Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 15683-15684 [2016-06687]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2016 / Notices asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES least 24 hours in advance of each Webinar. SEDAR address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405. www.sedarweb.org. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia Byrd, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; phone (843) 571– 4366; email: julia.byrd@safmc.net. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Agenda The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions, have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks in the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a threestep process including: (1) Data Workshop; (2) Assessment Process utilizing webinars; and (3) Review Workshop. The product of the Data Workshop is a data report which compiles and evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are appropriate for assessment analyses. The product of the Assessment Process is a stock assessment report which describes the fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends research and monitoring needs. The assessment is independently peer reviewed at the Review Workshop. The product of the Review Workshop is a Summary documenting panel opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data. Participants for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants include: data collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists, biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including fishermen, environmentalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); international experts; and staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies. The SEDAR Data Best Practices Standing Panel is charged with developing, reviewing, and evaluating best practice recommendations for SEDAR Data Workshops. This will be VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:44 Mar 23, 2016 Jkt 238001 the first meeting of this group. The items of discussion for this webinar are as follows: 1. Select Panel Chair. 2. Develop terms of reference specifying the Panel’s purpose and approach. 3. Recommend organizing committee for Stock ID/Meristics workshop. 4. Provide input on topic for next SEDAR Procedural Workshop. 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 identified 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 intent to take final action to address the emergency. Special Accommodations This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to the SAFMC office (see ADDRESSES) at least ten working days prior to the meeting. Note: The times and sequence specified in this agenda are subject to change. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: March 21, 2016. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–06671 Filed 3–23–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE492 Magnuson-Stevens 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. AGENCY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that Exempted Fishing Permits to facilitate the use of monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea warrants further consideration. This notice is to provide SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 15683 interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 8, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on 2016 Monkfish RSA EFP.’’ • Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on 2016 Monkfish RSA EFP.’’ • Fax: (978) 281–9135. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid Lichwell, Fishery Management Specialist, (978) 282–9112, Reid.Lichwell@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) would facilitate monkfish research set-aside (RSA) compensation fishing in support of projects funded under the 2016 monkfish RSA competition. Project proposals are currently under review. Consistent with previous monkfish RSA compensation fishing EFPs, vessels fishing under a RSA days-at-sea (DAS) would be authorized to harvest monkfish in excess of the landing limits in the Northern and Southern Monkfish Fishery Management Areas. The monkfish RSA program has been allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS as established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (70 FR 21929, April 28, 2005). These monkfish RSA DAS would be divided between research award recipients and sold to fishermen to fund approved monkfish research projects. Award recipients receive an allocation of RSA DAS and a maximum amount of landed weight that may be landed under available DAS. Projects are constrained to the total DAS or maximum available landing weight, whichever is reached first. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service uses 32,000 lb (14.51 mt) of whole monkfish for each RSA DAS to calculate a maximum allocation of 1,600,000 lb (725.75 mt) to be harvested under these projects. As an example, a project awarded 100 RSA DAS would receive a maximum RSA harvest limit of 320,000 lb (144.1 mt) of whole monkfish (or tail weight equivalent) to be landed. Allowing vessels an exemption from monkfish landing limits provides an incentive for vessels to purchase RSA DAS to catch more monkfish per-trip, while constraining each project to a maximum available harvest limit E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM 24MRN1 15684 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2016 / Notices ensures that the overall monkfish RSA allocation will not be exceeded. If approved, the applicants 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 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. Written comments on this application should be submitted to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, at the address listed above. Comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 713–0376, or by email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please include the File No. in the subject line of the email comment. Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a written request to the Chief, Permits and Conservation Division at the address listed above. The request should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be appropriate. Dated: March 21, 2016. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. Rosa ´ L. Gonzalez or Amy Hapeman, (301) 427–8401. [FR Doc. 2016–06687 Filed 3–23–16; 8:45 am] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE517 Endangered Species; File No. 19697 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that Carlos E. Diez, Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico, Programa de Especies Protegidas, P.O. Box 366147, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936, has applied in due form for a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research. DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email comments must be received on or before April 25, 2016. ADDRESSES: The application and related documents are available for review by selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on the Applications and Permits for Protected Species (APPS) home page, https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting File No. 19697 from the list of available applications. These documents are also available upon written request or by appointment in the 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. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:44 Mar 23, 2016 Jkt 238001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The subject permit is requested under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and the regulations governing the taking, importing, and exporting of endangered and threatened species (50 CFR parts 222–226). The applicant requests a five-year research permit to continue long-term projects studying green and hawksbill sea turtle aggregations in the coastal waters of Puerto Rico, including Mona, Monito, and Desecheo Islands, and Culebra Archipelago. Proposed research would involve vessel surveys for abundance counts and capture by hand or tangle nets to assess the population structure, trends in relative abundance, habitat utilization, genetics, zoogeography, and epidemiology of sea turtles in their foraging habitats. Annually, up to 150 green and 150 hawksbill sea turtles would be captured. Each turtle would be flipper and passive integrated transponder tagged, measured, weighed, photographed/ videoed, and may be blood and tissue sampled. A subset of up to 10 sea turtles annually of each species may also be outfitted with satellite transmitters to track movements post-release. Another subset of up to 10 green sea turtles would also be authorized for ultrasound and tumor removal surgery in a local facility. Dated: March 18, 2016. Julia Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–06682 Filed 3–23–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE503 Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Seabird Monitoring and Research in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, 2016 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental harassment authorization; request for comments. AGENCY: NMFS (hereinafter, ‘‘we’’ or ‘‘our’’) received an application from Glacier Bay National Park (Glacier Bay NP) requesting an Incidental Harassment Authorization (Authorization) to take marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting proposed seabird monitoring and research activities within Glacier Bay National Park from May through September, 2016. Per the Marine Mammal Protection Act, we request comments on our proposal to issue an Authorization to Point Blue to incidentally take, by Level B harassment only, one species of marine mammal, the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) during the specified activity. DATES: NMFS must receive comments and information no later than April 25, 2016. ADDRESSES: Address comments on the application to Jolie Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. The mailbox address for providing email comments is ITP.Pauline@noaa.gov. You must include 0648–XE503 in the subject line. We are not responsible for email comments sent to addresses other than the one provided here. Comments sent via email, including all attachments, must not exceed a 25-megabyte file size. NMFS is not responsible for email comments sent to addresses other than the one provided here. Instructions: All submitted comments are a part of the public record and NMFS will post them to https:// www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ incidental/research.htm without change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\24MRN1.SGM 24MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 57 (Thursday, March 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15683-15684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06687]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE492


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.

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

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that Exempted Fishing Permits to facilitate the use of 
monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea warrants further consideration. 
This notice is to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment 
on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on 2016 Monkfish RSA EFP.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, 
MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 2016 Monkfish 
RSA EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reid Lichwell, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 282-9112, Reid.Lichwell@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) would 
facilitate monkfish research set-aside (RSA) compensation fishing in 
support of projects funded under the 2016 monkfish RSA competition. 
Project proposals are currently under review. Consistent with previous 
monkfish RSA compensation fishing EFPs, vessels fishing under a RSA 
days-at-sea (DAS) would be authorized to harvest monkfish in excess of 
the landing limits in the Northern and Southern Monkfish Fishery 
Management Areas.
    The monkfish RSA program has been allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS as 
established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Councils (70 FR 21929, April 28, 2005). These monkfish RSA DAS would be 
divided between research award recipients and sold to fishermen to fund 
approved monkfish research projects. Award recipients receive an 
allocation of RSA DAS and a maximum amount of landed weight that may be 
landed under available DAS. Projects are constrained to the total DAS 
or maximum available landing weight, whichever is reached first. NOAA's 
National Marine Fisheries Service uses 32,000 lb (14.51 mt) of whole 
monkfish for each RSA DAS to calculate a maximum allocation of 
1,600,000 lb (725.75 mt) to be harvested under these projects. As an 
example, a project awarded 100 RSA DAS would receive a maximum RSA 
harvest limit of 320,000 lb (144.1 mt) of whole monkfish (or tail 
weight equivalent) to be landed. Allowing vessels an exemption from 
monkfish landing limits provides an incentive for vessels to purchase 
RSA DAS to catch more monkfish per-trip, while constraining each 
project to a maximum available harvest limit

[[Page 15684]]

ensures that the overall monkfish RSA allocation will not be exceeded.
    If approved, the applicants 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 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, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-06687 Filed 3-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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