved in June 2004, include: (1)
starting the experimental fishing a
month earlier (July 15, 2005 instead of
August 15, 2005), (2) allocating
E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM
18MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 52 (Friday, March 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13173-13174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1186]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 031505D]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Application
for an Exempted Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of exempted fishing permit application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of an application for an
exempted fishing permit (EFP) from John Gauvin and John Gruver. If
granted, this permit would be used to continue the development and
testing of a salmon excluder device in the Bering Sea pollock trawl
fishery. It is intended to promote the objectives of the Fishery
Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands
Management Area (FMP) by developing a method for reducing salmon
bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP application are available by writing to
Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
Fisheries, Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802, Attn:
Lori Durall.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie Brown, 907-586-7228 or
melanie.brown@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI)
under the FMP. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council)
prepared the FMP under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act. Regulations governing the groundfish fisheries of the
BSAI appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the implementing
regulations at Sec. Sec. 679.6 and 600.745(b) authorize issuance of
EFPs to allow fishing that would otherwise be prohibited. Procedures
for issuing EFPs are contained in the implementing regulations.
NMFS received an application for an EFP from John Gauvin, Principal
Investigator and John Gruver of the United Catcher Boats Association.
The purpose of the project is to improve the performance of the salmon
excluder device developed under an EFP in 2004 and 2005, and to
validate the performance of this device for pollock trawls. The goal is
to develop a device for pollock trawls that reduces salmon bycatch
without significantly lowering catch rates of pollock.
The EFP would allow for two types of testing of the salmon excluder
device in fall 2005 and spring 2006. In the first experiment, a catcher
vessel would be used to test minor adjustments to the current excluder
device design to improve performance. The second experiment would be
conducted using a catcher/processor for the paired-tow experiment to
validate the performance of the excluder device. Depending on the
results from the work in 2005 and 2006, the EFP may need to be modified
to allow for an additional year of testing.
Exemptions from regulations for salmon bycatch limits, observer
requirements, salmon savings area closure, the Catcher Vessel Operating
Area (CVOA), and total allowable catch amounts (TACs) for groundfish
would be necessary to conduct the work. The taking of salmon during the
experiment is crucial for determining the effectiveness of the device.
Salmon taken during the experiment would not be counted toward the
chinook and chum salmon bycatch limits under Sec. Sec.
679.21(e)(1)(vii) and (e)(1)(viii). Potentially, the amount of salmon
bycatch by the pollock trawl industry during the EFP period could
approach or exceed the salmon bycatch limits. The additional salmon
taken during the experiment would create an additional burden on the
pollock trawl industry and may lead to closures of the salmon savings
areas, if the EFP salmon were counted toward the salmon bycatch limits.
Approximately 2,500 chum salmon and 1,500 chinook salmon would be
required to support the project.
The applicants also have requested an exemption from closures of
the Chinook Salmon Savings Areas and the Chum Salmon Savings Area
(Sec. Sec. 679.21(e)(7)(vii) and (e)(7)(viii)). The experiment must be
conducted in areas of salmon concentration to ensure a sufficient
sample size. The salmon savings areas are areas of known concentration
of salmon and provide an ideal location for conducting the experiment
and ensuring that the vessels encounter concentrations of salmon.
Groundfish taken under the EFP would be exempt from the TACs
specified in the annual harvest specifications (Sec. 679.20). A total
of 2,500 metric tons (mt) of groundfish (primarily pollock) would be
taken during the EFP work and would not be included in the harvest
applied against the Bering Sea groundfish TACs, including the pollock
TAC of approximately 1.5 million mt. The 2005 Bering Sea pollock
acceptable biological catch is 1.960 million mt, well above the
combined TAC and the additional harvest anticipated from the project.
Because of the nature of groundfish bycatch in the pollock fishery, the
harvest of other groundfish species during the project is expected to
be very minor.
The experiment using the catcher/processor would require exemption
from the CVOA restriction (Sec. 679.22(a)(5)) because of the location
of the Chinook Salmon Savings Area in the CVOA. Catcher/processors are
prohibited from operating in the CVOA during the B season. It would be
necessary for the catcher/processor to conduct tows in this area to
ensure encountering sufficient pollock and salmon.
The EFP would include an exemption from the observer requirements
at Sec. 679.50. The applicants would use ``sea samplers'' who are
NMFS-trained observers. They would not be deployed
[[Page 13174]]
as NMFS observers, however, at the time of the experiment. The ``sea
samplers'' would conduct the data collection and perform other observer
duties that would normally be required for vessels directed fishing for
pollock.
The activities under the EFP are not expected to have a significant
impact on the marine environment, but the potential effects on the
marine environment will be further analyzed during review of the
application.
In accordance with Sec. 679.6, NMFS has determined that the
proposal warrants further consideration and has initiated consultation
with the Council by forwarding the application to the Council. The
Council will consider the EFP application during its April 4-11, 2005,
meeting which will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage, AK. The
applicants have been invited to appear in support of the application,
if the applicants desire. Interested persons may comment on the
application at the Council meeting during public testimony. A notice
announcing the upcoming meeting will be published in the Federal
Register.
A copy of the application is available for review from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 15, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-1186 Filed 3-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
