Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Exempted Fishing Permit, 36377-36379 [2020-12873]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 116 / Tuesday, June 16, 2020 / Notices
extraordinarily complicated, and that
additional time is necessary to make a
preliminary determination. Under 19
CFR 351.205(e), the petitioner must
submit a request for postponement 25
days or more before the scheduled date
of the preliminary determination and
must state the reasons for the request.
Commerce will grant the request unless
it finds compelling reasons to deny the
request.
On June 3, 2020, the petitioner
submitted a timely request that
Commerce postpone the preliminary
determination in the LTFV
investigation.3 The petitioner stated that
it requests postponement of the
preliminary determination because
‘‘{a}dditional time will be necessary to
ensure that Commerce is able to
sufficiently review all questionnaire
responses and request clarification and
additional information as necessary.’’ 4
For the reason stated above and
because there are no compelling reasons
to deny the request, Commerce, in
accordance with section 733(c)(1)(A) of
the Act, is postponing the deadline for
the preliminary determination by 50
days (i.e., to 190 days after the date on
which this investigation was initiated).
As a result, Commerce will issue its
preliminary determination no later than
September 2, 2020. In accordance with
section 735(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.210(b)(1), the deadline for the final
determination of this investigation will
continue to be 75 days after the date of
the preliminary determination, unless
postponed at a later date.
Notification to Interested Parties
This notice is issued and published
pursuant to section 733(c)(2) of the Act
and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(1).
Dated: June 10, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2020–12948 Filed 6–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA232]
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Marine Mammals; File No. 23836
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
3 See Petitioner’s Letter, ‘‘Certain Corrosion
Inhibitors from the People’s Republic of China:
Petitioner’s Request for Postponement of the
Preliminary Determination,’’ dated June 3, 2020.
4 Id.
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Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
Notice is hereby given that
Wildstar Films, Ltd., Embassy House,
Queens Avenue, Bristol, United
Kingdom, BS8 1SB (Responsible Party:
Jo Harvey), has applied in due form for
a permit to conduct commercial or
educational photography on bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email
comments must be received on or before
July 16, 2020.
ADDRESSES: These documents are
available upon written request or by
appointment in the Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13705, Silver
Spring, MD 20910; phone (301) 427–
8401; fax (301) 713–0376.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted to the Chief,
Permits and Conservation Division, at
the address listed above. Comments may
also be submitted by facsimile to (301)
713–0376, or by email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please
include the File No. in the subject line
of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
to the Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division at the address listed above. The
request should set forth the specific
reasons why a hearing on this
application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin
Markin or Carrie Hubard, (301) 427–
8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended
(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the
regulations governing the taking and
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR
part 216).
The applicant proposes to obtain
footage of bottlenose dolphins
(Charleston Estuarine System Stock) in
waters around Charleston County, South
Carolina, including Kiawah Island, Bull
Creek, and Hilton Head, for a
documentary series celebrating the
wildlife of America for the National
Geographic Channel. Up to 980
bottlenose dolphins may be filmed from
land, vessel, or unmanned aircraft
systems, annually. The permit would
expire on December 31, 2021.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
SUMMARY:
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36377
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of
this notice in the Federal Register,
NMFS is forwarding copies of the
application to the Marine Mammal
Commission and its Committee of
Scientific Advisors.
Dated: June 11, 2020.
Julia Marie Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–12950 Filed 6–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XS032]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish
Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands; Exempted Fishing
Permit
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of an
application for an exempted fishing
permit; request for comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces the receipt
of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from the NMFS
Panama City, FL laboratory. If granted,
the EFP would authorize NMFS or
NMFS contracted commercial fishers
aboard a commercial fishing vessel to
collect certain deep-water snapper
species in waters of the U.S. exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) off Puerto Rico.
The EFP would exempt this activity
from complying with certain seasonal
and area closures and from certain bag
limits in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ. The
purpose of the EFP is to gather
information that could be used to define
essential fish habitat (EFH) of deepwater snappers off the coast of Puerto
Rico and to determine life history
information for queen, silk, black, and
blackfin snappers.
DATES: Comments must be received no
later than July 16, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the application, identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2020–0071’’, by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\16JNN1.SGM
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lotter on DSK30NT082PROD with NOTICES
36378
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 116 / Tuesday, June 16, 2020 / Notices
https://www.regulations.gov/
docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0071,
click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Sarah Stephenson, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th
Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
The EFP application and related
documents are available for review
upon written request to any of the above
addresses.
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Stephenson, 727–824–5305;
email: Sarah.Stephenson@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is
requested under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and regulations at
50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted
fishing.
The applicant is currently conducting
exempted fishing activities under an
EFP for a similar deep-water snapper
research project off Puerto Rico that was
issued on November 16, 2018, and is
valid through August 1, 2020. Notice of
receipt of the application for the current
EFP, with an opportunity to comment,
published in the Federal Register on
July 16, 2018 (83 FR 32843). No public
comments on that EFP were received
from that notice or since then from the
public.
The applicant requests authorization
to collect deep-water reef fish species in
the U.S. EEZ off the west coast of Puerto
Rico. The applicant is seeking to gather
information that could be used to define
essential fish habitat for deep-water
snapper species off Puerto Rico, and to
obtain additional life history
information about queen, silk, black,
and blackfin snapper. Specimens would
be collected by NMFS researchers and/
or contractors and contracted
commercial fishermen aboard a
commercial fishing vessel. These
activities may be conducted without
NMFS staff or contractors aboard the
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Jkt 250001
contracted vessel. This permit would
exempt project participants from certain
seasonal and area closure regulations at
50 CFR 622.435 and from certain reef
fish bag limit regulations at 50 CFR
622.437, as identified and described
below. Pending issuance, the EFP would
be expected to be effective from August
1, 2020, through August 1, 2021.
Activities under the EFP would
consist of harvesting reef fish during a
total of 39 fishing trips in the 1-year
project period, of which 15 trips would
be within the U.S. EEZ off Puerto Rico.
The remaining trips would be
conducted in Puerto Rico territorial
waters. Sampling sites would be
randomly selected from locations with a
high probability of containing habitat
that could be considered essential for
deep-water snappers as determined by
bathymetric maps produced by NOAA’s
Marine Spatial Ecology Division
(https://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/
bathymetry/). The target depth range for
this project is 100 to 650 m, with
sampling sites selected in each 50 m
depth range throughout the overall
depth range.
Project activities would be conducted
from August 1, 2020, through August 1,
2021. The majority of sampling would
occur in September and October of
2020. Sampling would occur along the
western coast of Puerto Rico from
Isabela to Puerto Real, including the Isla
de Desecheo Marine Reserve.
Sampling would be conducted by
hook-and-line drift fishing in deepwater habitats, with an underwater
camera attached to a second fishing line.
On each fishing trip, 4 to 10 sites would
be fished per day based on distance
between the sampling sites and weather.
At each site, one vertical fishing line
would be deployed from the commercial
fishing vessel with a surface float and
bottom weight for a 20-minute soak
time. Twelve #9 hooks would be
attached to the bottom 2 m of the line
and manual snapper reels would be
used to retrieve the line. Video cameras
encased in deep-water housings and an
LED light would be attached to a small,
lightweight frame deployed on the
second fishing line for a 30-minute soak
time. Once deployed, the system would
rest on the seafloor via tripod legs.
The applicant would target queen,
silk, black, and blackfin snappers, but
anticipates encountering other species.
A maximum of 450 of the targeted
species (up to 150 queen snapper; up to
120 silk snapper; up to 120 blackfin
snapper; up to 60 black snapper) would
be retained under the EFP. Additionally,
a maximum of 400 of the incidental
species (up to 100 vermilion and
wenchman snapper combined; up to
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Sfmt 4703
100 red hind; up to 100 yellowfin, red,
tiger, and black grouper combined; and
up to 100 yellowedge grouper) would be
either be possessed onboard the vessel
only for the purpose of taking length
measurements prior to being returned to
the water if caught during seasonal and
area closures, or would be retained if
caught during other times.
Length measurements would be
recorded for all targeted and incidental
species except for species for which
harvest is prohibited under Federal law
(i.e., goliath and Nassau groupers, and
midnight, rainbow, and blue
parrotfishes). These prohibited species
would be returned immediately to the
water with a minimum of harm. The
gonads, eyes, and otoliths of the targeted
species would be removed for
histological and ageing analyses
conducted by NMFS, contracted
observers, Puerto Rico’s Department of
Natural and Environmental Resources,
and the University of South Carolina.
In order to minimize the negative
biological effects of bringing these deepwater species to the surface, the
commercial fishing vessel would have
venting tools onboard to properly vent
fish being released to facilitate their
return to depth.
Under the EFP, the applicant would
be allowed to fish for and possess the
targeted and incidental deep-water
species in or from the Bajo de Sico
closed area during the October 1
through March 31 closure period (50
CFR 622.435(a)(2)(iv)). A maximum of
25 fishing trips would occur in the Bajo
de Sico area during the project. In
addition, the applicant would be
allowed to fish for or possess the
targeted and incidental deep-water
species during species-specific seasonal
closures: Yellowfin, red, tiger, black,
and yellowedge grouper during the
February 1 through April 30 seasonal
closure (50 CFR 622.435(a)(1)(i)); red
hind grouper during the December 1
through the last day of February
seasonal closure from the EEZ west of
67°10′ W longitude (50 CFR
622.435(a)(1)(ii)); and silk, black,
blackfin, and vermilion snappers during
the October 1 through December 31
seasonal closure (50 CFR
622.435(a)(1)(iii)). The applicant intends
to retain samples of the targeted species
caught during the seasonal or area
closures. After samples are taken from
the targeted species, the remainder of
the fish caught during a seasonal or area
closure would be given to the contracted
commercial fishermen for personal use
and consumption. For incidental
species, the EFP would allow the
applicant to possess the species during
the applicable seasonal and area
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 116 / Tuesday, June 16, 2020 / Notices
closures for sufficient time to collect
and record length measurements. If the
targeted or incidental species are caught
outside the closed seasons and closed
areas, the commercial fishermen may
retain them and sell them, consistent
with applicable law. Additionally, as
applicable for the targeted and
incidental species described within the
application and this notice, the
applicant would be exempt from bag
limit regulations at 50 CFR
622.437(b)(1).
NMFS finds this application warrants
further consideration based on a
preliminary review. Possible conditions
the agency may impose on this permit,
if it is granted, include but are not
limited to, a prohibition on conducting
sampling activities within marine
protected areas, marine sanctuaries, or
special management zones, without
additional authorization, and requiring
compliance with best practices in the
event of interactions with any protected
species. NMFS may also require annual
reports summarizing the amount of reef
fish species harvested during the
seasonal and area closures, as well as
during the period of effectiveness of any
issued EFP. Additionally, NMFS would
require any sea turtles taken
incidentally during the course of the
activities to be handled with due care to
prevent injury to live specimens,
observed for activity, and returned to
the water.
A final decision on issuance of the
EFP will depend on NMFS’ review of
public comments received on the
application, consultations with the
affected state(s), the Council, and the
U.S. Coast Guard, and a determination
that it is consistent with all applicable
laws.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 10, 2020.
He´le`ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–12873 Filed 6–15–20; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
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[RTID 0648–XX054]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permits
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:13 Jun 15, 2020
Jkt 250001
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
from the Ocean Associated Incorporated
contains all of the required information
and warrants further consideration. The
Exempted Fishing Permit would allow
one commercial fishing vessel to fish
outside of fishery regulations in support
of research conducted by the applicant.
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 July 1, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by following method:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments
on OAIRopeless Fishing EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978–281–9225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Ocean
Associates Incorporated (OAI)
submitted a complete application for an
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on
March 12, 2020, to conduct commercial
fishing activities that the regulations
would otherwise restrict. The OAI is
requesting an exemption from Federal
lobster regulations that would authorize
a federally-permitted commercial
lobster vessel to participate in a ropeless
lobster gear study. This EFP would
exempt the participating vessel from the
Federal gear marking requirements
found at 50 CFR 697.21(b)(2). This
would allow for the use of a single buoy
marker on a trawl of more than three
traps.
The purpose of this study is to test a
prototype ropeless fishing system to
potentially prevent entanglements of
protected species, primarily North
Atlantic right whales. This is a
continuation of a study that started in
2018. The traps were deployed on a
commercial fishing vessel in 2019 to get
fishermen confident in deploying the
gear. The trawl was deployed nine times
with soak times ranging from 9–20
minutes in an average depth of 120 ft
(36.5 m). The spool performed as
designed and was retrieved easily with
all deployments. This study is funded
through the NMFS Bycatch Reduction
SUMMARY:
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36379
Engineering Program
(NA18NMF4720279).
The EFP would authorize the
participating vessel to deploy two
experimental trawls consisting of five or
more traps. Experimental trawls would
have a rope spool, fitted with an
acoustic release, deployed on one end of
the trawl, with a buoy line attached to
the other. Soak time would be between
2–5 days, but may be modified
depending on what each fisherman
decides is appropriate for fishing.
Sampling would occur from May
through November 2020 in Lobster
Conservation Management Area 3.
Initial deployments would be overseen
by a Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute engineering team, but later
would be observed by OAI personnel.
There would be 42 deployments of
experimental trawls.
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: June 10, 2020.
He´le`ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–12897 Filed 6–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XW016]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
Fisheries Off West Coast States;
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery;
Trawl Rationalization Program; 2020
Cost Recovery
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice, 2020 cost recovery fee
percentage correction.
AGENCY:
This action provides
participants in the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Trawl Rationalization
Program (Trawl Program), Shorebased
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\16JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 116 (Tuesday, June 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36377-36379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12873]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XS032]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Exempted
Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an exempted fishing
permit; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from the NMFS Panama City, FL laboratory. If
granted, the EFP would authorize NMFS or NMFS contracted commercial
fishers aboard a commercial fishing vessel to collect certain deep-
water snapper species in waters of the U.S. exclusive economic zone
(EEZ) off Puerto Rico. The EFP would exempt this activity from
complying with certain seasonal and area closures and from certain bag
limits in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ. The purpose of the EFP is to gather
information that could be used to define essential fish habitat (EFH)
of deep-water snappers off the coast of Puerto Rico and to determine
life history information for queen, silk, black, and blackfin snappers.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than July 16, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application, identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2020-0071'', by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
[[Page 36378]]
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0071, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Sarah Stephenson, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS,
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
The EFP application and related documents are available for review
upon written request to any of the above addresses.
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Stephenson, 727-824-5305; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted
fishing.
The applicant is currently conducting exempted fishing activities
under an EFP for a similar deep-water snapper research project off
Puerto Rico that was issued on November 16, 2018, and is valid through
August 1, 2020. Notice of receipt of the application for the current
EFP, with an opportunity to comment, published in the Federal Register
on July 16, 2018 (83 FR 32843). No public comments on that EFP were
received from that notice or since then from the public.
The applicant requests authorization to collect deep-water reef
fish species in the U.S. EEZ off the west coast of Puerto Rico. The
applicant is seeking to gather information that could be used to define
essential fish habitat for deep-water snapper species off Puerto Rico,
and to obtain additional life history information about queen, silk,
black, and blackfin snapper. Specimens would be collected by NMFS
researchers and/or contractors and contracted commercial fishermen
aboard a commercial fishing vessel. These activities may be conducted
without NMFS staff or contractors aboard the contracted vessel. This
permit would exempt project participants from certain seasonal and area
closure regulations at 50 CFR 622.435 and from certain reef fish bag
limit regulations at 50 CFR 622.437, as identified and described below.
Pending issuance, the EFP would be expected to be effective from August
1, 2020, through August 1, 2021.
Activities under the EFP would consist of harvesting reef fish
during a total of 39 fishing trips in the 1-year project period, of
which 15 trips would be within the U.S. EEZ off Puerto Rico. The
remaining trips would be conducted in Puerto Rico territorial waters.
Sampling sites would be randomly selected from locations with a high
probability of containing habitat that could be considered essential
for deep-water snappers as determined by bathymetric maps produced by
NOAA's Marine Spatial Ecology Division (https://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/bathymetry/). The target depth range for this project is 100 to
650 m, with sampling sites selected in each 50 m depth range throughout
the overall depth range.
Project activities would be conducted from August 1, 2020, through
August 1, 2021. The majority of sampling would occur in September and
October of 2020. Sampling would occur along the western coast of Puerto
Rico from Isabela to Puerto Real, including the Isla de Desecheo Marine
Reserve.
Sampling would be conducted by hook-and-line drift fishing in deep-
water habitats, with an underwater camera attached to a second fishing
line. On each fishing trip, 4 to 10 sites would be fished per day based
on distance between the sampling sites and weather. At each site, one
vertical fishing line would be deployed from the commercial fishing
vessel with a surface float and bottom weight for a 20-minute soak
time. Twelve #9 hooks would be attached to the bottom 2 m of the line
and manual snapper reels would be used to retrieve the line. Video
cameras encased in deep-water housings and an LED light would be
attached to a small, lightweight frame deployed on the second fishing
line for a 30-minute soak time. Once deployed, the system would rest on
the seafloor via tripod legs.
The applicant would target queen, silk, black, and blackfin
snappers, but anticipates encountering other species. A maximum of 450
of the targeted species (up to 150 queen snapper; up to 120 silk
snapper; up to 120 blackfin snapper; up to 60 black snapper) would be
retained under the EFP. Additionally, a maximum of 400 of the
incidental species (up to 100 vermilion and wenchman snapper combined;
up to 100 red hind; up to 100 yellowfin, red, tiger, and black grouper
combined; and up to 100 yellowedge grouper) would be either be
possessed onboard the vessel only for the purpose of taking length
measurements prior to being returned to the water if caught during
seasonal and area closures, or would be retained if caught during other
times.
Length measurements would be recorded for all targeted and
incidental species except for species for which harvest is prohibited
under Federal law (i.e., goliath and Nassau groupers, and midnight,
rainbow, and blue parrotfishes). These prohibited species would be
returned immediately to the water with a minimum of harm. The gonads,
eyes, and otoliths of the targeted species would be removed for
histological and ageing analyses conducted by NMFS, contracted
observers, Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental
Resources, and the University of South Carolina.
In order to minimize the negative biological effects of bringing
these deep-water species to the surface, the commercial fishing vessel
would have venting tools onboard to properly vent fish being released
to facilitate their return to depth.
Under the EFP, the applicant would be allowed to fish for and
possess the targeted and incidental deep-water species in or from the
Bajo de Sico closed area during the October 1 through March 31 closure
period (50 CFR 622.435(a)(2)(iv)). A maximum of 25 fishing trips would
occur in the Bajo de Sico area during the project. In addition, the
applicant would be allowed to fish for or possess the targeted and
incidental deep-water species during species-specific seasonal
closures: Yellowfin, red, tiger, black, and yellowedge grouper during
the February 1 through April 30 seasonal closure (50 CFR
622.435(a)(1)(i)); red hind grouper during the December 1 through the
last day of February seasonal closure from the EEZ west of 67[deg]10' W
longitude (50 CFR 622.435(a)(1)(ii)); and silk, black, blackfin, and
vermilion snappers during the October 1 through December 31 seasonal
closure (50 CFR 622.435(a)(1)(iii)). The applicant intends to retain
samples of the targeted species caught during the seasonal or area
closures. After samples are taken from the targeted species, the
remainder of the fish caught during a seasonal or area closure would be
given to the contracted commercial fishermen for personal use and
consumption. For incidental species, the EFP would allow the applicant
to possess the species during the applicable seasonal and area
[[Page 36379]]
closures for sufficient time to collect and record length measurements.
If the targeted or incidental species are caught outside the closed
seasons and closed areas, the commercial fishermen may retain them and
sell them, consistent with applicable law. Additionally, as applicable
for the targeted and incidental species described within the
application and this notice, the applicant would be exempt from bag
limit regulations at 50 CFR 622.437(b)(1).
NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration based on
a preliminary review. Possible conditions the agency may impose on this
permit, if it is granted, include but are not limited to, a prohibition
on conducting sampling activities within marine protected areas, marine
sanctuaries, or special management zones, without additional
authorization, and requiring compliance with best practices in the
event of interactions with any protected species. NMFS may also require
annual reports summarizing the amount of reef fish species harvested
during the seasonal and area closures, as well as during the period of
effectiveness of any issued EFP. Additionally, NMFS would require any
sea turtles taken incidentally during the course of the activities to
be handled with due care to prevent injury to live specimens, observed
for activity, and returned to the water.
A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NMFS' review
of public comments received on the application, consultations with the
affected state(s), the Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a
determination that it is consistent with all applicable laws.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 10, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-12873 Filed 6-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
