Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States and Reef Fish Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, 38628-38629 [E6-10605]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 130 (Friday, July 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38628-38629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10605]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 063006A]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the Southern Atlantic States and Reef Fish 
Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an exempted fishing 
permit; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from Neil Allen on behalf of The Georgia Aquarium. 
If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicant, with certain 
conditions, to collect limited numbers of groupers, snappers, tilefish, 
sea basses, jacks, spadefish, grunts, porgies, mackerel, cero, cobia, 
dolphin fish, spiny lobster, little tunny, and triggerfish. Specimens 
would be collected primarily from Federal waters off the coast of 
Georgia but may also be collected from Federal waters off the coasts of 
South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas 
during 2006, 2007, and 2008, and displayed at The Georgia Aquarium, 
located in Atlanta, Georgia.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern standard 
time, on July 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the application may be sent via fax to 727-824-
5308 or mailed to: Mark Sramek, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 
13\th\ Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Comments may also be 
submitted by e-mail. The mailbox address for providing e-mail comments 
is Georgia.Aquarium@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the e-mail 
document the following text: Comment on Georgia Aquarium EFP 
Application. The application and related documents are available for 
review upon written request to the address above or the e-mail address 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Sramek, 727-824-5311; fax 727-
824-5308; e-mail: Mark.Sramek@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 
fishing.
    According to the applicant, The Georgia Aquarium is a public, non-
profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. Its mission is to 
provide entertainment and education and to support conservation through 
aquatic exhibits displaying animals from around the world.
    The proposed collection for public display involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management 
Plans (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fisheries of the South Atlantic 
Region, Spiny Lobster Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, Dolphin and 
Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic, Reef Fishes of the Gulf of

[[Page 38629]]

Mexico, or Coastal Migratory Pelagics Fisheries of the South Atlantic 
Region and the Gulf of Mexico Region.
    The applicant requires authorization to harvest and possess the 
following numbers of fishes during each 12-month period from July 15, 
2006, to July 14, 2008: 50 almaco jack, 100 Atlantic spadefish, 10 bank 
sea bass, 10 black grouper, 20 black margate, 50 black sea bass, 50 
black snapper, 100 bluestriped grunt, 10 cero, 20 cobia, 10 coney, 30 
cubera snapper, 20 dog snapper, 20 dolphin fish, 100 French grunt, 10 
gag, 5 golden tilefish, 1 goliath grouper, 20 gray snapper, 5 gray 
triggerfish, 10 graysby, 20 greater amberjack, 5 hogfish, 20 jolthead 
porgy, 20 knobbed porgy, 20 lane snapper, 10 lesser amberjack, 10 
little tunny, 10 mahogany snapper, 10 margate, 20 mutton snapper, 1 
Nassau grouper, 3 ocean triggerfish, 3 queen triggerfish, 10 red 
grouper, 10 red hind, 10 red porgy, 50 red snapper, 10 rock hind, 20 
rock sea bass, 10 saucereye porgy, 10 scamp, 50 schoolmaster, 5 
sheepshead, 1 snowy grouper, 10 Spanish mackerel, 5 speckled hind, 10 
spiny lobster, 50 tomtate, 50 vermilion snapper, 2 wahoo, 1 warsaw 
grouper, 5 wreckfish, 1 yellowfin grouper, 1 yellowmouth grouper, and 
30 yellowtail snapper. Specimens would be collected primarily from 
Federal waters off the coast of Georgia but may also be collected from 
Federal waters off the coasts of South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas during 2006, 2007, and 2008.
    Fishes would be captured in some areas using barrier and hand nets 
in conjunction with SCUBA, hook and line, and traps. The barrier net 
would be set up underwater to provide a barrier to a school of fish. 
The fish would be herded into the barrier net and then hand netted. The 
net would be set for approximately 1 hour at a time and monitored by 
divers using SCUBA at all times. The net is 50 ft (15.2 m) long and 5 
ft (1.5 m) deep with 1-inch (2.5-cm) monofilament mesh. Hook and line 
would be employed at depths less than 100 ft (30.4 m) to capture 
bottom-dwelling fish, and in the water column for other species. 
Methods would be identical to that used by charter fishing boats. Fish 
traps will be used in some areas and are constructed from 1.5-inch 
(3.8-cm) wire mesh and are approximately 3 ft (1 m) long, 3 ft (1 m) 
wide and 4 ft (1.2 m) high. The entrance to the traps is a vertical 
slit 2 inches (5 cm) wide and 12 inches (0.30 m) long. Ten traps would 
be deployed for up to 10 fishing periods of 12 hours each.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based 
on a preliminary review, NMFS intends to issue an EFP. Possible 
conditions the agency may impose on this permit, if it is indeed 
granted, include but are not limited to: Reduction in the number or 
species of fish to be collected; restrictions on the placement of 
traps; restrictions on the size of fish to be collected; prohibition of 
the harvest of any fish with visible external tags; and specification 
of locations, dates, and/or seasons allowed for collection of 
particular fish species. A final decision on issuance of the EFP will 
depend on a NMFS review of public comments received on the application, 
consultations with the affected states, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and 
the U.S. Coast Guard, and a determination that it is consistent with 
all applicable laws. The applicant requests a 24-month effective period 
for the EFP.

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

    Dated: June 30, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-10605 Filed 7-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S