Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 45459-45460 [2016-16675]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 135 / Thursday, July 14, 2016 / Notices asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES ex-vessel value of crab harvested under the Program. The Program provides that a proportional share of fees charged for management and enforcement be forwarded to the State of Alaska for its share of management and data collection costs for the Program. The cost recovery provision also requires the harvesting and processing sectors to each pay half the cost recovery fees. Catcher/processor quota shareholders are required to pay the full fee percentage for crab processed at sea. A crab allocation holder generally incurs a cost recovery fee liability for every pound of crab landed. The crab allocations include Individual Fishing Quota, Crew Individual Fishing Quota, Individual Processing Quota, Community Development Quota, and the Adak community allocation. The Registered Crab Receiver (RCR) permit holder must collect the fee liability from the crab allocation holder who is landing crab. Additionally, the RCR permit holder must collect his or her own fee liability for all crab delivered to the RCR. The RCR permit holder is responsible for submitting this payment to NMFS on or before July 31, in the year following the crab fishing year in which landings of crab were made. The dollar amount of the fee due is determined by multiplying the fee percentage (not to exceed 3 percent) by the ex-vessel value of crab debited from the allocation. Specific details on the Program’s cost recovery provision may be found in the implementing regulations at 50 CFR 680.44. Fee Percentage Each year, NMFS calculates and publishes in the Federal Register the fee percentage according to the factors and methodology described in Federal regulations at § 680.44(c)(2). The formula for determining the fee percentage is the ‘‘direct program costs’’ divided by ‘‘value of the fishery,’’ where ‘‘direct program costs’’ are the direct program costs for the Program for the previous fiscal year, and ‘‘value of the fishery’’ is the ex-vessel value of the catch subject to the crab cost recovery fee liability for the current year. Fee collections for any given year may be less than, or greater than, the actual costs and fishery value for that year, because, by regulation, the fee percentage is established in the first quarter of a crab fishery year based on the fishery value and the costs of the prior year. Based upon the fee percentage formula described above, the estimated percentage of costs to value for the 2015/2016 fishery was 1.60 percent. Therefore, the fee percentage will be VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:33 Jul 13, 2016 Jkt 238001 1.60 percent for the 2016/2017 crab fishing year. This is an increase of 0.12 percent from the 2015/2016 fee percentage of 1.48 percent (80 FR 42792, July 20, 2015). The change in the fee percentage from 2015/2016 to 2016/ 2017 is due to an increase in Alaska Department of Fish and Game management costs. These additional costs were necessary to process, analyze, and report fishery data for monitoring and management of the crab fisheries in the Program. Additionally, the value of crab harvested under the Program decreased by $1.6 million. This decrease in value of the fishery contributed to the increase in the fee percentage between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1862; Pub. L. 109– 241; Pub. L. 109–479. Dated: July 11, 2016. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–16655 Filed 7–13–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XE691 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 one commercial fishing vessel to fish outside of the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass regulations in support of research conducted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension. These exemptions would enable research designed to quantify codend mesh selectivity for summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup. Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45459 applications for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 29, 2016. ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘CCE FSB mesh selectivity 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 CCE FSB mesh selectivity EFP.’’ • Fax: (978) 281–9135. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Scheimer, Fisheries Management Specialist, 978–281–9236. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on June 6, 2016. They are seeking regulatory exemptions to allow gear research to be conducted on a commercial vessel fishing for a project funded by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s collaborative research initiative. The EFP would authorize exemptions from the minimum mesh size and net modification requirements found at 50 CFR 648.108, 648.125, and 648.144. 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 compare the composition, commercial yield, retention efficiency, discards, and size selectivity of five different codends in the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass commercial bottom trawl fishery in the Mid-Atlantic. The current regulated mesh sizes are 5.5-inch (13.97cm) diamond or 6-inch (15.24-cm) square for summer flounder, 5-inch (12.7-cm) diamond for scup, and 4.5inch (11.43-cm) diamond for black sea bass. This project would test diamond mesh in 4.5-inch (11.43-cm), 5-inch (12.7-cm), 5.5-inch (13.97-cm), 6-inch (15.24-cm), and 6-inch (15.24-cm) square mesh. The research would be conducted on a commercial fishing vessel using a trouser trawl that would allow an experimental codend and the control codend to be fished at the same time. The control codend would be a standard squid liner with 6-cm diamond mesh. The researchers would conduct the experiment across the wide range of strata and conditions representative of this fishery. Tow speeds, tow cable E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM 14JYN1 45460 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 135 / Thursday, July 14, 2016 / Notices scope, and tow cable length would be consistent across all tows. The researchers propose to conduct 20 tows per experimental codend, for a total of 100 tows. Up to 20 days of fishing would occur between August 15 and December 31, 2016, south of Block Island and Long Island, in statistical areas 539, 613, 612, and 611. The researchers would not fish in the scup gear restricted areas or the Summer Flounder Fishery Sea Turtle Protection Area. Onboard catch processing would follow NMFS trawl survey standards. Total summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup would be weighed for each tow. Researchers will target a minimum of 200 random length measurements of each species to be sampled for each tow, but if fewer individuals are caught then all would be measured. CCE’s anticipated catch is shown in table 1. TABLE 1—TOTAL ESTIMATED CATCH FOR 100 TOWS DURING MESH SELECTIVITY STUDY Species Legal Summer Flounder ................................................................................................................... Black Sea Bass ...................................................................................................................... Scup ........................................................................................................................................ Incidental Catch: Skates .............................................................................................................................. Dogfish spiny & smooth .................................................................................................. Whiting (silver hake) ........................................................................................................ Ling (red hake) ................................................................................................................ Squid (longfin) ................................................................................................................. 18,000 lb (8.1 mt) .......... 27,000 lb (12.2 mt) ........ 50,000 (22.7 mt) ............ CCE would contract one commercial fishing vessel that is licensed for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass in both New Jersey and New York. Fish would be landed and sold according to the appropriate state limits and be applied against the applicable annual catch limit. CCE would direct all experimental fishing activities that would occur under this EFP. This exemption may increase bycatch numbers beyond those that would normally occur within the fishery; however, the additional mortality will not exceed any catch limits and is therefore negligible. Bycatch will be returned to the water as quickly as possible to reduce mortality. 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. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Dated: July 11, 2016. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2016–16675 Filed 7–13–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:33 Jul 13, 2016 Jkt 238001 30,000 30,000 30,000 15,000 10,000 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Science Advisory Board; Meetings Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). AGENCY: ACTION: Notice of open meeting. The Science Advisory Board (SAB) was established by a Decision Memorandum dated September 25, 1997, and is the only Federal Advisory Committee with responsibility to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on strategies for research, education, and application of science to operations and information services. SAB activities and advice provide necessary input to ensure that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) science programs are of the highest quality and provide optimal support to resource management. Time and Date: The meeting will be held Tuesday August 2 from 9:15 a.m. CDT to 5:30 p.m. CDT and on Wednesday August 3 from 8:15 a.m. CDT to 1:30 p.m. CDT. These times and the agenda topics described below are subject to change. Please refer to the Web page https://www.sab.noaa.gov/ Meetings/meetings.html for the most upto-date meeting times and agenda. Place: The meeting will be held at the Bryant Conference Center, 240 Paul W. Bryant Dr., Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Please check the SAB Web site https:// www.sab.noaa.gov/Meetings/ SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 lb lb lb lb lb Sub-legal 9,000 lb (4.0 mt). 13,500 lb (6.1 mt). 25,000 lb (11.3 mt). (13.6 mt). (13.6 mt). (13.6 mt). (6.8 mt). (4.5 mt). meetings.html for directions to the meeting location. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 15-minute public comment period on August 2 from 12:30–12:45 p.m. CDT (check Web site to confirm time). The SAB expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted verbal or written statements. In general, each individual or group making a verbal presentation will be limited to a total time of two (2) minutes. Individuals or groups planning to make a verbal presentation should contact the SAB Acting Executive Director by July 26, 2016 to schedule their presentation. Written comments should be received in the SAB Executive Director’s Office by July 26, 2016, to provide sufficient time for SAB review. Written comments received by the SAB Executive Director after July 26, 2016, will be distributed to the SAB, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. Seating at the meeting will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis. Special Accommodations: These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for special accommodations may be directed no later than 12:00 p.m. on July 26, 2016, to Dr. Cynthia Decker, SAB Executive Director, SSMC3, Room 11230, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Email: Cynthia.Decker@noaa.gov. Matters To Be Considered: The meeting will include the following topics: (1) Report on Arctic Research Review from the Ecosystem Sciences and Management Working Group; (2) Updates from the NOAA Administrator and Chief Scientist; (3) NOAA Response E:\FR\FM\14JYN1.SGM 14JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45459-45460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16675]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE691


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 one commercial fishing vessel to 
fish outside of the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass 
regulations in support of research conducted by the Cornell Cooperative 
Extension. These exemptions would enable research designed to quantify 
codend mesh selectivity for summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup.
    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 July 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line 
``CCE FSB mesh selectivity 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 
CCE FSB mesh selectivity EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Scheimer, Fisheries 
Management Specialist, 978-281-9236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on June 6, 2016. They are seeking regulatory exemptions to allow gear 
research to be conducted on a commercial vessel fishing for a project 
funded by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's collaborative 
research initiative. The EFP would authorize exemptions from the 
minimum mesh size and net modification requirements found at 50 CFR 
648.108, 648.125, and 648.144. 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 compare the composition, 
commercial yield, retention efficiency, discards, and size selectivity 
of five different codends in the summer flounder, scup, and black sea 
bass commercial bottom trawl fishery in the Mid-Atlantic. The current 
regulated mesh sizes are 5.5-inch (13.97-cm) diamond or 6-inch (15.24-
cm) square for summer flounder, 5-inch (12.7-cm) diamond for scup, and 
4.5-inch (11.43-cm) diamond for black sea bass. This project would test 
diamond mesh in 4.5-inch (11.43-cm), 5-inch (12.7-cm), 5.5-inch (13.97-
cm), 6-inch (15.24-cm), and 6-inch (15.24-cm) square mesh.
    The research would be conducted on a commercial fishing vessel 
using a trouser trawl that would allow an experimental codend and the 
control codend to be fished at the same time. The control codend would 
be a standard squid liner with 6-cm diamond mesh.
    The researchers would conduct the experiment across the wide range 
of strata and conditions representative of this fishery. Tow speeds, 
tow cable

[[Page 45460]]

scope, and tow cable length would be consistent across all tows. The 
researchers propose to conduct 20 tows per experimental codend, for a 
total of 100 tows. Up to 20 days of fishing would occur between August 
15 and December 31, 2016, south of Block Island and Long Island, in 
statistical areas 539, 613, 612, and 611. The researchers would not 
fish in the scup gear restricted areas or the Summer Flounder Fishery 
Sea Turtle Protection Area. Onboard catch processing would follow NMFS 
trawl survey standards. Total summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup 
would be weighed for each tow. Researchers will target a minimum of 200 
random length measurements of each species to be sampled for each tow, 
but if fewer individuals are caught then all would be measured. CCE's 
anticipated catch is shown in table 1.

                    Table 1--Total Estimated Catch for 100 Tows During Mesh Selectivity Study
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Species                                Legal                                Sub-legal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer Flounder....................  18,000 lb (8.1 mt)...................  9,000 lb (4.0 mt).
Black Sea Bass.....................  27,000 lb (12.2 mt)..................  13,500 lb (6.1 mt).
Scup...............................  50,000 (22.7 mt).....................  25,000 lb (11.3 mt).
Incidental Catch:
    Skates.........................  30,000 lb (13.6 mt)..................
    Dogfish spiny & smooth.........  30,000 lb (13.6 mt)..................
    Whiting (silver hake)..........  30,000 lb (13.6 mt)..................
    Ling (red hake)................  15,000 lb (6.8 mt)...................
    Squid (longfin)................  10,000 lb (4.5 mt)...................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CCE would contract one commercial fishing vessel that is licensed 
for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass in both New Jersey and 
New York. Fish would be landed and sold according to the appropriate 
state limits and be applied against the applicable annual catch limit. 
CCE would direct all experimental fishing activities that would occur 
under this EFP. This exemption may increase bycatch numbers beyond 
those that would normally occur within the fishery; however, the 
additional mortality will not exceed any catch limits and is therefore 
negligible. Bycatch will be returned to the water as quickly as 
possible to reduce mortality.
    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.

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

    Dated: July 11, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16675 Filed 7-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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