Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 66585-66586 [2012-27078]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices government body or authority that provided the subsidy. Submission of Comments Persons wishing to comment should file comments by the date specified above. Comments should only include publicly available information. The Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a part or all of the material be treated confidentially due to business proprietary concerns or for any other reason. The Department will return such comments or materials to the persons submitting the comments and will not include them in its report on softwood lumber subsidies. The Department requests submission of comments filed in electronic Portable Document Format (PDF) submitted on CD–ROM or by email to the email address of the IA Webmaster, below. The comments received will be made available to the public in PDF on the Import Administration Web site at the following address: https://ia.ita.doc.gov/ public-comments.html. Any questions concerning file formatting, access on the Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482–0866, email address: webmaster_support@trade.gov. All comments and submissions in response to this Request for Comment should be received by the Department no later than 5 p.m., on the abovereferenced deadline date. Dated: October 26, 2012. Christian Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations. [FR Doc. 2012–26947 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XC304 Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with AGENCY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:06 Nov 05, 2012 Jkt 229001 preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This EFP application would exempt 11 commercial fishing vessels from the following Federal American lobster regulations: (1) Gear specifications, including escape vents; (2) trap limits; and (3) trap tag requirements. In order to understand patterns of larval dispersal and settlement in the offshore Lobster Management Area 3 (Area 3), 11 federally permitted vessels would utilize a maximum combined total of 50 modified lobster traps to target juvenile American lobsters. 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 November 21, 2012. ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice may be submitted by email. The mailbox address for providing email comments is NERO.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on AOLA Lobster EFP.’’ Written comments should be sent to: John Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on AOLA Lobster EFP.’’ • Fax: (978) 281–9135. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Jacob, Environmental Technician, 978–281–9180, Maria.Jacob@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed project would be conducted by the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen’s Association (AOLA) in conjunction with scientists and the fishing industry. AOLA submitted a complete application for an EFP on September 28, 2012, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. This EFP application would exempt 11 commercial fishing vessels from the following Federal regulations: Gear specifications (including escape vents) specified under § 697.21(c); trap limits specified under § 697.19(b)(5); and trap tags specified under § 697.19(f). The EFP would authorize 11 federally permitted vessels to be exempted from parts of the Federal lobster regulations to allow the participating vessels to fish modified lobster traps, exceed trap limits, and deploy the modified traps without trap tags to analyze the extent to which young lobsters are present in the offshore Area 3. Some scientists believe that the lobster larvae will only PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 66585 survive in the inshore fishery due to the depths and available light, and that there are no small lobsters offshore; however, data resulting from this project are intended to determine whether there are new lobster nursery grounds offshore. The modified gear may include smaller wire mesh sizes, modified entrance heads/rings, and closed escape vents. The deployment of the experimental traps throughout Area 3 (statistical areas 464, 465, 561, 562, 525, 526, 537, 613, 616, and 626) would begin shortly after the issuance of the EFP and is expected to continue for 1 year. AOLA would submit progress reports twice a year to cover the first and second half of the 12-month study period. The exact specification for the chosen design would be provided in the first progress report. Participating vessels would use the experimental lobster traps as part of a commercial lobster trap trawl deployed under routine industry conditions, by adding up to three of the modified traps to the trap trawl. Under these exemptions, each vessel would be allowed to fish up to 10 traps in excess of its Federal trap allocation, for no more than 50 modified traps in the water at any given time. Modified traps would remain in the water for up to 12 consecutive months (365 days), being hauled weekly following the normal fishing schedule of the participating vessels. The gear would be compliant with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The research activities occurring in Area 3 are not anticipated to have any more environmental impacts than those already occurring as part of a commercial lobster trap trawl deployed under usual industry conditions. Impacts to the lobster resource would be negligible given the limited scope of the exempted activity. Given the small mesh and entrance heads, the modified gear is not expected to catch legal lobsters. Any sublegal lobsters caught would briefly be retained onboard only for the purposes of recording their size, sex, egg stage of female lobsters, and presence of shell disease, before being promptly released back into the ocean. There should be minimal impact to bycatch species due to the use of small mesh and small entrance heads and, in addition, all bycatch species hauled from modified gear would be returned promptly to the ocean. Likewise, there would not be significant impacts on benthic habitats, given that 50 additional traps is negligible in comparison to the number of traps deployed by the lobster commercial fishery at large. E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM 06NON1 66586 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices If approved, 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: November 1, 2012. Lindsay Fullenkamp, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2012–27078 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P Special Accommodations The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Saunders at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office, (302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XC315 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. AGENCY: The Joint Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting. DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar with a telephone-only connection option. Details on webinar registration and the telephone-only connection details are available at: https://www.mafmc.org. ADDRESSES: Council address: MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331, extension 255. erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with SUMMARY: The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will discuss recreational management measures for SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:06 Nov 05, 2012 the upcoming fishing year(s). Summer flounder recreational measures will be discussed from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., scup measures from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., and black sea bass measures from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 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. Jkt 229001 Dated: November 1, 2012. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2012–27021 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Council address: MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674–2331, extension 255. The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will discuss potential options for the designation of Delaware artificial reef sites as Special Management Zones (SMZs) under provisions of Amendment 9 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass FMP. Based on input from its industry advisory panel, the Council will be developing SMZ designation alternatives at its December 2012 meeting to take out to public hearings in early 2013. Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 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. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RIN 0648–XC327 Special Accommodations Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Saunders at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office, (302) 526–5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of a public meeting. AGENCY: The Joint Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting. DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 20, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar with a telephone-only connection option. Details on webinar registration and the telephone-only connection details are available at: https://www.mafmc.org. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 Dated: November 1, 2012. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2012–27022 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM 06NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66585-66586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27078]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC304


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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. This EFP application would exempt 11 commercial 
fishing vessels from the following Federal American lobster 
regulations: (1) Gear specifications, including escape vents; (2) trap 
limits; and (3) trap tag requirements. In order to understand patterns 
of larval dispersal and settlement in the offshore Lobster Management 
Area 3 (Area 3), 11 federally permitted vessels would utilize a maximum 
combined total of 50 modified lobster traps to target juvenile American 
lobsters.
    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 November 21, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice may be submitted by email. The 
mailbox address for providing email comments is NERO.EFP@noaa.gov. 
Include in the subject line ``Comments on AOLA Lobster EFP.'' Written 
comments should be sent to: John Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
NE Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark 
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on AOLA Lobster EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Jacob, Environmental Technician, 
978-281-9180, Maria.Jacob@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This proposed project would be conducted by 
the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association (AOLA) in conjunction 
with scientists and the fishing industry. AOLA submitted a complete 
application for an EFP on September 28, 2012, to conduct commercial 
fishing activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. This 
EFP application would exempt 11 commercial fishing vessels from the 
following Federal regulations: Gear specifications (including escape 
vents) specified under Sec.  697.21(c); trap limits specified under 
Sec.  697.19(b)(5); and trap tags specified under Sec.  697.19(f). The 
EFP would authorize 11 federally permitted vessels to be exempted from 
parts of the Federal lobster regulations to allow the participating 
vessels to fish modified lobster traps, exceed trap limits, and deploy 
the modified traps without trap tags to analyze the extent to which 
young lobsters are present in the offshore Area 3. Some scientists 
believe that the lobster larvae will only survive in the inshore 
fishery due to the depths and available light, and that there are no 
small lobsters offshore; however, data resulting from this project are 
intended to determine whether there are new lobster nursery grounds 
offshore.
    The modified gear may include smaller wire mesh sizes, modified 
entrance heads/rings, and closed escape vents. The deployment of the 
experimental traps throughout Area 3 (statistical areas 464, 465, 561, 
562, 525, 526, 537, 613, 616, and 626) would begin shortly after the 
issuance of the EFP and is expected to continue for 1 year. AOLA would 
submit progress reports twice a year to cover the first and second half 
of the 12-month study period. The exact specification for the chosen 
design would be provided in the first progress report. Participating 
vessels would use the experimental lobster traps as part of a 
commercial lobster trap trawl deployed under routine industry 
conditions, by adding up to three of the modified traps to the trap 
trawl. Under these exemptions, each vessel would be allowed to fish up 
to 10 traps in excess of its Federal trap allocation, for no more than 
50 modified traps in the water at any given time. Modified traps would 
remain in the water for up to 12 consecutive months (365 days), being 
hauled weekly following the normal fishing schedule of the 
participating vessels. The gear would be compliant with the Atlantic 
Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.
    The research activities occurring in Area 3 are not anticipated to 
have any more environmental impacts than those already occurring as 
part of a commercial lobster trap trawl deployed under usual industry 
conditions. Impacts to the lobster resource would be negligible given 
the limited scope of the exempted activity. Given the small mesh and 
entrance heads, the modified gear is not expected to catch legal 
lobsters. Any sublegal lobsters caught would briefly be retained 
onboard only for the purposes of recording their size, sex, egg stage 
of female lobsters, and presence of shell disease, before being 
promptly released back into the ocean. There should be minimal impact 
to bycatch species due to the use of small mesh and small entrance 
heads and, in addition, all bycatch species hauled from modified gear 
would be returned promptly to the ocean. Likewise, there would not be 
significant impacts on benthic habitats, given that 50 additional traps 
is negligible in comparison to the number of traps deployed by the 
lobster commercial fishery at large.

[[Page 66586]]

    If approved, 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: November 1, 2012.
Lindsay Fullenkamp,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-27078 Filed 11-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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