Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 16614 [2011-7023]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 57 (Thursday, March 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 16614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7023]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA269


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), 
has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit 
(EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants 
further consideration and that the activities authorized under this EFP 
would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Monkfish 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, further review and consultation 
may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue an EFP. 
This EFP would grant exemptions from monkfish days-at-sea (DAS) 
possession limits.
    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 8, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail: nero.efp@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on GMRI Monkfish RSA EFP.''
     Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE 
Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark 
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on GMRI monkfish RSA EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Berthiaume, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9177.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted by 
the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) on February 23, 2011, in 
support of a project preliminarily selected under the New England and 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils' Monkfish RSA Program. The 
project proposes to use archival tagging and age validation efforts to 
assess monkfish movement, age structure, and growth. This EFP would 
grant an exemption from monkfish possession limits to facilitate 
compensation fishing to fund this research project. GMRI would tag 
monkfish using data storage tags that would record time, pressure 
(depth), and temperature. GMRI would charter fishing vessels to conduct 
the research. The vessels would use standard commercial gear and land 
monkfish for sale, but sampling locations and protocol would be 
controlled by the researcher. The research vessels would not land any 
fish below the legal size for commercial purposes.
    Compensation fishing for this research would occur from May 2011 
through April 2012, with a possible extension through April 2013, as 
authorized by the Monkfish FMP and 50 CFR 648.92(c)(1)(v). Pending a 
final award by NOAA Grants, GMRI has been awarded 368 monkfish DAS 
under the Monkfish RSA Program. To facilitate compensation fishing, the 
applicant has requested exemptions from monkfish DAS possession limits 
at 50 CFR 648.94(b)(1) and (2). The applicant stated that these 
exemptions would provide the vessels with flexibility to fulfill the 
financial needs of the project, while minimizing vessel operating 
expenses. Based on budget needs and an estimated monkfish price per 
pound, the project would need a total catch of 1,324,800 lb (600,919 
kg) of whole monkfish (399,036 lb (181,000 kg) tail weight). Operating 
under this total landings cap, compensation fishing would continue 
until the goal of 1,324,800 lb (600,919 kg) of whole monkfish is 
caught, or until the awarded DAS have been fully utilized, whichever 
occurs first. Aside from these exemptions, fishing activity would be 
conducted under normal commercial practices. NMFS is considering 
imposing a cap on monkfish DAS possession limit exemptions for vessels 
operating under the monkfish RSA program due to potential effects that 
such exemptions may have on monkfish market price and catch rates for 
non-RSA vessels.
    The applicant may request minor modifications and extensions to the 
EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and extensions may be 
granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to 
facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts 
that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP 
request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the 
exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.

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

    Dated: March 21, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7023 Filed 3-23-11; 8:45 am]
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