Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; Horseshoe Crabs; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit, 2015, 60633-60634 [2015-25540]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 194 / Wednesday, October 7, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XS35
Marine Mammals; File No. 14450
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit
amendment.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that a
major amendment to Permit No. 14450–
03 has been issued to the National
Marine Fisheries Service’s Southeast
Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), 75
Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149
[Responsible Party: Bonnie Ponwith,
Ph.D.].
SUMMARY:
The permit amendment and
related documents are available for
review upon written request or by
appointment in the following offices:
Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301)
427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Skidmore or Amy Hapeman,
(301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 9,
2015, notice was published in the
Federal Register (80 FR 39411) that a
request for an amendment to Permit No.
14450–02 to conduct research on
cetaceans had been submitted by the
above-named applicant. The requested
permit amendment has been issued
under the authority of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and
the regulations governing the taking and
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR
part 216).
The permit amendment authorizes
takes by harassment of non-ESA listed
cetaceans during vessel surveys to
support NMFS stock assessments as
follows: 40 Bryde’s whales
(Balaenoptera edeni), 40 of each species
of short-finned (Globicephala
macrorhynchus) and long-finned (G.
melas) pilot whales, and 20 individuals
each of the 21 other authorized nonlisted cetacean species, annually. Tags
would be either suction cup
attachments or minimally invasive dart
attachments. A maximum of 2 tags
could be placed on an animal at one
time. Adults of both sexes without
calves would be tagged. In addition,
import and export of marine mammal
samples from sources, other than
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:12 Oct 06, 2015
Jkt 238001
current biopsy sampling, is authorized.
The permit expires on February 28,
2019.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Dated: October 1, 2015.
Julia Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–25502 Filed 10–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XE230
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act Provisions;
Horseshoe Crabs; Application for
Exempted Fishing Permit, 2015
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of a proposal to
conduct exempted fishing; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Director, Office of
Sustainable Fisheries, has made a
preliminary determination that the
subject exempted fishing permit (EFP)
application submitted by Limuli
Laboratories of Cape May Court House,
NJ, contains all the required information
and warrants further consideration. The
proposed EFP would allow the harvest
of up to 10,000 horseshoe crabs from the
Carl N. Shuster Jr. Horseshoe Crab
Reserve (Reserve) for biomedical
purposes and require, as a condition of
the EFP, the collection of data related to
the status of horseshoe crabs within the
reserve. The Director has also made a
preliminary determination that the
activities authorized under the EFP
would be consistent with the goals and
objectives of the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission’s (Commission)
Horseshoe Crab Interstate Fisheries
Management Plan (FMP). However,
further review and consultation may be
necessary before a final determination is
made to issue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS
announces that the Director, Office of
Sustainable Fisheries, proposes to
recommend that an EFP be issued that
would allow up to two commercial
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
60633
fishing vessels to conduct fishing
operations that are otherwise restricted
by the regulations promulgated under
the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic
Coastal Act). The EFP would allow for
an exemption from the Reserve.
Regulations under the Atlantic
Coastal Act require publication of this
notification to provide interested parties
the opportunity to comment on
applications for proposed EFPs.
DATES: Written comments on this action
must be received on or before October
19, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to Alan Risenhoover, Director,
Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13362,
Silver Spring, MD 20910. Mark the
outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on
Horseshoe Crab EFP Proposal.’’
Comments may also be sent via fax to
(301) 713–0596. Comments on this
notice may also be submitted by email
to: nmfs.state-federal@noaa.gov. Include
in the subject line of the email comment
the following document identifier:
‘‘Horseshoe Crab EFP Proposal
Comments.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Derek Orner, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, (301) 427–8567.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Limuli Laboratories submitted an
application for an EFP dated January 31,
2014, to collect up to 10,000 horseshoe
crabs for biomedical and data collection
purposes from the Reserve. The
applicant has applied for, and received,
a similar EFP every year from 2001–
2013. The current EFP application
specifies that: (1) The same methods
would be used that were used in years
2001–2013, (2) at least 15 percent of the
bled horseshoe crabs would be tagged,
and (3) there had not been any sighting
or capture of marine mammals or
endangered species in the trawling nets
of fishing vessels engaged in the
collection of horseshoe crabs since
1993. The project submitted by Limuli
Laboratories would provide
morphological data on horseshoe crab
catch, would tag a portion of the caught
horseshoe crabs, and would use the
blood from the caught horseshoe crabs
to manufacture Limulus Amebocyte
Lysate (LAL), an important health and
safety product used for the detection of
endotoxins. The LAL assay is used by
medical professionals, drug companies,
and pharmacies to detect endotoxins in
intravenous pharmaceuticals and
medical devices that come into contact
with human blood or spinal fluid.
E:\FR\FM\07OCN1.SGM
07OCN1
60634
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 194 / Wednesday, October 7, 2015 / Notices
Result of 2013 EFP
During the 2013 season, a total of
3,500 horseshoe crabs were gathered
over a period of ten days, from the
Reserve for the manufacture of LAL.
After transportation to the laboratory,
the horseshoe crabs were inspected for
size, injuries, and responsiveness. The
injured horseshoe crabs numbered 272,
or 7.8% of the total, while 36, or 1.0%,
were noted as slow moving. In addition,
three horseshoe crabs were rejected due
to small size. Overall, 3,189 horseshoe
crabs were used (bled) in the
manufacture of LAL. Two hundred of
the bled horseshoe crabs were randomly
selected for activity, morphometric and
aging studies. The activity level was
categorized as ‘‘active’’ for 192 studied
animals and ‘‘extremely active’’ for
eight. Morphometric studies noted that
average inter-ocular distances, the
prosoma widths and the weights of
these 200 horseshoe crabs trended
toward the higher end of the range
established over the study period (2001–
2011). Of the 200 horseshoe crabs
examined in 2013, more than half (57%)
were categorized as medium aged
followed by young (37%). Older animals
numbered 10 or 5% which is much less
than the percentages reported in 2010
and 2011 and similar to the 2007 year.
The 200 studied horseshoe crabs and
325 additional bled horseshoe crabs
were tagged and released into the
Delaware Bay. To date, 116 live resightings have occurred from the release
of 5,463 horseshoe crabs collected from
the Reserve. The observed horseshoe
crabs were found 1 to 8 years after
release, primarily along the Delaware
Bay shores during their spawning
season.
Data collected under previous EFPs
were supplied to NMFS, the
Commission and the State of New
Jersey. There was no EFP issued for
2014.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Proposed 2015 EFP
Limuli Laboratories proposes to
conduct an exempted fishery operation
in 2015 using the same means, methods,
and seasons proposed/utilized during
the EFPs in 2001–2013. Limuli proposes
to annually continue to tag at least 15
percent of the bled horseshoe crabs as
they did in 2013. NMFS would require
that the following terms and conditions
be met for issuance of the EFP for 2015:
1. Limiting the number of horseshoe
crabs collected in the Reserve to no
more than 500 crabs per day and to a
total of no more than 10,000 crabs per
year;
2. Requiring collections to take place
over a total of approximately 20 days
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:12 Oct 06, 2015
Jkt 238001
during the months of July, August,
September, October, and November.
(Horseshoe crabs are readily available in
harvestable concentrations nearshore
earlier in the year, and offshore in the
Reserve from July through November.);
3. Requiring that a 51⁄2 inch (14.0 cm)
flounder net be used by the vessel to
collect the horseshoe crabs. This
condition would allow for continuation
of traditional harvest gear and adds to
the consistency in the way horseshoe
crabs are harvested for data collection;
4. Limiting trawl tow times to 30
minutes as a conservation measure to
protect sea turtles, which are expected
to be migrating through the area during
the collection period, and are vulnerable
to bottom trawling;
5. Requiring that the collected
horseshoe crabs be picked up from the
fishing vessels at docks in the Cape May
Area and transported to local
laboratories, bled for LAL, and released
alive the following morning into the
Lower Delaware Bay; and
6. Requiring that any turtle take be
reported to NMFS, Northeast Region,
Assistant Regional Administrator of
Protected Resources Division, within 24
hours of returning from the trip in
which the incidental take occurred.
As part of the terms and conditions of
the EFP, for all horseshoe crabs bled for
LAL, NMFS would require that the EFP
holder provide data annually on sex
ratio and daily harvest. Also, the EFP
holder would be required to examine at
least 200 horseshoe crabs annually for
morphometric data. Terms and
conditions may be added or amended
prior to the issuance of the EFP or on
an annual basis.
The proposed EFP would exempt two
commercial vessels from regulations at
50 CFR 697.7(e) and 697.23(f), which
prohibit the harvest and possession of
horseshoe crabs from the Reserve on a
vessel with a trawl or dredge gear
aboard.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 2, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–25540 Filed 10–6–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Notice of Intent to Conduct Scoping
and to Prepare a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed
Mallows Bay—Potomac River National
Marine Sanctuary
Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct
scoping, hold public scoping meetings
and to prepare a draft environmental
impact statement and management plan.
AGENCY:
In accordance with section
304(a) of the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA)
(16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.) and based on the
resources and boundaries described in
the community-based nomination
submitted to NOAA on September 16,
2014 (nominate.noaa.gov/nominations)
NOAA is initiating a process to consider
designating Mallows Bay-Potomac River
as a national marine sanctuary. The
designation process, as required by the
NMSA, will be conducted concurrently
with a public process under the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). This
notice also informs the public that
NOAA will coordinate its
responsibilities under section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470) with its ongoing
NEPA process, pursuant to 36 CFR
800.8(a), including the use of NEPA
documents and public and stakeholder
meetings to also meet the requirements
of section 106. The public scoping
process is intended to solicit
information and comments on the range
of issues and the significant issues to be
analyzed in depth in an environmental
impact statement related to designating
this area as a national marine sanctuary.
The results of this scoping process will
assist NOAA in moving forward with
the designation process and in
formulating alternatives for the draft
environmental impact statement and
proposed regulations, including
developing sanctuary boundaries. It will
also inform the initiation of any
consultations with federal, state, or local
agencies and other interested parties, as
appropriate.
DATES: Comments must be received by
January 15, 2016. Public scoping
meetings will be held as detailed below:
(1) La Plata, MD
Date: November 4, 2015
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\07OCN1.SGM
07OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 194 (Wednesday, October 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60633-60634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25540]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE230
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions;
Horseshoe Crabs; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit, 2015
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of a proposal to conduct exempted fishing; request
for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, has made a
preliminary determination that the subject exempted fishing permit
(EFP) application submitted by Limuli Laboratories of Cape May Court
House, NJ, contains all the required information and warrants further
consideration. The proposed EFP would allow the harvest of up to 10,000
horseshoe crabs from the Carl N. Shuster Jr. Horseshoe Crab Reserve
(Reserve) for biomedical purposes and require, as a condition of the
EFP, the collection of data related to the status of horseshoe crabs
within the reserve. The Director has also made a preliminary
determination that the activities authorized under the EFP would be
consistent with the goals and objectives of the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission's (Commission) Horseshoe Crab Interstate Fisheries
Management Plan (FMP). However, further review and consultation may be
necessary before a final determination is made to issue the EFP.
Therefore, NMFS announces that the Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, proposes to recommend that an EFP be issued that would allow
up to two commercial fishing vessels to conduct fishing operations that
are otherwise restricted by the regulations promulgated under the
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal
Act). The EFP would allow for an exemption from the Reserve.
Regulations under the Atlantic Coastal Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to
comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
DATES: Written comments on this action must be received on or before
October 19, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Alan Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS, 1315 East-West
Highway, Room 13362, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Mark the outside of the
envelope ``Comments on Horseshoe Crab EFP Proposal.'' Comments may also
be sent via fax to (301) 713-0596. Comments on this notice may also be
submitted by email to: nmfs.state-federal@noaa.gov. Include in the
subject line of the email comment the following document identifier:
``Horseshoe Crab EFP Proposal Comments.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Derek Orner, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, (301) 427-8567.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Limuli Laboratories submitted an application for an EFP dated
January 31, 2014, to collect up to 10,000 horseshoe crabs for
biomedical and data collection purposes from the Reserve. The applicant
has applied for, and received, a similar EFP every year from 2001-2013.
The current EFP application specifies that: (1) The same methods would
be used that were used in years 2001-2013, (2) at least 15 percent of
the bled horseshoe crabs would be tagged, and (3) there had not been
any sighting or capture of marine mammals or endangered species in the
trawling nets of fishing vessels engaged in the collection of horseshoe
crabs since 1993. The project submitted by Limuli Laboratories would
provide morphological data on horseshoe crab catch, would tag a portion
of the caught horseshoe crabs, and would use the blood from the caught
horseshoe crabs to manufacture Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), an
important health and safety product used for the detection of
endotoxins. The LAL assay is used by medical professionals, drug
companies, and pharmacies to detect endotoxins in intravenous
pharmaceuticals and medical devices that come into contact with human
blood or spinal fluid.
[[Page 60634]]
Result of 2013 EFP
During the 2013 season, a total of 3,500 horseshoe crabs were
gathered over a period of ten days, from the Reserve for the
manufacture of LAL. After transportation to the laboratory, the
horseshoe crabs were inspected for size, injuries, and responsiveness.
The injured horseshoe crabs numbered 272, or 7.8% of the total, while
36, or 1.0%, were noted as slow moving. In addition, three horseshoe
crabs were rejected due to small size. Overall, 3,189 horseshoe crabs
were used (bled) in the manufacture of LAL. Two hundred of the bled
horseshoe crabs were randomly selected for activity, morphometric and
aging studies. The activity level was categorized as ``active'' for 192
studied animals and ``extremely active'' for eight. Morphometric
studies noted that average inter-ocular distances, the prosoma widths
and the weights of these 200 horseshoe crabs trended toward the higher
end of the range established over the study period (2001-2011). Of the
200 horseshoe crabs examined in 2013, more than half (57%) were
categorized as medium aged followed by young (37%). Older animals
numbered 10 or 5% which is much less than the percentages reported in
2010 and 2011 and similar to the 2007 year.
The 200 studied horseshoe crabs and 325 additional bled horseshoe
crabs were tagged and released into the Delaware Bay. To date, 116 live
re-sightings have occurred from the release of 5,463 horseshoe crabs
collected from the Reserve. The observed horseshoe crabs were found 1
to 8 years after release, primarily along the Delaware Bay shores
during their spawning season.
Data collected under previous EFPs were supplied to NMFS, the
Commission and the State of New Jersey. There was no EFP issued for
2014.
Proposed 2015 EFP
Limuli Laboratories proposes to conduct an exempted fishery
operation in 2015 using the same means, methods, and seasons proposed/
utilized during the EFPs in 2001-2013. Limuli proposes to annually
continue to tag at least 15 percent of the bled horseshoe crabs as they
did in 2013. NMFS would require that the following terms and conditions
be met for issuance of the EFP for 2015:
1. Limiting the number of horseshoe crabs collected in the Reserve
to no more than 500 crabs per day and to a total of no more than 10,000
crabs per year;
2. Requiring collections to take place over a total of
approximately 20 days during the months of July, August, September,
October, and November. (Horseshoe crabs are readily available in
harvestable concentrations nearshore earlier in the year, and offshore
in the Reserve from July through November.);
3. Requiring that a 5\1/2\ inch (14.0 cm) flounder net be used by
the vessel to collect the horseshoe crabs. This condition would allow
for continuation of traditional harvest gear and adds to the
consistency in the way horseshoe crabs are harvested for data
collection;
4. Limiting trawl tow times to 30 minutes as a conservation measure
to protect sea turtles, which are expected to be migrating through the
area during the collection period, and are vulnerable to bottom
trawling;
5. Requiring that the collected horseshoe crabs be picked up from
the fishing vessels at docks in the Cape May Area and transported to
local laboratories, bled for LAL, and released alive the following
morning into the Lower Delaware Bay; and
6. Requiring that any turtle take be reported to NMFS, Northeast
Region, Assistant Regional Administrator of Protected Resources
Division, within 24 hours of returning from the trip in which the
incidental take occurred.
As part of the terms and conditions of the EFP, for all horseshoe
crabs bled for LAL, NMFS would require that the EFP holder provide data
annually on sex ratio and daily harvest. Also, the EFP holder would be
required to examine at least 200 horseshoe crabs annually for
morphometric data. Terms and conditions may be added or amended prior
to the issuance of the EFP or on an annual basis.
The proposed EFP would exempt two commercial vessels from
regulations at 50 CFR 697.7(e) and 697.23(f), which prohibit the
harvest and possession of horseshoe crabs from the Reserve on a vessel
with a trawl or dredge gear aboard.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: October 2, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-25540 Filed 10-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
