Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit, 15738-15741 [E8-6009]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 25, 2008 / Notices
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• Timeliness of the company’s
completed application, participation
agreement, and payment of the mission
participation fee;
• Certification that the company’s
products and/or services are
manufactured or produced in the United
States or, if manufactured/produced
outside of the United States, the
products/services must be marketed
under the name of a U.S. firm and have
U.S. content representing at least 51
percent of the value of the finished
goods or services;
• Diversity of health-care sectors
represented; and
• Rank/seniority of the designated
company representative.
Any partisan political activities of an
applicant, including political
contributions, will be entirely irrelevant
to the selection process.
The mission will be promoted
through the following venues: ITA’s
Export Assistance Centers, the Health
and Consumer Goods team, the Service
Industries team, the Asia Pacific Team,
the Trade Events List https://
www.export.gov; the Federal Register;
relevant trade associations; past
Commerce health-care policy event
participants; and the Commerce
Department trade missions calendar:
https://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/
tmcal.html.
Recruitment will begin immediately
and will close on April 1, 2007. The
trade mission participation fee will be
U.S. $1,250 per company. Each
participating organization will be
allowed to send only one representative.
The participation fee does not include
the cost of travel, lodging, some ground
transportation, or some meals.
Participation is open to 15 qualified
U.S. companies. Invited companies
must submit the trade mission
participation fee and completed
participation agreement within one
week of receipt of their invitation in
order to secure their place in the
mission. After that time, other
companies may be invited to fill that
spot. Applications received after the
closing date will be considered only if
space and scheduling constraints
permit.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anthony Cino, U.S. Department of
Commerce, e-mail:
anthony_cino@ita.doc.gov, telephone:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:33 Mar 24, 2008
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202–482–5679, facsimile: 202–482–
2266.
Anthony Cino,
Office of the Chinese Economic Area,
International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E8–5935 Filed 3–24–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–25–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Notice of Inventions Available for
Licensing
National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of inventions available
for licensing.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The inventions listed below
are owned in whole or in part by the
U.S. Government, as represented by the
Secretary of Commerce. The U.S.
Government’s interest in these
inventions is available for licensing in
accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 and 37
CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious
commercialization of results of federally
funded research and development.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Technical and licensing information on
these inventions may be obtained by
writing to: National Institute of
Standards and Technology, Office of
Technology Partnerships, Attn: Mary
Clague, Building 222, Room A155,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Information is
also available via telephone: 301–975–
4188, fax 301–975–3482, or e-mail:
mary.clague@nist.gov. Any request for
information should include the NIST
Docket number and title for the
invention as indicated below.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may
enter into a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement (‘‘CRADA’’)
with the licensee to perform further
research on the invention for purposes
of commercialization. The inventions
available for licensing are:
[NIST DOCKET NUMBER: 7–003]
Title: Highly Charged Ion Modified
Oxides (HCIMO) for Tunable Resistance.
Abstract: Highly Charged Ion
Modified Oxides (HCIMO) are achieved
by irradiating a thin, high resistance
oxide with highly charged ions (HCIs)
and then depositing a conducting
material of choice on top the irradiated
oxide. The irradiation by HCIs
preferentially ablates a region on the
order of a cubic nanometer at each HCI’s
impact site breaking a hole through the
ultra-thin oxide. This is demonstrated
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by preparing an insulating layer of
aluminum oxide on a cobalt lower
electrode layer, exposing the oxide to
very dilute HCI radiation, and then
depositing a cobalt upper layer. The
data show a clear and systematic
decrease in the resistance of the
multilayer devices correlated to the HCI
dose at very dilute doses. The
nanometer dimensions of individual
HCI impacts and the precise control
over the dose combine to allow high
precision selection of the material’s
resistance over a wide range of values,
currently demonstrated over three
orders of magnitude. As HCI
modification only occurs within a few
nanometers of the surface and generally
does not affect metals, no special
measures are needed to protect
surrounding device structures from HCI
damage. Since the size of the material
modification is determined by the
properties of a single ion, precise
alignment is not required, only uniform
illumination of the device area by the
HCI beam, greatly simplifying
commercial integration of HCI
irradiation.
[NIST DOCKET NUMBER: 7–008]
Title: A Four-Wave Mixing Source of
Squeezed Light for Image Processing
and Interferometry
Abstract: The invention provides a
source of squeezed light, generated
using a 4-level, four-wave mixing
scheme in rubidium vapor. Strong
relative-number squeezing between two
beams has been demonstrated; much
stronger than previously seen in any
four-wave mixing system. The scheme
relies on a chi(3) nonlinearity, and a
single-pass, no-cavity, experimental
implementation which has relaxed
phase matching requirements, as
compared to chi(2) crystal sources, and
easily produces squeezing in multiple
spatial modes.
Dated: March 18, 2008.
Richard F. Kayser,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E8–6029 Filed 3–24–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XG61
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 25, 2008 / Notices
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
Comments on this notice
may be submitted by e-mail. The
mailbox address for providing e-mail
comments is StudyFleetEFP@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following document
identifier: ‘‘Comments on NEFSC Study
Fleet Programmatic EFP.’’ Written
comments should be sent to Patricia A.
Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the
outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on
NEFSC Study Fleet Programmatic EFP.’’
Comments may also be sent via
facsimile (fax) to (978) 281–9135.
ADDRESSES:
SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant
Regional Administrator) has made a
preliminary determination that the
subject programmatic Exempted Fishing
Permit (EFP) application for the Study
Fleet Program contains all of the
required information and warrants
further consideration. Study Fleet
projects are managed by the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and
funded under the Northeast Cooperative
Research Partners Program (NCRPP)
contracts and Research Set-Aside (RSA)
grants to regional institutions. The
programmatic EFP would grant
exemptions from minimum fish size and
possession and landing limits. However,
further review and consultation may be
necessary before a final determination is
made to issue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS
announces that the Assistant Regional
Administrator proposes to issue a
programmatic EFP that would allow up
to 30 vessels to conduct fishing
operations that are otherwise restricted
by the regulations governing the
fisheries of the Northeastern United
States.
Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested
parties the opportunity to comment on
applications for proposed EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before April 9, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Moira Kelly, Fishery Policy Analyst,
phone: 978–281–9218, fax: 978–281–
9135.
The EFP
would programmatically exempt
federally permitted commercial fishing
vessels from the regulations detailed
below participating in the Study Fleet
Program and operating under projects
managed by the NEFSC and funded by
NCRPP contracts and Research-SetAside (RSA) grants. The programmatic
EFP would cover two tiers of
exemptions. The first tier would exempt
vessels operators and technicians from
minimum size and possession limits for
the time it takes to weigh and measure
fish that would otherwise be discarded.
The second tier would exempt vessels
from minimum size and possession and
landing limits of otherwise prohibited
fish. The programmatic EFP would
cover the following Study Fleet projects,
the vessels associated with such
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
15739
projects, and the study fleet technicians
and vessel operators:
(1) NEFSC - NCRPP Groundfish Fleet
Northern (three vessels) and Southern
(two vessels) trawlers, with up to five
additional vessels.
(2) NEFSC - Groundfish/Loligo Fleet
(three vessels, up to three additional
vessels).
(3) NEFSC - University of
Massachusetts School for Marine
Science and Technology (SMAST) Cooperative Marine Education and
Research (CMER) Southern New
England (SNE) Yellowtail Flounder
Fleet (three vessels).
(4) NEFSC - Gulf of Maine Research
Institute (GMRI) - Monkfish Fleet (up to
five vessels).
(5) SMAST - Georges Bank (GB)
Multispecies Fleet (five vessels).
A project- and vessel-specific EFP,
detailing all vessels involved in each the
projects, would be granted to each
vessel to facilitate this research. The
EFP would specify under which
restrictions and exemptions the vessel
would be required to operate. The Tier
1 EFP would specify that the retention
of otherwise prohibited fish is
temporary only, and fish must be
returned to the sea as quickly as
possible, after weighing and measuring.
The Tier 2 EFP would specify the
limited amounts of otherwise prohibited
fish that could be retained and landed.
The following table details the
regulations that the participating vessels
would be exempted from, and the
number of at-sea days that vessels
would be permitted to operate under the
exemptions:
# of Vessels
Discard Sampling at-sea
days (Technician)
Discard Sampling at-sea
days (Crew/
Captain)
Biological
Sampling atsea days
(Technician)
Biological Sampling at-sea days
(Crew/Captain)
Exempted Regulations in 50
CFR part 648
NEFSC/NRCPP
Groundfish Fleet
up to 10
100
50
0
March - April
samples 4-6
totes whole haddock
§ 648.83(a)(3) NE multispecies
minimum size
Possession limits
§ 648.86(b) Atlantic cod
§ 648.86(c) Atlantic halibut
§ 648.86(e) White hake
§ 648.86(g) Yellowtail flounder
§ 648.86(j) GB winter flounder
NEFSC Groundfish/
Loligo
up to 6
60
30
60
0
All of the above, plus, if during
closure of directed fishery,
§ 648.22(c) Incidental possession limit of Loligo
NEFSC/SMAST/
CMERSNE
Yellowtail Flounder
3
30
90
30
Monthly totes at
least 100 fish
each
§ 648.83(a)(3) NE multispecies
minimum size
§ 648.86(g)(1) SNE Yellowtail
flounder possession limit
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Study Fleet Project
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 25, 2008 / Notices
# of Vessels
Discard Sampling at-sea
days (Technician)
Discard Sampling at-sea
days (Crew/
Captain)
Biological
Sampling atsea days
(Technician)
NEFSC/GMRI
Monkfish
5
80
160
80
0
§ 648.93 Monkfish minimum
fish size
§ 648.94 Monkfish possession
limit
SMAST GB Groundfish
5
50
0
50
0
Same as NEFSC/ NRCPP
Groundfish Fleet Project
Study Fleet Project
Tier 1
The first aspect of the project would
temporarily exempt the Study Fleet
vessels from all minimum size and
possession limits for the time it takes to
measure and weigh otherwise
prohibited fish. This exemption would
allow NEFSC to understand the issues
that affect the accuracy of estimated
discard weights and to improve
analyses. The protocol under which the
NEFSC staff and the vessel operators
would conduct these measurements is
not significantly different than the
protocol currently used by NMFScertified observers. Under this protocol,
no other change to normal commercial
fishing operators would occur.
Initially, NEFSC or partner Study
Fleet technicians would be onboard the
vessels to provide data entry training
and to observe and report on sorting and
discarding practices under normal
fishing operations. On some subsequent
trips, technicians would sort, weigh,
and measure fish that are to be
discarded, in a method that is consistent
with current NEFSC observer protocols.
An exemption is required because some
discarded species would be on deck
slightly longer than under normal
sorting procedures. The goal is to
identify sorting routines that would
minimally impact the duration of catch
processing, and technicians would
return the fish to the water as soon as
possible. On other trips, the vessel
operators and crew would be
responsible for sorting, weighing, and
measuring the fish that are to be
discarded from a random number of
tows and trips, following the established
protocol. These crew and operators
would be trained in the protocol by the
NEFSC or partner Study Fleet
technicians and would return the fish to
the water as soon as possible.
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Tier 2
The second aspect of the
programmatic EFP for the Study Fleet
would allow more in-depth biological
sampling to occur on various ages of
fish by exempting vessels from
minimum size, possession, and landing
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18:33 Mar 24, 2008
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Biological Sampling at-sea days
(Crew/Captain)
limits of species of interest. Some of the
biological sampling would be done by a
Study Fleet technician during a trip, as
available during normal commercial
fishingoperations. That is, while a crew
member is dressing a fish for storage,
the Study Fleet technician would collect
the stomach and gonads of that fish for
later research. For this tier, vessels
would be exempted from minimum size
requirements and possession and
landing limits, as applicable, in very
limited circumstances. Vessel operators
on specified trips, using marked totes,
would collect fish to be provided to the
NEFSC for biological sampling only.
Project-specific biological sampling to
obtain maturity, fecundity, age, and
growth data would require a separate
EFP for possession and sampling of
species of interest, including undersized
individuals, possibly in excess of trip
limits, where samples may be processed
at sea or retained for delivery to
research facilities on shore by the Study
Fleet vessels. The current interest in
enhanced biological sampling is in
response to initial Study Fleet goals
endorsed by the NCRPP and the New
England Fishery Management Council’s
Research Steering Committee. The
initial biological sampling program and
protocol development would focus on
obtaining haddock and yellowtail
flounder samples to evaluate maturity
and fecundity patterns that may be
affected by recent strong year classes.
Samples of large monkfish, large cod,
and other species would be used to fill
in gaps in port-based sampling. See
below for detailed descriptions of catch
estimates for each of the five Study Fleet
projects. A small number of live fish
would also be collected to support
laboratory studies in survival.
Sampling would be done by NEFSC or
partner Study Fleet technicians and by
trained crew members. On trips where
the technicians would be on board,
standard NEFSC sampling protocols
would be followed. None of the landed
biological samples from these trips
would be sold. On trips where
technicians would not be on board,
select vessel operators or crew would
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Exempted Regulations in 50
CFR part 648
separate fish to be sampled by
technicians in port. The EFP for
biological sampling would allow
fishermen to retain specified amounts of
specific species in whole or round
weight condition, including some
undersized individuals, in marked totes,
which would be delivered to Study
Fleet technicians or local NMFS port
agents for enumeration and
measurement. It is anticipated that these
whole fish may cause a vessel to exceed
a regulatory trip limit. The EFP would
exempt the vessels from the trip limits
in limited situations so that the vessel
is not disadvantaged when collecting
biological samples.
NMFS would receive advance
notification of specific plans for
retention under this EFP. This
notification would provide the vessel
name and vessel operator, the number of
marked totes that would be delivered,
an estimate of the number of undersized
individuals that would be retained, and
an estimated time frame for the
sampling trips. The amount of fish
delivered to the Study Fleet technicians
would not exceed five totes, or 700 lb
(317.51 kg) per trip. Vessels fishing
under this EFP would be required to call
into the Interactive Voice Response
system to identify the trip, following the
standard EFP protocol. Each of the
biological sampling projects is detailed
below. Please see the table above for
details on the regulations that would be
exempted.
The NEFSC Groundfish and
Groundfish and Loligo projects would
involve sampling seven species on a
maximum of 20 trips with technicians
aboard. This sampling would not affect
trip limits because the undersized fish
would be discarded at sea. The
estimated maximum discard weight of
sampled sub-legal fish is 4,000 lb
(1,814.37kg) per species per trip (100
lengths X 20 trips = 2,000 individuals X
mean weight of 2 lb (0.91 kg) = 4,000 lb
(1,814.37 kg) per species), not to exceed
8,000 lb (3628.74 kg) per species per trip
if two statistical areas are sampled on
the same trip.
Also under the NEFSC Groundfish
project, GB haddock maturity and
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 25, 2008 / Notices
fecundity data would be collected.
NEFSC is requesting an EFP to collect
one tote of undersized haddock for
sampling. The vessels would deliver up
to five totes of fish (600 lb, 272.16 kg),
four of which would contain legal sized
fish, and one of which would contain
undersized fish. The fish would be
whole and iced. The total amount of GB
haddock that would be authorized
under this EFP would not exceed 1,300
lb (589.67 kg). NEFSC staff would meet
the captain at the dock to collect the
fish. None of the fish would be sold.
The NEFSC/SMAST/CMER SNE
Yellowtail Flounder project would
obtain 100 yellowtail flounder per
month during the April through August
spawning period on three vessels, up to
1,500 fish total, followed by nonspawning month sampling for 7 months
at 25 fish per month per vessel, for up
to an additional 525 fish. The resulting
length frequency and maturity sampling
would account for approximately 2,025
undersized yellowtail flounder, or 2,500
lb (1133.98 kg).
The GMRI Monkfish project would
require the biological sampling EFP to
allow fishermen to retain the entire
monkfish catch on the last tow for two
trips per month for eight months on five
vessels, resulting in 80 separate
samples, not to exceed 550 lb (249.48
kg) of monkfish per sample. Each
sample would be delivered to a GMRI
sampler. Legal sized fish would be
allowed to be sold by the vessel, but
undersized fish would be retained by
GMRI. It is estimated that the amount of
undersized fish for the 80 samples
would not exceed 4,800 lb (2177.24 kg).
The SMAST GB Groundfish project is
requesting the following under the
biological sampling EFP: Up to 100
monkfish (750 lb, 340.19 kg) for age and
growth, not to exceed 20 monkfish (150
lb, 68.04 kg) per trip; 50 whole skates
(150 lb, 68.04 kg), not to exceed 10 (30
lb, 13.61 kg) per trip; and, 10 cod (100
lb, 45.36 kg), not to exceed 2 (20 lb, 9.07
kg) per trip. In addition, 100 lengths of
kept fish and 100 lengths of discarded
fish of each of the following species
would be collected: Cod, winter
flounder, grey sole, yellowtail flounder,
haddock, monkfish, and American
plaice.
The applicant may make requests to
NMFS for minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
year. EFP modifications and extensions
may be granted by NMFS without
further notice if they are deemed
essential to facilitate completion of the
proposed research and result in only a
minimal change in the scope or impact
of the initially approved EFP request. In
accordance with NOAA Administrative
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18:33 Mar 24, 2008
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Order 216–6, a Categorical Exclusion or
other appropriate NEPA document
would be completed prior to the
issuance of the EFP. Further review and
consultation may be necessary before a
final determination is made to issue the
EFP. After publication of this document
in the Federal Register, the EFP, if
approved, may become effective
following a 15-day public comment
period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 20, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8–6009 Filed 3–24–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XG39
Endangered Species; File No. 1614–01
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for
modification.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that
the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region,
Protected Resources Division
[Responsible Party: Mary Colligan], One
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930,
has requested a modification to
scientific research Permit No. 1614.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail
comments must be received on or before
April 24, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The modification request
and related documents are available for
review upon written request or by
appointment in the following offices:
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301)427–2520;
Northeast Region, NMFS, One
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA
01930–2298; phone (978)281–9300; fax
(978)281–9394; and
Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th
Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701;
phone (727)824–5312; fax (727)824–
5309.
Written comments or requests for a
public hearing on this request should be
submitted to the Chief, Permits,
Conservation and Education Division,
F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
PO 00000
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15741
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those
individuals requesting a hearing should
set forth the specific reasons why a
hearing on this particular modification
request would be appropriate.
Comments may also be submitted by
facsimile at (301)427–2520, provided
the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy
submitted by mail and postmarked no
later than the closing date of the
comment period.
Comments may also be submitted by
e-mail. The mailbox address for
providing e-mail comments is
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include
in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following document
identifier: File No. 1614–01.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brandy Belmas or Jennifer Skidmore,
(301)713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
subject modification to Permit No. 1614,
issued on February 28, 2008 (73 FR
11873), is requested under the authority
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and
the regulations governing the taking,
importing, and exporting of endangered
and threatened species (50 CFR 222–
226).
Permit No. 1614 authorizes the permit
holder to collect, receive and transport
100 dead shortnose sturgeon, or parts
thereof, annually. In the case of an
unusual mortality event, takes may be
increased from 100 up to 1,000 animals
with written approval from the Director,
Office of Protected Resources.
Researchers are also authorized the
receipt and transport of up to 50 captive
bred, dead shortnose sturgeon annually
from any U.S. facility authorized to hold
captive sturgeon. This permit authorizes
the conduct of the aforementioned
research over a period of five years.
The permit holder requests
authorization to increase the number of
dead captive bred shortnose sturgeon
received annually to 350 individuals
throughout the remainder of the permit.
This request stems from the probable
availability of a greater number of dead
captive bred shortnose sturgeon than
was originally anticipated. The
applicant would like to obtain these
sturgeon to help meet the objectives of
their current research, including
reviewing research procedures and
developing necropsy protocols for
shortnose sturgeon.
Dated: March 19, 2008.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8–5937 Filed 3–24–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15738-15741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6009]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG61
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
[[Page 15739]]
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator)
has made a preliminary determination that the subject programmatic
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application for the Study Fleet Program
contains all of the required information and warrants further
consideration. Study Fleet projects are managed by the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and funded under the Northeast
Cooperative Research Partners Program (NCRPP) contracts and Research
Set-Aside (RSA) grants to regional institutions. The programmatic EFP
would grant exemptions from minimum fish size and possession and
landing limits. However, further review and consultation may be
necessary before a final determination is made to issue the EFP.
Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator
proposes to issue a programmatic EFP that would allow up to 30 vessels
to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by the
regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States.
Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for
proposed EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 9, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice may be submitted by e-mail. The
mailbox address for providing e-mail comments is
StudyFleetEFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line of the e-mail
comment the following document identifier: ``Comments on NEFSC Study
Fleet Programmatic EFP.'' Written comments should be sent to Patricia
A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope
``Comments on NEFSC Study Fleet Programmatic EFP.'' Comments may also
be sent via facsimile (fax) to (978) 281-9135.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moira Kelly, Fishery Policy Analyst,
phone: 978-281-9218, fax: 978-281-9135.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP would programmatically exempt
federally permitted commercial fishing vessels from the regulations
detailed below participating in the Study Fleet Program and operating
under projects managed by the NEFSC and funded by NCRPP contracts and
Research-Set-Aside (RSA) grants. The programmatic EFP would cover two
tiers of exemptions. The first tier would exempt vessels operators and
technicians from minimum size and possession limits for the time it
takes to weigh and measure fish that would otherwise be discarded. The
second tier would exempt vessels from minimum size and possession and
landing limits of otherwise prohibited fish. The programmatic EFP would
cover the following Study Fleet projects, the vessels associated with
such projects, and the study fleet technicians and vessel operators:
(1) NEFSC - NCRPP Groundfish Fleet Northern (three vessels) and
Southern (two vessels) trawlers, with up to five additional vessels.
(2) NEFSC - Groundfish/Loligo Fleet (three vessels, up to three
additional vessels).
(3) NEFSC - University of Massachusetts School for Marine Science
and Technology (SMAST) - Cooperative Marine Education and Research
(CMER) Southern New England (SNE) Yellowtail Flounder Fleet (three
vessels).
(4) NEFSC - Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) - Monkfish
Fleet (up to five vessels).
(5) SMAST - Georges Bank (GB) Multispecies Fleet (five vessels).
A project- and vessel-specific EFP, detailing all vessels involved
in each the projects, would be granted to each vessel to facilitate
this research. The EFP would specify under which restrictions and
exemptions the vessel would be required to operate. The Tier 1 EFP
would specify that the retention of otherwise prohibited fish is
temporary only, and fish must be returned to the sea as quickly as
possible, after weighing and measuring. The Tier 2 EFP would specify
the limited amounts of otherwise prohibited fish that could be retained
and landed.
The following table details the regulations that the participating
vessels would be exempted from, and the number of at-sea days that
vessels would be permitted to operate under the exemptions:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discard
Discard Sampling Biological Biological Exempted
Sampling at- at-sea Sampling at- Sampling at- Regulations in
Study Fleet Project of Vessels sea days days sea days sea days 50 CFR part
(Technician) (Crew/ (Technician) (Crew/ 648
Captain) Captain)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEFSC/NRCPP Groundfish Fleet up to 10 100 50 0 March - Sec.
April 648.83(a)(3)
samples 4- NE
6 totes multispecies
whole minimum size
haddock Possession
limits
Sec.
648.86(b)
Atlantic cod
Sec.
648.86(c)
Atlantic
halibut
Sec.
648.86(e)
White hake
Sec.
648.86(g)
Yellowtail
flounder
Sec.
648.86(j) GB
winter
flounder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEFSC Groundfish/Loligo up to 6 60 30 60 0 All of the
above, plus,
if during
closure of
directed
fishery, Sec.
648.22(c)
Incidental
possession
limit of
Loligo
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEFSC/SMAST/CMERSNE Yellowtail 3 30 90 30 Monthly Sec.
Flounder totes at 648.83(a)(3)
least 100 NE
fish each multispecies
minimum size
Sec.
648.86(g)(1)
SNE
Yellowtail
flounder
possession
limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 15740]]
NEFSC/GMRI Monkfish 5 80 160 80 0 Sec. 648.93
Monkfish
minimum fish
size
Sec. 648.94
Monkfish
possession
limit
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SMAST GB Groundfish 5 50 0 50 0 Same as NEFSC/
NRCPP
Groundfish
Fleet Project
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tier 1
The first aspect of the project would temporarily exempt the Study
Fleet vessels from all minimum size and possession limits for the time
it takes to measure and weigh otherwise prohibited fish. This exemption
would allow NEFSC to understand the issues that affect the accuracy of
estimated discard weights and to improve analyses. The protocol under
which the NEFSC staff and the vessel operators would conduct these
measurements is not significantly different than the protocol currently
used by NMFS-certified observers. Under this protocol, no other change
to normal commercial fishing operators would occur.
Initially, NEFSC or partner Study Fleet technicians would be
onboard the vessels to provide data entry training and to observe and
report on sorting and discarding practices under normal fishing
operations. On some subsequent trips, technicians would sort, weigh,
and measure fish that are to be discarded, in a method that is
consistent with current NEFSC observer protocols. An exemption is
required because some discarded species would be on deck slightly
longer than under normal sorting procedures. The goal is to identify
sorting routines that would minimally impact the duration of catch
processing, and technicians would return the fish to the water as soon
as possible. On other trips, the vessel operators and crew would be
responsible for sorting, weighing, and measuring the fish that are to
be discarded from a random number of tows and trips, following the
established protocol. These crew and operators would be trained in the
protocol by the NEFSC or partner Study Fleet technicians and would
return the fish to the water as soon as possible.
Tier 2
The second aspect of the programmatic EFP for the Study Fleet would
allow more in-depth biological sampling to occur on various ages of
fish by exempting vessels from minimum size, possession, and landing
limits of species of interest. Some of the biological sampling would be
done by a Study Fleet technician during a trip, as available during
normal commercial fishingoperations. That is, while a crew member is
dressing a fish for storage, the Study Fleet technician would collect
the stomach and gonads of that fish for later research. For this tier,
vessels would be exempted from minimum size requirements and possession
and landing limits, as applicable, in very limited circumstances.
Vessel operators on specified trips, using marked totes, would collect
fish to be provided to the NEFSC for biological sampling only.
Project-specific biological sampling to obtain maturity, fecundity,
age, and growth data would require a separate EFP for possession and
sampling of species of interest, including undersized individuals,
possibly in excess of trip limits, where samples may be processed at
sea or retained for delivery to research facilities on shore by the
Study Fleet vessels. The current interest in enhanced biological
sampling is in response to initial Study Fleet goals endorsed by the
NCRPP and the New England Fishery Management Council's Research
Steering Committee. The initial biological sampling program and
protocol development would focus on obtaining haddock and yellowtail
flounder samples to evaluate maturity and fecundity patterns that may
be affected by recent strong year classes. Samples of large monkfish,
large cod, and other species would be used to fill in gaps in port-
based sampling. See below for detailed descriptions of catch estimates
for each of the five Study Fleet projects. A small number of live fish
would also be collected to support laboratory studies in survival.
Sampling would be done by NEFSC or partner Study Fleet technicians
and by trained crew members. On trips where the technicians would be on
board, standard NEFSC sampling protocols would be followed. None of the
landed biological samples from these trips would be sold. On trips
where technicians would not be on board, select vessel operators or
crew would separate fish to be sampled by technicians in port. The EFP
for biological sampling would allow fishermen to retain specified
amounts of specific species in whole or round weight condition,
including some undersized individuals, in marked totes, which would be
delivered to Study Fleet technicians or local NMFS port agents for
enumeration and measurement. It is anticipated that these whole fish
may cause a vessel to exceed a regulatory trip limit. The EFP would
exempt the vessels from the trip limits in limited situations so that
the vessel is not disadvantaged when collecting biological samples.
NMFS would receive advance notification of specific plans for
retention under this EFP. This notification would provide the vessel
name and vessel operator, the number of marked totes that would be
delivered, an estimate of the number of undersized individuals that
would be retained, and an estimated time frame for the sampling trips.
The amount of fish delivered to the Study Fleet technicians would not
exceed five totes, or 700 lb (317.51 kg) per trip. Vessels fishing
under this EFP would be required to call into the Interactive Voice
Response system to identify the trip, following the standard EFP
protocol. Each of the biological sampling projects is detailed below.
Please see the table above for details on the regulations that would be
exempted.
The NEFSC Groundfish and Groundfish and Loligo projects would
involve sampling seven species on a maximum of 20 trips with
technicians aboard. This sampling would not affect trip limits because
the undersized fish would be discarded at sea. The estimated maximum
discard weight of sampled sub-legal fish is 4,000 lb (1,814.37kg) per
species per trip (100 lengths X 20 trips = 2,000 individuals X mean
weight of 2 lb (0.91 kg) = 4,000 lb (1,814.37 kg) per species), not to
exceed 8,000 lb (3628.74 kg) per species per trip if two statistical
areas are sampled on the same trip.
Also under the NEFSC Groundfish project, GB haddock maturity and
[[Page 15741]]
fecundity data would be collected. NEFSC is requesting an EFP to
collect one tote of undersized haddock for sampling. The vessels would
deliver up to five totes of fish (600 lb, 272.16 kg), four of which
would contain legal sized fish, and one of which would contain
undersized fish. The fish would be whole and iced. The total amount of
GB haddock that would be authorized under this EFP would not exceed
1,300 lb (589.67 kg). NEFSC staff would meet the captain at the dock to
collect the fish. None of the fish would be sold.
The NEFSC/SMAST/CMER SNE Yellowtail Flounder project would obtain
100 yellowtail flounder per month during the April through August
spawning period on three vessels, up to 1,500 fish total, followed by
non-spawning month sampling for 7 months at 25 fish per month per
vessel, for up to an additional 525 fish. The resulting length
frequency and maturity sampling would account for approximately 2,025
undersized yellowtail flounder, or 2,500 lb (1133.98 kg).
The GMRI Monkfish project would require the biological sampling EFP
to allow fishermen to retain the entire monkfish catch on the last tow
for two trips per month for eight months on five vessels, resulting in
80 separate samples, not to exceed 550 lb (249.48 kg) of monkfish per
sample. Each sample would be delivered to a GMRI sampler. Legal sized
fish would be allowed to be sold by the vessel, but undersized fish
would be retained by GMRI. It is estimated that the amount of
undersized fish for the 80 samples would not exceed 4,800 lb (2177.24
kg).
The SMAST GB Groundfish project is requesting the following under
the biological sampling EFP: Up to 100 monkfish (750 lb, 340.19 kg) for
age and growth, not to exceed 20 monkfish (150 lb, 68.04 kg) per trip;
50 whole skates (150 lb, 68.04 kg), not to exceed 10 (30 lb, 13.61 kg)
per trip; and, 10 cod (100 lb, 45.36 kg), not to exceed 2 (20 lb, 9.07
kg) per trip. In addition, 100 lengths of kept fish and 100 lengths of
discarded fish of each of the following species would be collected:
Cod, winter flounder, grey sole, yellowtail flounder, haddock,
monkfish, and American plaice.
The applicant may make requests to NMFS for minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and
extensions may be granted by NMFS without further notice if they are
deemed essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and
result in only a minimal change in the scope or impact of the initially
approved EFP request. In accordance with NOAA Administrative Order 216-
6, a Categorical Exclusion or other appropriate NEPA document would be
completed prior to the issuance of the EFP. Further review and
consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to
issue the EFP. After publication of this document in the Federal
Register, the EFP, if approved, may become effective following a 15-day
public comment period.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 20, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-6009 Filed 3-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
