Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 21324-21325 [2016-08257]

Download as PDF 21324 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2016 / Notices bearded (Erignathus barbatus) seals during research activities; and, annual unintentional mortality of 5 Steller sea lions from the Western Distinct Population Segment (wDPS) and 10 Steller sea lions from the Eastern DPS through August 31, 2019. Permit No. 18537–01 authorizes an increase in the number of California and Steller (wDPS) sea lions taken during aerial surveys from 4,725 to 10,000, and from 48,000 to 75,000, respectively; and an increase in the volume on a single blood draw from Steller sea lions from up to 1ml/kg to up to 4ml/kg. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NMFS determined that the activities proposed are consistent with the Preferred Alternative in the 2007 Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Steller Sea Lion and Northern Fur Seal Research, and the 2014 Environmental Assessment for Issuance of Permits to take Steller Sea Lions by harassment during surveys using unmanned aerial systems that analyzed the effects of UAS, which were not considered in the initial PEIS; and that issuance of the permit would not have a significant adverse impact on the human environment. As required by the ESA, issuance of this permit was based on a finding that such permit: (1) Was applied for in good faith; (2) will not operate to the disadvantage of such endangered species; and (3) is consistent with the purposes and policies set forth in section 2 of the ESA. Dated: April 5, 2016. Julia Harrison, Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–08169 Filed 4–8–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: Economic Survey of Gulf of Mexico Dealers Associated With the VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:37 Apr 08, 2016 Jkt 238001 Gulf of Mexico Grouper-Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program. OMB Control Number: 0648–xxxx. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular (request for a new information collection). Number of Respondents: 200. Average Hours per Response: 1 hour. Burden Hours: 200. Needs and Uses: This request is for a new information collection. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposes to collect economic and attitudinal data from reef fish dealers regarding the performance of the GOM Grouper-Tilefish IFQ Program five years after its implementation. These data will be used to estimate the effects of the GT–IFQ Program on these stakeholders for the five-year program review mandated by the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (U.S.C. 1801 et seq). The population targeted by the economic survey is all federally licensed dealers that participate in the GOM reef fish fishery. In addition, the information will be used to strengthen and improve fishery management decision-making, and satisfy legal mandates under Executive Order 12866, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other pertinent statues. Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. Frequency: Once. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to OIRA_Submission@ omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395–5806. Dated: April 5, 2016. Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Clearance Officer. [FR Doc. 2016–08166 Filed 4–8–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE561 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 an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish outside of the limited access scallop regulations in support of research conducted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. These exemptions are in support of research conducted on trips to test gear modifications for bycatch reduction in the scallop dredge fishery. 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 Exempted Fishing Permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 26, 2016 ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘CFF Compensation Fishing Gear Research EFP.’’ • Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on CFF Compensation Fishing Gear Research EFP.’’ • Fax: (978) 281–9135. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fisheries Management Specialist, 978–282–8456. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on March 15, 2016, that would allow gear research to be conducted on vessels fishing under compensation fishing trips associated with five 2016 Scallop SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM 11APN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2016 / Notices Research Set-Aside (RSA) projects submitted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation that have been favorably reviewed. The exemptions would allow six commercial fishing vessels to exceed the crew size regulations at 50 CFR 648.51(c) in order to place a researcher on the vessel, and temporarily exempt the participating vessels from possession limits and minimum size requirements specified in 50 CFR part 648, subsections B and D through O, for sampling purposes only. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited, including landing fish in excess of a possession limit or below the minimum size. Experimental fishing activity would test gear modifications in an attempt to reduce finfish bycatch in the dredge fishery. The gear modifications that would be tested adhere to current scallop gear regulations and include: A no-chaffing gear dredge bag; a five-row apron without chaffing gear and a 1.5:1 twine top hanging ratio; and a ‘‘daylight skirt,’’ which would replace the rings in the skirt with three rows of 12-inch (30.48-cm) square mesh and chain. All trips would take place in scallop fishing areas open to the entire Atlantic sea scallop fishery. Exemption from crew size limits is needed because a research technician would accompany vessels on the compensation fishing trips to collect catch data associated with different dredge modifications. The crew size exemption would be for approximately 40 days-at-sea and must be used in conjunction with a valid compensation fishing letter of authorization. The additional crew would only engage in data collection activities, and would not process catch to be landed for sale. Exemption from possession limit and minimum sizes would support catch sampling activities, and ensure the vessel is not in conflict with possession regulations while collecting catch data. All catch above a possession limit or below a minimum size would be discarded as soon as practicable following data collection. For all trips, scallop catch would be evaluated by the number of baskets caught and a total catch weight would be obtained by the researcher. Total weight of bycatch species and individual measurements to the nearest centimeter would also be obtained by the researcher. If the volume of the catch is large, subsampling protocols would be necessary. All bycatch would be returned to the sea as soon as practicable following data collection. All research trips would otherwise be consistent with normal commercial VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:37 Apr 08, 2016 Jkt 238001 fishing activity and catch would be retained for sale. 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: April 6, 2016. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–08257 Filed 4–8–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA–2015–HQ–0035] Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request ACTION: Notice. The Department of Defense has submitted to OMB for clearance, the following proposal for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by May 11, 2016. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Licari, 571–372–0493. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title, Associated Form and OMB Number: Exchange Security Clearance Process for Contractor/Vendor Personnel; Exchange Form 3900–013 ‘‘Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) Request,’’ Exchange Form 3900–002 ‘‘Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS Request Form),’’ Exchange Form 3900–006 ‘‘Background Check for Vendors/Contractors;’’ OMB Control Number 0702–XXXX. Type of Request: Existing collection in use without an OMB Control Number. Number of Respondents: 2300. Responses per Respondent: 1. Annual Responses: 2300. Average Burden per Response: 120 minutes. Annual Burden Hours: 4600. Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary for SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 21325 the processing of all Army and Air Force Exchange security clearance actions, to record security clearances issued or denied, and to verify eligibility for access to classified information or assignment to a sensitive position. Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-profit. Frequency: On occasion. Respondent’s Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits. OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet Seehra. Comments and recommendations on the proposed information collection should be emailed to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra, DoD Desk Officer, at Oira_ submission@omb.eop.gov. Please identify the proposed information collection by DoD Desk Officer and the Docket ID number and title of the information collection. You may also submit comments and recommendations, identified by Docket ID number and title, by the following method: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, Docket ID number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at https:// www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. DOD Clearance Officer: Mr. Frederick Licari. Written requests for copies of the information collection proposal should be sent to Mr. Licari at WHS/ESD Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350–3100. Dated: April 6, 2016. Aaron Siegel, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2016–08246 Filed 4–8–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001–06–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary [Docket ID: DOD–2016–OS–0034] Proposed Collection; Comment Request Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), DoD. AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\11APN1.SGM 11APN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21324-21325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08257]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE561


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 an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all 
of the required information and warrants further consideration. The 
Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish 
outside of the limited access scallop regulations in support of 
research conducted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. These 
exemptions are in support of research conducted on trips to test gear 
modifications for bycatch reduction in the scallop dredge fishery.
    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 Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 26, 2016

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fisheries Management 
Specialist, 978-282-8456.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted 
a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on March 
15, 2016, that would allow gear research to be conducted on vessels 
fishing under compensation fishing trips associated with five 2016 
Scallop

[[Page 21325]]

Research Set-Aside (RSA) projects submitted by the Coonamessett Farm 
Foundation that have been favorably reviewed. The exemptions would 
allow six commercial fishing vessels to exceed the crew size 
regulations at 50 CFR 648.51(c) in order to place a researcher on the 
vessel, and temporarily exempt the participating vessels from 
possession limits and minimum size requirements specified in 50 CFR 
part 648, subsections B and D through O, for sampling purposes only. 
Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted 
fishing activity would be prohibited, including landing fish in excess 
of a possession limit or below the minimum size.
    Experimental fishing activity would test gear modifications in an 
attempt to reduce finfish bycatch in the dredge fishery. The gear 
modifications that would be tested adhere to current scallop gear 
regulations and include: A no-chaffing gear dredge bag; a five-row 
apron without chaffing gear and a 1.5:1 twine top hanging ratio; and a 
``daylight skirt,'' which would replace the rings in the skirt with 
three rows of 12-inch (30.48-cm) square mesh and chain. All trips would 
take place in scallop fishing areas open to the entire Atlantic sea 
scallop fishery.
    Exemption from crew size limits is needed because a research 
technician would accompany vessels on the compensation fishing trips to 
collect catch data associated with different dredge modifications. The 
crew size exemption would be for approximately 40 days-at-sea and must 
be used in conjunction with a valid compensation fishing letter of 
authorization. The additional crew would only engage in data collection 
activities, and would not process catch to be landed for sale. 
Exemption from possession limit and minimum sizes would support catch 
sampling activities, and ensure the vessel is not in conflict with 
possession regulations while collecting catch data. All catch above a 
possession limit or below a minimum size would be discarded as soon as 
practicable following data collection.
    For all trips, scallop catch would be evaluated by the number of 
baskets caught and a total catch weight would be obtained by the 
researcher. Total weight of bycatch species and individual measurements 
to the nearest centimeter would also be obtained by the researcher. If 
the volume of the catch is large, subsampling protocols would be 
necessary. All bycatch would be returned to the sea as soon as 
practicable following data collection.
    All research trips would otherwise be consistent with normal 
commercial fishing activity and catch would be retained for sale.
    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: April 6, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-08257 Filed 4-8-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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