Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit, 26268-26269 [2018-12167]
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26268
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 6, 2018 / Notices
analyze the impacts of the management
alternatives being considered as
required by the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). A draft EIS will be
distributed for public review. During a
30-day public comment period which
will include public hearings, the public
may comment on any aspect of the draft
EIS. Following a review of the
comments, the Council will then choose
preferred management measures for
submission with the Final EIS to the
Secretary of Commerce for publishing of
a proposed and then final rule, both of
which have additional comment
periods.
Scoping Hearings
The Council will take and discuss
scoping comments on this amendment
at the following 12 scoping meetings
dates and locations:
Date
Address
Wednesday, June 20, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...........
Dare County Commissioners Office, 954 Marshall Collins Drive, Room 168, Manteo, North
Carolina 27954.
NC Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead
City, North Carolina.
DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, Delaware 19901.
NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources, 205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1, East Setauket,
New York 11733.
Ocean City Municipal Airport, 12724 Airport Road, Berlin, Maryland 21811.
Ocean City Library, 1735 Simpson Avenue, Ocean City, New Jersey 08226.
Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, New Jersey 08753.
Brevard County Government Center North, ‘‘Brevard Room’’, 518 South Palm Ave., Titusville,
Florida 32780.
CT DEEP Boating Education Center, 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, Connecticut 06371.
Plymouth Public Library, Otto Fehlow Room, 132 South Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode
Island.
Internet webinar: Connection information to be available at https://www.mafmc.org or by contacting the Council.
Thursday, June 21, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...............
Thursday, June 21, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...............
Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at 6:30 p.m ................
Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ................
Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...........
Thursday, June 28, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...............
Thursday, June 28, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...............
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at 7:00 p.m ..................
Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ............
Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ................
Monday, July 16, 2018, at 6:00 p.m ...................
Special Accommodations
The scoping hearings are accessible to
people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aid should be directed to M.
Jan Saunders (302–674–2331, ext 251) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 31, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–12105 Filed 6–5–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XG246
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
NMFS has determined that 14
exempted fishing permit (EFP)
applications warrant further
consideration and is requesting public
comment on the applications. Thirteen
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:35 Jun 05, 2018
Jkt 244001
EFP applicants request an exemption
from a prohibition on the use of
unauthorized fishing gear to harvest
highly migratory species (HMS), and
one EFP applicant requests an
exemption from a prohibition on the use
of pelagic longline gear in the Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) to harvest HMS
under the Fishery Management Plan for
U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly
Migratory Species (HMS FMP). These
applicants request the exemption to test
the effects and efficacy of using deep-set
buoy gear (DSBG), deep-set linked buoy
gear (DSLBG), or deep-set short longline
(DSSLL) to harvest swordfish and other
HMS off of the U.S. West Coast.
DATES: Comments must be submitted in
writing by July 6, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the pending EFP applications,
identified at the e-Rulemaking portal by
NOAA–NMFS–2018–0063, by any of the
following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20180063, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Attn: Chris Fanning, NMFS
West Coast Region, 501 W. Ocean Blvd.,
Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802.
Include the identifier ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–
2018–0063’’ in the comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous).
The EFP applications and other
relevant information referenced in the
Supplementary Information section
below can accessed at: https://
www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/
fisheries/migratory_species/status_
exempted_permits.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chris Fanning, NMFS West Coast
Region, 562–980–4198.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DSBG
fishing trials have occurred for the past
eight years under research permits
(2011–2015) and EFPs (2015–2018)) in
the U.S. West Coast EEZ off California.
The data collected from this fishing
activity have demonstrated that about
95% of DSBG fish species caught are
marketable (75% swordfish, 3% opah,
and 17% marketable sharks). Nonmarketable fish species catch rates have
remained low and all non-marketable
catch were released alive. Because
DSBG is actively tended by the
E:\FR\FM\06JNN1.SGM
06JNN1
26269
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 109 / Wednesday, June 6, 2018 / Notices
fishermen, strikes (i.e., when the fish
pulls on the hook and line) may be
detected within minutes of a catch on
the line; as a result, all catches can be
attended to quickly, with catch brought
on board the vessel in good condition.
To date, DSBG has had two interactions
with protected species. In both
instances, the interaction was with a
Northern elephant seal, and in both
instances the animal was not seriously
injured and was released alive. This
species is protected by the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, but it is not
listed as threatened or endangered
under the Endangered Species Act.
DSLBG research fishing trials have
been conducted with a total of 40 sets
in 2015–2017 and produced similar
results to DSBG. Swordfish and other
marketable fish species have
represented about 90% of the catch
(68% swordfish, 2% opah, 5% escolar,
and 16% marketable sharks). Nonmarketable fish species were released
alive due to quick DSLBG strike
detection and active gear tending, which
has a similar time frame as with DSBG.
Research fishing trials are still ongoing
with DSLBG. To date, there have been
no interactions with protected species
using DSLBG.
At the November 2017 and March
2018 Pacific Fishery Management
Council (PFMC) meetings, the PFMC
reviewed 15 applications for EFPs.
Based, in part, upon recommendations
by the PFMC’s HMS Management Team,
the PFMC recommended that NMFS
consider issuing EFP’s to authorize use
of DSBG and/or DSLBG to 13 of the
applicants (see Table 1). These are also
proposed to take place in the U.S. West
Coast EEZ off California. These
recommendations can be found on the
PFMC’s website at https://
www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/
2017/11/1117decisions.pdf and https://
www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/
2018/03/0318_Decision_Summary_
Document.pdf
In addition, in February 2018 the
Regional Administrator for the NMFS
West Coast Region directly received an
EFP application pursuant to 50 CFR
600.745 from Mr. John Hall for one
vessel to fish with DSSLL in the U.S.
EEZ off the West Coast, not less than 20
nautical miles offshore from the U.S.Mexican border to the OregonWashington border. Mr. Hall proposes
to use deep set pelagic longline gear
with a main line of five nautical miles
in length and not less than 15 hooks per
buoy and to target HMS. Mr. Hall also
intends to employ a number of marine
mammal, sea bird, sea turtle, and shark
mitigation measures (e.g., use of large,
weak circle hooks, a hydraulic line
shooter, a Tori bird scaring line,
fusiform fish bait, and no wires in the
construction of the branch lines). The
proposed and existing HMS EFPs
applications, conditions, and relevant
analyses and decisions leading to the
current status of each application can be
found on NMFS West Coast Region’s
‘‘Status of Exempted Fishing Permits’’
web page (https://www.westcoast.
fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/migratory_
species/status_exempted_permits.html).
TABLE 1—U.S. WEST COAST HMS EFP APPLICATIONS FOR DSBG, DSLBG, AND DSSLL
Date of PFMC recommendation
DSBG
DSBG
DSSLL
Number of
vessels
Carson, Thomas and Perez, Nathan ............
Breneman, Robert ........................................
Breneman, Scott ...........................................
Dagama, John ..............................................
Fuller, Daniel and Fuller, William .................
Funderberg, Clint ..........................................
Hall, John ......................................................
Hyman, Ben ..................................................
Scarbrough, Tyler .........................................
Surgener, Greg .............................................
Sutton, William ..............................................
White, Matt ....................................................
Wright, Thomas ............................................
Mintz, Stephen ..............................................
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
Applicant(s)
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
N/A ........................................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
March 2018 ...........................
November 2017 ....................
X
X
X
X
X
X
........................
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
........................
........................
........................
........................
X
........................
........................
........................
........................
X
........................
........................
X
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
X
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
NMFS is requesting public comment
on the 13 DSBG/DSLBG applications
recommended for consideration by the
PFMC and the one DSSLL application
received directly from the applicant
pursuant to 50 CFR 600.745. If all
applications are approved, the EFPs
would allow up to 13 vessels to fish
with DSBG, up to four vessels to fish
with DSLBG, and one vessel to fish with
DSSLL throughout the duration of each
EFP, in portions of the U.S. West Coast
EEZ. These vessels would be permitted
to fish exempt from the prohibitions of
the HMS FMP pertaining to nonauthorized gear types. Aside from the
exemption described above, vessels
fishing under an EFP would be subject
to all other regulations implemented in
the HMS FMP, including measures to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:35 Jun 05, 2018
Jkt 244001
protect sea turtles, marine mammals,
and seabirds.
NMFS will consider all public
comments submitted in response to this
Federal Register Notice prior to
issuance of any EFP. Additionally,
NMFS will analyze the effects of issuing
EFPs in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act and NOAA’s
Administrative Order 216–6, as well as
for compliance with other applicable
laws, including Section 7(a)(2) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.), which requires the agency to
consider whether the proposed action is
likely to jeopardize the continued
existence and recovery of any
endangered or threatened species or
result in the destruction or adverse
modification of critical habitat.
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 1, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–12167 Filed 6–5–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING
COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Notice of Intent To Renew
Collection 3038–0033, Notification of
Pending Legal Proceedings
Commodity Futures Trading
Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\06JNN1.SGM
06JNN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26268-26269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12167]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG246
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; 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: NMFS has determined that 14 exempted fishing permit (EFP)
applications warrant further consideration and is requesting public
comment on the applications. Thirteen EFP applicants request an
exemption from a prohibition on the use of unauthorized fishing gear to
harvest highly migratory species (HMS), and one EFP applicant requests
an exemption from a prohibition on the use of pelagic longline gear in
the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to harvest HMS under the Fishery
Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory
Species (HMS FMP). These applicants request the exemption to test the
effects and efficacy of using deep-set buoy gear (DSBG), deep-set
linked buoy gear (DSLBG), or deep-set short longline (DSSLL) to harvest
swordfish and other HMS off of the U.S. West Coast.
DATES: Comments must be submitted in writing by July 6, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the pending EFP applications,
identified at the e-Rulemaking portal by NOAA-NMFS-2018-0063, by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2018-0063, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Attn: Chris Fanning, NMFS West Coast Region, 501 W.
Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. Include the identifier
``NOAA-NMFS-2018-0063'' in the comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
The EFP applications and other relevant information referenced in
the Supplementary Information section below can accessed at: https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/migratory_species/status_exempted_permits.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Fanning, NMFS West Coast Region,
562-980-4198.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DSBG fishing trials have occurred for the
past eight years under research permits (2011-2015) and EFPs (2015-
2018)) in the U.S. West Coast EEZ off California. The data collected
from this fishing activity have demonstrated that about 95% of DSBG
fish species caught are marketable (75% swordfish, 3% opah, and 17%
marketable sharks). Non-marketable fish species catch rates have
remained low and all non-marketable catch were released alive. Because
DSBG is actively tended by the
[[Page 26269]]
fishermen, strikes (i.e., when the fish pulls on the hook and line) may
be detected within minutes of a catch on the line; as a result, all
catches can be attended to quickly, with catch brought on board the
vessel in good condition. To date, DSBG has had two interactions with
protected species. In both instances, the interaction was with a
Northern elephant seal, and in both instances the animal was not
seriously injured and was released alive. This species is protected by
the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but it is not listed as threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
DSLBG research fishing trials have been conducted with a total of
40 sets in 2015-2017 and produced similar results to DSBG. Swordfish
and other marketable fish species have represented about 90% of the
catch (68% swordfish, 2% opah, 5% escolar, and 16% marketable sharks).
Non-marketable fish species were released alive due to quick DSLBG
strike detection and active gear tending, which has a similar time
frame as with DSBG. Research fishing trials are still ongoing with
DSLBG. To date, there have been no interactions with protected species
using DSLBG.
At the November 2017 and March 2018 Pacific Fishery Management
Council (PFMC) meetings, the PFMC reviewed 15 applications for EFPs.
Based, in part, upon recommendations by the PFMC's HMS Management Team,
the PFMC recommended that NMFS consider issuing EFP's to authorize use
of DSBG and/or DSLBG to 13 of the applicants (see Table 1). These are
also proposed to take place in the U.S. West Coast EEZ off California.
These recommendations can be found on the PFMC's website at https://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/1117decisions.pdf and
https://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/0318_Decision_Summary_Document.pdf
In addition, in February 2018 the Regional Administrator for the
NMFS West Coast Region directly received an EFP application pursuant to
50 CFR 600.745 from Mr. John Hall for one vessel to fish with DSSLL in
the U.S. EEZ off the West Coast, not less than 20 nautical miles
offshore from the U.S.-Mexican border to the Oregon-Washington border.
Mr. Hall proposes to use deep set pelagic longline gear with a main
line of five nautical miles in length and not less than 15 hooks per
buoy and to target HMS. Mr. Hall also intends to employ a number of
marine mammal, sea bird, sea turtle, and shark mitigation measures
(e.g., use of large, weak circle hooks, a hydraulic line shooter, a
Tori bird scaring line, fusiform fish bait, and no wires in the
construction of the branch lines). The proposed and existing HMS EFPs
applications, conditions, and relevant analyses and decisions leading
to the current status of each application can be found on NMFS West
Coast Region's ``Status of Exempted Fishing Permits'' web page (https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/migratory_species/status_exempted_permits.html).
Table 1--U.S. West Coast HMS EFP Applications for DSBG, DSLBG, and DSSLL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Applicant(s) Date of PFMC recommendation DSBG DSBG DSSLL vessels
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carson, Thomas and Perez, Nathan................ March 2018........................ X X ............... 1
Breneman, Robert................................ March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Breneman, Scott................................. March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Dagama, John.................................... March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Fuller, Daniel and Fuller, William.............. March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Funderberg, Clint............................... March 2018........................ X X ............... 1
Hall, John...................................... N/A............................... ............... ............... X 1
Hyman, Ben...................................... March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Scarbrough, Tyler............................... March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Surgener, Greg.................................. March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Sutton, William................................. March 2018........................ X X ............... 1
White, Matt..................................... March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Wright, Thomas.................................. March 2018........................ X ............... ............... 1
Mintz, Stephen.................................. November 2017..................... X X ............... 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NMFS is requesting public comment on the 13 DSBG/DSLBG applications
recommended for consideration by the PFMC and the one DSSLL application
received directly from the applicant pursuant to 50 CFR 600.745. If all
applications are approved, the EFPs would allow up to 13 vessels to
fish with DSBG, up to four vessels to fish with DSLBG, and one vessel
to fish with DSSLL throughout the duration of each EFP, in portions of
the U.S. West Coast EEZ. These vessels would be permitted to fish
exempt from the prohibitions of the HMS FMP pertaining to non-
authorized gear types. Aside from the exemption described above,
vessels fishing under an EFP would be subject to all other regulations
implemented in the HMS FMP, including measures to protect sea turtles,
marine mammals, and seabirds.
NMFS will consider all public comments submitted in response to
this Federal Register Notice prior to issuance of any EFP.
Additionally, NMFS will analyze the effects of issuing EFPs in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and NOAA's
Administrative Order 216-6, as well as for compliance with other
applicable laws, including Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species
Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), which requires the agency to consider
whether the proposed action is likely to jeopardize the continued
existence and recovery of any endangered or threatened species or
result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 1, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-12167 Filed 6-5-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P