Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit, 13210-13211 [E8-4904]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 49 / Wednesday, March 12, 2008 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF99
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 an application
for an exempted fishing permit.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt
of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from Mr. John
Gauvin of Gauvin and Associates, LLC.
If granted, this permit would allow the
applicant to continue the development
and testing of a salmon excluder device
for the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
This activity 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 salmon bycatch in
the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery.
Comments will be accepted at the April
1–7, 2008, North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council) meeting
in Anchorage, AK.
DATES: Interested persons may comment
on the EFP application and on the
environmental assessment during the
Council’s April 1–7, 2008, meeting in
Anchorage, AK.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be
held at the Hilton Hotel, 500 West Third
Ave., Anchorage, AK.
Copies of the EFP application and the
environmental assessment (EA) are
available by writing to the Alaska
Region, NMFS, P. O. Box 21668, Juneau,
AK 99802, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. The
EA and application also are available
from the Alaska Region, NMFS website
at https://www.fakr.noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Melanie Brown, 907–586–7228 or
melanie.brown@noaa.gov.
NMFS
manages the domestic groundfish
fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands Management Area (BSAI) under
the FMP. The 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
§§ 600.745(b) and 679.6 authorize
issuance of EFPs to allow fishing that
would otherwise be prohibited.
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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19:30 Mar 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
Procedures for issuing EFPs are
contained in the implementing
regulations.
NMFS received an application for an
EFP from Mr. Gauvin on January 29,
2008. The purposes of the EFP project
are to improve the performance of the
salmon excluder device developed
under EFPs in 2004 through 2007 and
to validate the performance of this
device for pollock trawl gear used in the
BSAI. The goal is to develop a device for
pollock trawl gear that reduces salmon
bycatch without significantly lowering
catch rates of pollock.
The EFP would allow for
development and testing of the salmon
excluder device from September 2008
through March 2010, for several weeks
in each pollock A and B season. Testing
in each season would allow the device
to be used under salmon occurrence and
pollock fishing practices specific to each
season. Testing in the A season would
catch primarily Chinook salmon and
roe-bearing pollock, while testing in the
B season would catch Chinook and
chum salmon and pollock that are not
likely to be roe-bearing. EFP fishing
would be conducted by one vessel in
each season.
To test the salmon excluder device,
exemptions would be necessary from
regulations for salmon bycatch limits,
observer requirements, several closures
areas, and total allowable catch amounts
(TACs) for groundfish. 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 § 679.21(e)(1)(vi)
and (vii). The amount of salmon bycatch
by the pollock trawl industry during the
EFP period could potentially approach
or exceed the salmon bycatch limits. If
the EFP salmon were counted toward
the salmon bycatch limits, the EFP
salmon may create an additional burden
on the pollock trawl fishermen not
participating in the intercooperative
agreement for salmon bycatch reduction
by causing earlier closures of the salmon
savings areas. More information
regarding the intercooperative
agreement for salmon bycatch reduction
is at 72 FR 61070 (October 29, 2007).
Approximately 2,500 chum salmon
for each B season and 2,500 Chinook
salmon for each A and B season would
be required to support the project. In
total, the applicant would be limited to
harvesting 10,000 Chinook salmon and
5,000 chum salmon for the time period
of the EFP. The experimental design
requires this quantity of salmon to
ensure statistically valid results.
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The applicant also has requested an
exemption from the Chinook Salmon
Savings Areas (§ 679.21(e)(7)(viii)), the
Chum Salmon Savings Area
(§§ 679.21(e)(7)(vii) and 679.22(a)(10)),
the Bering Sea Pollock Restriction Area
(§ 679.22(a)(7)(ii)), and the Steller Sea
Lion Conservation Area
(§ 679.22(a)(7)(vii)). These overlapping
areas occur in locations of salmon
concentration. The experiment must be
conducted in areas of salmon
concentration sufficient to ensure a
statistically adequate sample size. These
locations are ideal for conducting the
experiment and ensuring that the vessel
encounters sufficient concentrations of
salmon and pollock for meeting the
experimental design.
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 each season of the EFP for a total
of 10,000 mt over the duration of the
EFP. The experimental design requires
this quantity of pollock to ensure a
statistically adequate sample size for
measuring pollock escapement through
the salmon excluder device. The EFP
groundfish harvest would not be
included in the harvest applied against
the Bering Sea groundfish TACs,
including the 2008 and 2009 pollock
TAC of 1.0 million mt. The 2008 and
2009 Bering Sea pollock acceptable
biological catch (ABC) also is 1.0
million mt. For each year of the EFP, the
amount of pollock harvest under the
EFP would be approximately 0.25 to 0.5
percent of the annual harvest of pollock
in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. Even
though the EFP would allow for harvest
over the ABC, the amount is so small
that no discernable effect is expected.
Because of very little groundfish
incidental catch in the pollock fishery,
the harvest of other groundfish species
during the EFP fishing is expected to be
a negligible amount, less than 25 mt.
Using a catcher/processor for the EFP
study would require exemption from the
Catcher Vessel Operating Area (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. The EFP
fishing may be done by either a catcher
vessel or a catcher/processor. It may be
necessary for the EFP applicant to use
a catcher/processor to conduct tows in
this area to ensure encountering
sufficient pollock and salmon
concentrations to meet the experimental
design.
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 49 / Wednesday, March 12, 2008 / Notices
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
as NMFS observers, however, at the
time of the EFP fishing. The ‘‘sea
samplers’’ would conduct the EFP 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 human environment as analyzed in
the EA for this action (see ADDRESSES).
The EFP would be subject to
modifications pending any new relevant
information regarding the 2010 fishery,
including pollock harvest specifications
or restructuring of the salmon bycatch
management program.
In accordance with § 679.6, NMFS has
determined that the proposal warrants
further consideration and has forwarded
the application to the Council to initiate
consultation. The Council will consider
the EFP application during its April 1–
7, 2008, meeting, which will be held at
the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska.
The applicant has been invited to
appear in support of the application.
Public Comments
Interested persons may comment on
the application and on the EA at the
April 2008 Council meeting during
public testimony. Information regarding
the meeting is available at the Council’s
website at https://www.fakr.noaa.gov/
npfmc/council.htm. Copies of the
application and EA are available for
review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 7, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8–4904 Filed 3–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN: 0648–XG21
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; Public Meetings
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council to convene its
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:30 Mar 11, 2008
Jkt 214001
Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP) via
conference call.
DATES: The Shrimp AP conference call
will be held March 31, 2008, at 10 a.m.
EST.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via conference call and listening
stations will be available. For specific
locations see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council, 2203
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa,
FL 33607.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick
Leard, Deputy Director, Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council;
telephone: (813) 348–1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
conference call will begin at 10 a.m.
EST and conclude no later than 11 a.m.
EST. Listening stations are available at
the following locations:
The Gulf Council office (see ADDRESSES),
and the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) offices as follows:
St. Petersburg, FL
Galveston, TX
4700 Ave U, Conference room - Bldg
305, Galveston, TX 77551, Contact:
Ronnie O’Toole, telephone: (409) 766–
3500;
Miami, FL
75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL,
33149, Contact: Sophia Howard,
telephone: (305) 361–4259; and
Panama City, FL
3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama
City, FL 32408, Contact: Janice Hamm,
telephone: (850) 234–6541.
The Shrimp AP will receive a report
from the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) on the final estimates of
offshore shrimping effort in 2007. If the
estimate is less than 74% of the
estimated average annual effort during
the 2001–03 period, the Shrimp AP may
make recommendations for additional
time and area closures in accordance
with Amendment 27 to the Reef Fish
Fishery Management Plan (FMP)/
Amendment 14 to the Shrimp FMP.
The Shrimp AP consists principally of
commercial shrimp fishermen, dealers,
and association representatives.
Although other non-emergency issues
not on the agenda may come before the
SEP for discussion, in accordance with
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
Frm 00022
Fmt 4703
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), those issues
may not be the subject of formal action
during the meeting. Actions will be
restricted to the issue specifically
identified in the agenda and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the SEP’s intent to take
action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
The listening stations are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Tina Trezza at the
Council (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
working days prior to the meeting.
Dated: March 7, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8–4873 Filed 3–11–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg,
FL 33701, Contact: Stephen Holiman,
telephone: (727) 551–5719;
PO 00000
13211
Sfmt 4703
Patent and Trademark Office
Applications for Trademark
Registration
ACTION:
Proposed collection; comment
request.
SUMMARY: The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, invites the
general public and other Federal
agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on the extension of a
continuing information collection, as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, Public Law 104–13 (44
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before May 12, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
E-mail: Susan.Fawcett@uspto.gov.
Include ‘‘0651–0009 comment’’ in the
subject line of the message.
Fax: 571–273–0112, marked to the
attention of Susan K. Fawcett.
Mail: Susan K. Fawcett, Records
Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Customer Information Services
Group, Public Information Services
Division, U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA
22313–1450.
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
E:\FR\FM\12MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13210-13211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4904]
[[Page 13210]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF99
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 an application for an exempted fishing
permit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt of an application for an
exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Mr. John Gauvin of Gauvin and
Associates, LLC. If granted, this permit would allow the applicant to
continue the development and testing of a salmon excluder device for
the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery. This activity 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
salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock trawl fishery. Comments will
be accepted at the April 1-7, 2008, North Pacific Fishery Management
Council (Council) meeting in Anchorage, AK.
DATES: Interested persons may comment on the EFP application and on the
environmental assessment during the Council's April 1-7, 2008, meeting
in Anchorage, AK.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 500
West Third Ave., Anchorage, AK.
Copies of the EFP application and the environmental assessment (EA)
are available by writing to the Alaska Region, NMFS, P. O. Box 21668,
Juneau, AK 99802, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. The EA and application also
are available from the Alaska Region, NMFS website at https://
www.fakr.noaa.gov.
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 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. 600.745(b) and
679.6 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 Mr. Gauvin on January
29, 2008. The purposes of the EFP project are to improve the
performance of the salmon excluder device developed under EFPs in 2004
through 2007 and to validate the performance of this device for pollock
trawl gear used in the BSAI. The goal is to develop a device for
pollock trawl gear that reduces salmon bycatch without significantly
lowering catch rates of pollock.
The EFP would allow for development and testing of the salmon
excluder device from September 2008 through March 2010, for several
weeks in each pollock A and B season. Testing in each season would
allow the device to be used under salmon occurrence and pollock fishing
practices specific to each season. Testing in the A season would catch
primarily Chinook salmon and roe-bearing pollock, while testing in the
B season would catch Chinook and chum salmon and pollock that are not
likely to be roe-bearing. EFP fishing would be conducted by one vessel
in each season.
To test the salmon excluder device, exemptions would be necessary
from regulations for salmon bycatch limits, observer requirements,
several closures areas, and total allowable catch amounts (TACs) for
groundfish. 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. 679.21(e)(1)(vi) and (vii). The amount of
salmon bycatch by the pollock trawl industry during the EFP period
could potentially approach or exceed the salmon bycatch limits. If the
EFP salmon were counted toward the salmon bycatch limits, the EFP
salmon may create an additional burden on the pollock trawl fishermen
not participating in the intercooperative agreement for salmon bycatch
reduction by causing earlier closures of the salmon savings areas. More
information regarding the intercooperative agreement for salmon bycatch
reduction is at 72 FR 61070 (October 29, 2007).
Approximately 2,500 chum salmon for each B season and 2,500 Chinook
salmon for each A and B season would be required to support the
project. In total, the applicant would be limited to harvesting 10,000
Chinook salmon and 5,000 chum salmon for the time period of the EFP.
The experimental design requires this quantity of salmon to ensure
statistically valid results.
The applicant also has requested an exemption from the Chinook
Salmon Savings Areas (Sec. 679.21(e)(7)(viii)), the Chum Salmon
Savings Area (Sec. Sec. 679.21(e)(7)(vii) and 679.22(a)(10)), the
Bering Sea Pollock Restriction Area (Sec. 679.22(a)(7)(ii)), and the
Steller Sea Lion Conservation Area (Sec. 679.22(a)(7)(vii)). These
overlapping areas occur in locations of salmon concentration. The
experiment must be conducted in areas of salmon concentration
sufficient to ensure a statistically adequate sample size. These
locations are ideal for conducting the experiment and ensuring that the
vessel encounters sufficient concentrations of salmon and pollock for
meeting the experimental design.
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 each season of the EFP for a total of 10,000 mt over the
duration of the EFP. The experimental design requires this quantity of
pollock to ensure a statistically adequate sample size for measuring
pollock escapement through the salmon excluder device. The EFP
groundfish harvest would not be included in the harvest applied against
the Bering Sea groundfish TACs, including the 2008 and 2009 pollock TAC
of 1.0 million mt. The 2008 and 2009 Bering Sea pollock acceptable
biological catch (ABC) also is 1.0 million mt. For each year of the
EFP, the amount of pollock harvest under the EFP would be approximately
0.25 to 0.5 percent of the annual harvest of pollock in the Bering Sea
pollock fishery. Even though the EFP would allow for harvest over the
ABC, the amount is so small that no discernable effect is expected.
Because of very little groundfish incidental catch in the pollock
fishery, the harvest of other groundfish species during the EFP fishing
is expected to be a negligible amount, less than 25 mt.
Using a catcher/processor for the EFP study would require exemption
from the Catcher Vessel Operating Area (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. The EFP fishing may be done by either a
catcher vessel or a catcher/processor. It may be necessary for the EFP
applicant to use a catcher/processor to conduct tows in this area to
ensure encountering sufficient pollock and salmon concentrations to
meet the experimental design.
[[Page 13211]]
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 as NMFS observers,
however, at the time of the EFP fishing. The ``sea samplers'' would
conduct the EFP 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 human environment as analyzed in the EA for this action
(see ADDRESSES). The EFP would be subject to modifications pending any
new relevant information regarding the 2010 fishery, including pollock
harvest specifications or restructuring of the salmon bycatch
management program.
In accordance with Sec. 679.6, NMFS has determined that the
proposal warrants further consideration and has forwarded the
application to the Council to initiate consultation. The Council will
consider the EFP application during its April 1-7, 2008, meeting, which
will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. The applicant
has been invited to appear in support of the application.
Public Comments
Interested persons may comment on the application and on the EA at
the April 2008 Council meeting during public testimony. Information
regarding the meeting is available at the Council's website at https://
www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/council.htm. Copies of the application and EA
are available for review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 7, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-4904 Filed 3-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
