Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit, 11728-11729 [2018-05334]
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11728
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 52 / Friday, March 16, 2018 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
meeting was previously scheduled for
1:30 to 4 p.m. It will now begin at 1 p.m.
and end at 4 p.m. The original notice
published in the Federal Register on
March 12, 2018 (83 FR 10678). All other
previously published information
remains unchanged.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at
(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 13, 2018.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–05397 Filed 3–15–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XG091
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
The Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has
made a preliminary determination that
an Exempted Fishing Permit application
submitted by the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center contains all of the
required information and warrants
further consideration. This Exempted
Fishing Permit would exempt
participating vessels from the following
types of fishery regulations: Minimum
fish size restrictions; fish possession
limits; and, in limited situations for
research purposes only, retaining and
landing prohibited fish species.
Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of
this notice to provide interested parties
the opportunity to comment on
Exempted Fishing Permit applications.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before April 2, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by either of the following
methods:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments
on NEFSC Study Fleet EFP.’’
• Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional
Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Mark the outside of the envelope
‘‘Comments on NEFSC Study Fleet
EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management
SUMMARY:
Specialist, 978–281–9232,
Spencer.Talmage@noaa.gov.
The
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
submitted a complete application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on
February 9, 2018, for the 2018 Study
Fleet Program. The EFP would exempt
31 commercial fishing vessels from the
minimum size and possession limits for
species of interest, as well as allow
temporary retention of species that will
be discarded.
The Center established the Study
Fleet Program in 2002 to more fully
characterize commercial fishing
operations and provide sampling
opportunities to augment NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service’s data
collection programs. Partnership with
the commercial fishing industry allows
the Center to provide samples for stock
assessment and fish biology research
when traditional sampling sources
might otherwise be unavailable. Table 1
includes all of the regulations specified
at 50 CFR part 648 that participating
vessels would be exempt from for at-sea
sampling, or when retaining and
landing fish for research purposes. The
exemptions listed in Table 1 are
necessary for contracted vessels to
acquire the biological samples needed to
meet Center research objectives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
TABLE 1—SPECIFIC REGULATIONS COVERED BY THE PROPOSED EXEMPTED FISHING PERMIT
NEFSC Study Fleet Program EFP
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Number of Vessels .......................................................................
Exempted regulations in 50 CFR part 648 ...................................
Any fish retained under the EFP
would be delivered to Center staff upon
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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31.
Size limits:
§ 648.83 NE multispecies minimum sizes.
§ 648.93 Monkfish minimum fish size.
§ 648.147 Black sea bass minimum fish size.
Possession restrictions:
§ 648.86(a) Haddock.
§ 648.86(b) Atlantic cod.
§ 648.86(c) Atlantic halibut.
§ 648.86(d) Small-mesh multispecies.
§ 648.86(l) Zero retention of Atlantic wolffish and windowpane flounder.
§ 648.86(o) Possession limits implemented by Regional Administrator.
§ 648.94 Monkfish possession limit.
§ 648.322 Skate possession and landing restrictions.
§ 648.145 Black sea bass possession limits.
§ 648.92(b)(2)(i) Prohibition from landing NE multispecies on monkfish-only
day-at-sea.
§ 648.293 Golden tilefish.
landing. Additionally, prior to landing,
the Center would issue a formal
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Biological Sampling Request to the
vessel to retain fish for the Study Fleet
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 52 / Friday, March 16, 2018 / Notices
Program. This would ensure that the
landed fish do not exceed any collection
needs of the Study Fleet Program, as
detailed below in Table 2.
All catch would be attributed to the
appropriate commercial fishing quota.
For a vessel fishing on a groundfish
sector trip, all catch of groundfish stocks
allocated to sectors would be deducted
from its sector’s Annual Catch
Entitlement (ACE). Once the ACE for a
stock has been reached in a sector,
vessels would no longer be allowed to
fish in that stock area unless the sector
acquires additional ACE for the stock in
question. For common pool vessels, all
groundfish catch would be counted
toward the appropriate trimester total
allowable catch (TAC). Common pool
vessels would be exempt from
possession and trip limits, but would
still be subject to trimester TAC
closures.
Vessels fishing under this EFP would
be required to report via their Vessel
Monitoring System (VMS) or the
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system
to identify trips that would be landing
species below minimum size limits and/
or in excess of possession limits. Vessels
not landing fish for the Center but
temporarily possessing fish for at-sea
sampling would not be required to call
into the IVR system or report via VMS.
TABLE 2—STUDY FLEET PROGRAM’S BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE COLLECTION NEEDS
Species
Stock area *
Gear types #
Collection
frequency
Individual fish per
collection period
Maximum weight
allowed per trip
(lb)
Windowpane flounder.
Monkfish .................
GOM, GB ............
OTF, DRS ...........
Monthly ................
40 ea./mo ............
30 ........................
360
GOM, GB, SNE ...
OTF, GNS, DRS
Monthly ................
750 ......................
9,000
Haddock .................
GOM, GB, SNE ...
Monthly/Seasonal
320 ......................
1600
Atlantic cod ............
GOM, GB, SNE ...
Monthly ................
120 ea./mo ..........
270 ......................
7,200
Barndoor skate ......
Thorny skate ..........
Black sea bass ......
Atlantic wolffish ......
Cusk .......................
Atlantic halibut .......
Butterfish ................
Blueline tilefish .......
Golden tilefish ........
Atlantic herring .......
GOM, GB, SNE ...
GOM, GB, SNE ...
GB, SNE .............
GOM, GB ............
GOM, GB ............
GOM, GB ............
SNE, MA .............
SNE, MA .............
SNE, MA .............
Any Area .............
Quarterly .............
Quarterly .............
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
20 ea./qtr .............
20 ea./qtr .............
30 ea./mo ............
40 ea./mo ............
40 ea./mo ............
20 ea./mo ............
150 ea./mo ..........
20 ea./mo ............
20 ea./mo ............
100 ea./mo ..........
150 ......................
150 ......................
180 ......................
160 ......................
140 ......................
500 ......................
75 ........................
100 ......................
150 ......................
100 ......................
600
600
2,160
3,500
3,600
6,000
900
1,200
1,800
1,200
River herring/shad
Any Area .............
Monthly ................
Any Area .............
Monthly ................
100 ea./mo of ea.
species.
100 ea./mo ..........
100 of ea. species
Round herring ........
100 ......................
1,200 of ea.
species
1,200
Silver hake .............
Any Area .............
Monthly ................
100 ea./mo ..........
260 ......................
3,120
Atlantic mackerel ...
Any Area .............
Monthly ................
100 ea./mo ..........
260 ......................
3,120
Shortfin squid .........
Sand lance .............
Any Area .............
Any Area .............
Monthly ................
Monthly ................
100 ea./mo ..........
100 ea./mo ..........
75 ........................
25 ........................
900
300
Longfin squid .........
Any Area .............
OTF, LLB, GNS,
DRS.
OTF, LLB, GNS,
DRS.
OTF, GNS, DRS
OTF, GNS, DRS
PTF, OTF ............
OTF,GNS, LLB ....
OTF,GNS, LLB ....
OTF, GNS, LLB ..
OTM ....................
LLB ......................
LLB ......................
OTM, OTF, PTM,
PUR.
OTM, OTF, PTM,
PUR.
OTM, OTF, PTM,
PUR.
OTM, OTF, PTM,
PUR.
OTM, OTF, PTM,
HND, PUR.
OTM, OTF ...........
OTM, OTF, PTM,
PUR.
OTM, OTF ...........
15 ea./mo. SNE ..
15 ea./mo. GOM
40 ea./mo ............
Monthly ................
100 ea./mo ..........
75 ........................
900
Maximum
allowance (lb)
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
* Stock area abbreviations: Gulf of Maine (GOM), Georges Bank (GB), Southern New England (SNE).
# Gear abbreviations: Otter trawl (OTF), bottom longline (LLB), sink gillnet (GNS), sea scallop dredge (DRS), fish pot (PTF), hand lines, auto
jig (HND), purse seine (PUR), otter trawl midwater (OTM), pair trawl midwater (PTM).
If approved, the NEFSC 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 impact that does 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.
Dated: March 12, 2018.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[FR Doc. 2018–05334 Filed 3–15–18; 8:45 am]
RIN 0648–XG002
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Exempted
Fishing Permits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of an
application for exempted fishing permit;
request for comments.
AGENCY:
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:54 Mar 15, 2018
Jkt 244001
PO 00000
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Frm 00061
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\16MRN1.SGM
16MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11728-11729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05334]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG091
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit
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 submitted by
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center contains all of the required
information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing
Permit would exempt participating vessels from the following types of
fishery regulations: Minimum fish size restrictions; fish possession
limits; and, in limited situations for research purposes only,
retaining and landing prohibited fish species. Regulations under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require
publication of this notice to provide interested parties the
opportunity to comment on Exempted Fishing Permit applications.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 2, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``Comments on NEFSC Study Fleet EFP.''
Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on
NEFSC Study Fleet EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-281-9232, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northeast Fisheries Science Center
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP)
on February 9, 2018, for the 2018 Study Fleet Program. The EFP would
exempt 31 commercial fishing vessels from the minimum size and
possession limits for species of interest, as well as allow temporary
retention of species that will be discarded.
The Center established the Study Fleet Program in 2002 to more
fully characterize commercial fishing operations and provide sampling
opportunities to augment NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service's
data collection programs. Partnership with the commercial fishing
industry allows the Center to provide samples for stock assessment and
fish biology research when traditional sampling sources might otherwise
be unavailable. Table 1 includes all of the regulations specified at 50
CFR part 648 that participating vessels would be exempt from for at-sea
sampling, or when retaining and landing fish for research purposes. The
exemptions listed in Table 1 are necessary for contracted vessels to
acquire the biological samples needed to meet Center research
objectives.
Table 1--Specific Regulations Covered by the Proposed Exempted Fishing
Permit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEFSC Study Fleet Program EFP
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Vessels.................... 31.
Exempted regulations in 50 CFR part Size limits:
648.
Sec. 648.83 NE multispecies
minimum sizes.
Sec. 648.93 Monkfish minimum
fish size.
Sec. 648.147 Black sea bass
minimum fish size.
Possession restrictions:
Sec. 648.86(a) Haddock.
Sec. 648.86(b) Atlantic cod.
Sec. 648.86(c) Atlantic
halibut.
Sec. 648.86(d) Small-mesh
multispecies.
Sec. 648.86(l) Zero retention
of Atlantic wolffish and
windowpane flounder.
Sec. 648.86(o) Possession
limits implemented by Regional
Administrator.
Sec. 648.94 Monkfish possession
limit.
Sec. 648.322 Skate possession
and landing restrictions.
Sec. 648.145 Black sea bass
possession limits.
Sec. 648.92(b)(2)(i)
Prohibition from landing NE
multispecies on monkfish-only
day-at-sea.
Sec. 648.293 Golden tilefish.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any fish retained under the EFP would be delivered to Center staff
upon landing. Additionally, prior to landing, the Center would issue a
formal Biological Sampling Request to the vessel to retain fish for the
Study Fleet
[[Page 11729]]
Program. This would ensure that the landed fish do not exceed any
collection needs of the Study Fleet Program, as detailed below in Table
2.
All catch would be attributed to the appropriate commercial fishing
quota. For a vessel fishing on a groundfish sector trip, all catch of
groundfish stocks allocated to sectors would be deducted from its
sector's Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE). Once the ACE for a stock has
been reached in a sector, vessels would no longer be allowed to fish in
that stock area unless the sector acquires additional ACE for the stock
in question. For common pool vessels, all groundfish catch would be
counted toward the appropriate trimester total allowable catch (TAC).
Common pool vessels would be exempt from possession and trip limits,
but would still be subject to trimester TAC closures.
Vessels fishing under this EFP would be required to report via
their Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) or the Interactive Voice Response
(IVR) system to identify trips that would be landing species below
minimum size limits and/or in excess of possession limits. Vessels not
landing fish for the Center but temporarily possessing fish for at-sea
sampling would not be required to call into the IVR system or report
via VMS.
Table 2--Study Fleet Program's Biological Sample Collection Needs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individual fish Maximum weight
Species Stock area * Gear types # Collection per collection allowed per trip Maximum allowance
frequency period (lb) (lb)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windowpane flounder............. GOM, GB........... OTF, DRS.......... Monthly........... 40 ea./mo......... 30................ 360
Monkfish........................ GOM, GB, SNE...... OTF, GNS, DRS..... Monthly........... 15 ea./mo. SNE.... 750............... 9,000
15 ea./mo. GOM....
Haddock......................... GOM, GB, SNE...... OTF, LLB, GNS, DRS Monthly/Seasonal.. 40 ea./mo......... 320............... 1600
Atlantic cod.................... GOM, GB, SNE...... OTF, LLB, GNS, DRS Monthly........... 120 ea./mo........ 270............... 7,200
Barndoor skate.................. GOM, GB, SNE...... OTF, GNS, DRS..... Quarterly......... 20 ea./qtr........ 150............... 600
Thorny skate.................... GOM, GB, SNE...... OTF, GNS, DRS..... Quarterly......... 20 ea./qtr........ 150............... 600
Black sea bass.................. GB, SNE........... PTF, OTF.......... Monthly........... 30 ea./mo......... 180............... 2,160
Atlantic wolffish............... GOM, GB........... OTF,GNS, LLB...... Monthly........... 40 ea./mo......... 160............... 3,500
Cusk............................ GOM, GB........... OTF,GNS, LLB...... Monthly........... 40 ea./mo......... 140............... 3,600
Atlantic halibut................ GOM, GB........... OTF, GNS, LLB..... Monthly........... 20 ea./mo......... 500............... 6,000
Butterfish...................... SNE, MA........... OTM............... Monthly........... 150 ea./mo........ 75................ 900
Blueline tilefish............... SNE, MA........... LLB............... Monthly........... 20 ea./mo......... 100............... 1,200
Golden tilefish................. SNE, MA........... LLB............... Monthly........... 20 ea./mo......... 150............... 1,800
Atlantic herring................ Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, PUR Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 100............... 1,200
River herring/shad.............. Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, PUR Monthly........... 100 ea./mo of ea. 100 of ea. species 1,200 of ea.
species. species
Round herring................... Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, PUR Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 100............... 1,200
Silver hake..................... Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, PUR Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 260............... 3,120
Atlantic mackerel............... Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 260............... 3,120
HND, PUR.
Shortfin squid.................. Any Area.......... OTM, OTF.......... Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 75................ 900
Sand lance...................... Any Area.......... OTM, OTF, PTM, PUR Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 25................ 300
Longfin squid................... Any Area.......... OTM, OTF.......... Monthly........... 100 ea./mo........ 75................ 900
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Stock area abbreviations: Gulf of Maine (GOM), Georges Bank (GB), Southern New England (SNE).
# Gear abbreviations: Otter trawl (OTF), bottom longline (LLB), sink gillnet (GNS), sea scallop dredge (DRS), fish pot (PTF), hand lines, auto jig
(HND), purse seine (PUR), otter trawl midwater (OTM), pair trawl midwater (PTM).
If approved, the NEFSC 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 impact that does 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 12, 2018.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-05334 Filed 3-15-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P