Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting, 21368-21369 [2017-09222]
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21368
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 87 / Monday, May 8, 2017 / Notices
You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
• Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments
on CFF Extended Link Apron EFP.’’
• Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional
Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside
of the envelope ‘‘Comments on CFF
Extended Link Apron EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alyson Pitts, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978–281–9352, alyson.pitts@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
submitted a complete application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on
March 30, 2017, to conduct commercial
fishing activities that the regulations
would otherwise restrict. The EFP
would authorize four vessels to test the
efficacy of an extended link scallop
dredge apron at reducing the capture of
yellowtail and windowpane flounder
and small scallops over the duration of
four directed research cruises. The EFP
would support research associated with
a project titled ‘‘Development of an
Extended Link Apron: A Broad Range
Tool for Bycatch Reduction,’’ that has
been funded under the 2017 Atlantic
Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA)
Program.
ADDRESSES:
CFF is requesting exemptions that
would exempt four commercial fishing
vessels from the following regulations:
• Atlantic sea scallop days-at-sea (DAS)
allocations at 50 CFR 648.53(b)
• Crew size restrictions at § 648.51(c)
• Atlantic sea scallop observer program
requirements at § 648.11(g)
• Access area program requirements at
§ 648.59(a)(1)–(3), (b)(2), (b)(4)
• Rotational closed area exemptions for
Closed Area I Access Area at
§ 648.60(c), Closed Area II Access
Area at § 648.60(d), Closed Area II
Extension Scallop Rotational Area at
§ 648.60(e) and Nantucket Lightship
Scallop Rotational Area at § 648.60(f)
• Possession limits and minimum size
requirements specified in 50 CFR part
648, subsections B and D through O,
to allow temporary possession for
biological sampling. Any fishing
activity conducted outside the scope
of the exempted fishing activity
would be prohibited.
Four vessels would conduct scallop
dredging in July 1, 2017–January 31,
2018, on a total of four 7-day trips, for
a total of 28 DAS. Each trip would
complete approximately 15 tows per
DAS for an overall total of 420 tows for
the project. In addition to open areas,
tows could occur in Closed Area I and
II Scallop Access Areas, Closed Area II
Extension Scallop Rotational Area, and
Nantucket Lightship Scallop Rotational
Area. Trips would be centralized around
areas with high yellowtail and winter
flounder bycatch and in areas with a
mixed abundance of harvestable size
and pre-recruit scallops.
The four trips would fish two 15-foot
(4.57-m) Turtle Deflector Dredges,
towed for a maximum duration of 30
minutes with a tow speed of 4.8–5.1
knots. One dredge would be rigged with
a standard linked bag while the other
would be rigged with a uni-directional
extended link apron. Standard linking is
defined as a single link between ring
spaces, and the extended link is defined
as two links linked together between
rings. Both dredges would use 4-inch
(10.16-cm) rings and a 10-inch (25.40cm) twine top.
For all tows, the sea scallop catch
would be counted into baskets and
weighed. One basket from each dredge
would be randomly selected and the
scallops would be measured in 5-mm
increments to determine size selectivity.
Finfish catch would be sorted by species
and then counted, weighed, and
measured in 1-mm increments.
Depending on the volume of scallops
and finfish captured, the catch would be
subsampled as necessary. No catch
would be retained for longer than
needed to conduct sampling and no
finfish or scallop catch would be landed
for sale. Table 1, below contains an
estimate of the finfish catch anticipated
for the project.
TABLE 1—CFF EXTENDED LINK APRON PROJECT CATCH ESTIMATES
Scientific name
NE Skate Complex (excluding barndoor skate) ..............
Barndoor Skate ................................................................
Summer Flounder ............................................................
Winter Flounder ...............................................................
Yellowtail Flounder ..........................................................
Windowpane Flounder .....................................................
Monkfish ...........................................................................
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Species
Rajidae Species ..............................................................
Dipturus laevis ................................................................
Paralichthys dentatus .....................................................
Pseudopleuronectes americanus ...................................
Limanda ferruginea .........................................................
Scopthalmus aquosus ....................................................
Lophius americanus ........................................................
CFF needs these exemptions to allow
them to conduct experimental dredge
towing without being charged DAS, and
to deploy gear in closed access areas
where concentrations of primary
bycatch species are sufficiently high to
provide statistically robust results.
Participating vessels need crew size
waivers to accommodate science
personnel, and possession waivers will
enable researchers to conduct finfish
sampling activities. The project would
be exempt from the sea scallop observer
program requirements because activities
conducted on the trip are not consistent
with normal fishing operations.
If approved, the applicant may
request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:27 May 05, 2017
Jkt 241001
Number
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: May 3, 2017.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–09280 Filed 5–5–17; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF359
Fisheries of the South Atlantic;
Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 50 Assessment
Workshop for Atlantic blueline tilefish.
AGENCY:
The SEDAR 50 assessment of
the Atlantic stock of blueline tilefish
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM
08MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 87 / Monday, May 8, 2017 / Notices
will consist of a series of workshops and
webinars: Stock ID Work Group
Meeting; Data Workshop; Assessment
Workshop and Webinars; and a Review
Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
The SEDAR 50 Assessment
Workshop will be held on May 23–25,
2017, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and
May 26, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. until 1
p.m. The established times may be
adjusted as necessary to accommodate
the timeline completion of discussion
relevant to the assessment process. Such
adjustments may result in the meeting
be extended from, or completed prior to
the time established by this notice.
Additional Assessment Webinars and
the Review Workshop dates and times
will publish in a subsequent issue in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting address: The SEDAR 50
Assessment Workshop will be held at
the Doubletree by Hilton Atlantic Beach
Oceanfront Hotel, 2712 West Fort
Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512;
phone: (252) 240–1155.
SEDAR address: South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 4055
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N.
Charleston, SC 29405;
www.sedarweb.org.
DATES:
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: 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 a workshop and/or 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
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:27 May 05, 2017
Jkt 241001
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 items of discussion at the
Assessment Workshop are as follows:
1. Participants will use datasets
provided by the Data Workshop to
develop population models to evaluate
stock status, estimate population
benchmarks and Sustainable Fisheries
Act criteria, and project future
conditions, as specified in the Terms of
Reference.
2. Participants will recommend the
most appropriate methods and
configurations for determining stock
status and estimating population
parameters.
3. Participants will prepare a
workshop report, compare and contrast
various assessment approaches, and
determine whether the assessments are
adequate for submission to the review
panel.
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 10
business 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.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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21369
Dated: May 3, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–09222 Filed 5–5–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF379
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
from the University of Rhode Island to
conduct flatfish bycatch reduction in
the limited access general category
scallop fishery contains all of the
required information and warrants
further consideration.
Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of
this notice intended to provide
interested parties the opportunity to
comment on applications for proposed
Exempted Fishing Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before May 23, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘URI 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 URI Gear Research EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shannah Jaburek, Fisheries Management
Specialist, 978–282–8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
University of Rhode Island submitted a
complete application for an EFP on
February 23, 2017, in support of
research associated with a 2016 Bycatch
Reduction Engineering Program grant
titled ‘‘The Flatfish Deflector Bar:
Excluding Flatfish from Scallop Dredges
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\08MYN1.SGM
08MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 87 (Monday, May 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21368-21369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09222]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF359
Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Southeast Data, Assessment, and
Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 50 Assessment Workshop for Atlantic blueline
tilefish.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The SEDAR 50 assessment of the Atlantic stock of blueline
tilefish
[[Page 21369]]
will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: Stock ID Work Group
Meeting; Data Workshop; Assessment Workshop and Webinars; and a Review
Workshop. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
DATES: The SEDAR 50 Assessment Workshop will be held on May 23-25,
2017, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and May 26, 2017, from 8:30 a.m.
until 1 p.m. The established times may be adjusted as necessary to
accommodate the timeline completion of discussion relevant to the
assessment process. Such adjustments may result in the meeting be
extended from, or completed prior to the time established by this
notice. Additional Assessment Webinars and the Review Workshop dates
and times will publish in a subsequent issue in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting address: The SEDAR 50 Assessment Workshop will be held at
the Doubletree by Hilton Atlantic Beach Oceanfront Hotel, 2712 West
Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512; phone: (252) 240-1155.
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: 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 three-step process
including: (1) Data Workshop; (2) Assessment Process utilizing a
workshop and/or 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 non-
governmental organizations (NGOs); international experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.
The items of discussion at the Assessment Workshop are as follows:
1. Participants will use datasets provided by the Data Workshop to
develop population models to evaluate stock status, estimate population
benchmarks and Sustainable Fisheries Act criteria, and project future
conditions, as specified in the Terms of Reference.
2. Participants will recommend the most appropriate methods and
configurations for determining stock status and estimating population
parameters.
3. Participants will prepare a workshop report, compare and
contrast various assessment approaches, and determine whether the
assessments are adequate for submission to the review panel.
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 10 business 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: May 3, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-09222 Filed 5-5-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
