Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 55641-55642 [2020-19864]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 175 / Wednesday, September 9, 2020 / Notices
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
listed in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the Council’s intent to take
final action to address the emergency.
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. This meeting will be
recorded. Consistent with 16 U.S.C.
1852, a copy of the recording is
available upon request.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 3, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–19917 Filed 9–8–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA477]
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a public meeting of its
Groundfish Committee to consider
actions affecting New England fisheries
in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Recommendations from this group will
be brought to the full Council for formal
consideration and action, if appropriate.
DATES: This webinar will be held on
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 9 a.m.
Webinar registration URL information:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/
register/3381405484073852176.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via webinar.
Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:06 Sep 08, 2020
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New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
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. This meeting will be
recorded. Consistent with 16 U.S.C.
1852, a copy of the recording is
available upon request.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Frm 00006
Dated: September 3, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–19916 Filed 9–8–20; 8:45 am]
The Committee will review public
comments on Amendment 23:
Groundfish Monitoring and the
summary document prepared by the
Groundfish Plan Development Team
(PDT) and make final recommendations
on preferred alternatives. They will also
discuss draft alternatives on Framework
Adjustment 61: Specifications/
Management Measures—developed by
the PDT focusing on (1) white hake
rebuilding plan options, (2) 2021 U.S./
Canada total allowable catches of
Eastern Georges Bank (GB) cod, Eastern
GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder
and (3) other measures. The Committee
will discuss possible groundfish
priorities for 2021 including a follow-up
discussion on the Groundfish Sector
Program Catch Share Review. They will
also make recommendations to the
Groundfish Committee. The Committee
will review PDT, Groundfish Advisory
Panel, and Transboundary Management
Guidance Committee recommendations
and make recommendations to the
Council. They will also continue
discussion of the Conservation Law
Foundation petition for rulemaking on
Atlantic cod, and discuss other business
as necessary.
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 these meetings. Action
will be restricted to those issues
specifically listed in this notice and any
issues arising after publication of this
notice that require emergency action
under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has
been notified of the Council’s intent to
take final action to address the
emergency
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BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA422]
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management 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 NMFS Assistant Regional
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Greater Atlantic Region, has made a
preliminary determination that an
Exempted Fishing Permit application
contains all of the required information
and warrants further consideration. This
Exempted Fishing Permit would allow
eight commercial lobster vessels to
participate in a lobster and Jonah crab
monitoring study in the South Fork
wind farm lease area, under the
direction of the Commercial Fisheries
Research Foundation. Regulations under
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act and
the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management Act require
publication of this notice to provide
interested parties the opportunity to
comment on Exempted Fishing Permit
applications.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be received on
or before September 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments
on the South Fork Wind Farm Lobster
and Jonah Crab EFP.’’ If you are unable
to submit your comment through
NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov, contact
Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
Specialist, Laura.Hansen@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978–281–9225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation (CFRF) submitted a
complete application for an Exempted
DATES:
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55642
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 175 / Wednesday, September 9, 2020 / Notices
Fishing Permit (EFP) to conduct a
lobster and Jonah crab monitoring study
that Federal regulations would
otherwise restrict. The purpose of this
study is to collect pre-construction data
on the abundance, size, and distribution
of lobster and Jonah crab in the South
Fork wind farm lease area and adjacent
waters.
The EFP would authorize the eight
participating vessels (3 active and 5
back up vessels) to deploy 4 standard
and 6 ventless traps per 10-pot trawl.
The project consists of two survey
periods from August 2020 through
November 2020 and May 2021 through
November 2021. Each vessel would take
three one-day trips during the survey
periods; one day to set traps, one day for
sampling and resetting, and another day
of additional sampling. Soak time
between trips will be five days. CFRF
staff will be on board for the sampling
trips. All gear would be Atlantic Large
Whale Take Reduction Plan compliant.
Survey traps will be separate from each
vessel’s commercial lobster traps and
will have unique identification markers.
To reduce the potential risk to right
whales, CFRF has agreed to report if line
and/or trawls are missing, apply distinct
gear marking colors to the research
trawls, and use 1,700 lb breaking
strength buoy lines.
All catch during sampling trips would
be retained temporarily to collect
biological data and returned promptly to
the ocean. No catch from the research
traps would be landed for sale.
If approved, CFRF may request minor
modifications and extensions to the EFP
throughout the study. 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: September 2, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–19864 Filed 9–8–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA342]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Marine
Conservation Plan for Guam; Western
Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of agency decision.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces approval of
a Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) for
Guam.
DATES: This agency decision is effective
from August 4, 2020, through August 3,
2023.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of
the MCP, identified by NOAA–NMFS–
2020–0115, from the Federal eRulemaking Portal, https://
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20200115, or from the Western Pacific
Fishery Management Council (Council),
1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu,
HI 96813, 808–522–8220, https://
www.wpcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David O’Brien, Sustainable Fisheries,
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office,
808–725–5038.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
204(e) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) authorizes the
Secretary of State, with the concurrence
of the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary), and in consultation with the
Council, to negotiate and enter into a
Pacific Insular Area fishery agreement
(PIAFA). A PIAFA would allow foreign
fishing within the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) adjacent to
American Samoa, Guam, or the
Northern Mariana Islands. The Governor
of the Pacific Insular Area to which the
PIAFA applies must request the PIAFA.
The Secretary of State may negotiate
and enter the PIAFA after consultation
with, and concurrence of, the applicable
Governor.
Before entering into a PIAFA, the
applicable Governor, with concurrence
of the Council, must develop and
submit to the Secretary a 3-year MCP
providing details on uses for any funds
collected by the Secretary under the
PIAFA. NMFS is the designee of the
Secretary for MCP review and approval.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires
payments received under a PIAFA to be
deposited into the United States
SUMMARY:
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Treasury and then conveyed to the
Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for
which funds were collected.
In the case of violations by foreign
fishing vessels in the EEZ around any
Pacific Insular Area, amounts received
by the Secretary attributable to fines and
penalties imposed under the MagnusonStevens Act, including sums collected
from the forfeiture and disposition or
sale of property seized subject to its
authority, are deposited into the
Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area
adjacent to the EEZ in which the
violation occurred, after direct costs of
the enforcement action are subtracted.
The Pacific Insular Area government
may use funds deposited into the
Treasury of the Pacific Insular Area for
fisheries enforcement and for
implementation of an MCP.
Federal regulations at 50 CFR 665.819
authorize NMFS to specify catch limits
for longline-caught bigeye tuna for U.S.
territories. NMFS may also authorize
each territory to allocate a portion of
that limit to U.S. longline fishing vessels
that are permitted to fish under the
Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic
Fisheries of the Western Pacific (FEP).
Payments collected under specified
fishing agreements are deposited into
the Western Pacific Sustainable
Fisheries Fund, and any funds
attributable to a particular territory may
be used only for implementation of that
territory’s MCP. An MCP must be
consistent with the Council’s FEPs,
must identify conservation and
management objectives (including
criteria for determining when such
objectives have been met), and must
prioritize planned marine conservation
projects.
At its June 2020 meeting, the Council
reviewed and concurred with the MCP.
On July 24, 2020, the Governor of Guam
submitted the MCP to NMFS for review
and approval. The MCP contains the
following six conservation and
management objectives:
1. Fisheries resource assessment,
research and monitoring;
2. Effective surveillance and
enforcement mechanisms;
3. Promote ecosystems approach to
fisheries management, climate change;
4. Public participation, research,
education and outreach, and local
capacity;
5. Domestic fisheries development;
6. Recognizing the importance of
island cultures and traditional fishing
practices and community based
management.
Please refer to the MCP for projects
and activities designed to meet each
objective, the evaluative criteria, and
priority rankings.
E:\FR\FM\09SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 175 (Wednesday, September 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55641-55642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19864]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA422]
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, has made a preliminary
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all
of the required information and warrants further consideration. This
Exempted Fishing Permit would allow eight commercial lobster vessels to
participate in a lobster and Jonah crab monitoring study in the South
Fork wind farm lease area, under the direction of the Commercial
Fisheries Research Foundation. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal
Fisheries Cooperative 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 September 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``Comments on the South Fork Wind Farm Lobster and Jonah Crab EFP.'' If
you are unable to submit your comment through [email protected],
contact Laura Hansen, Fishery Management Specialist,
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-281-9225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
(CFRF) submitted a complete application for an Exempted
[[Page 55642]]
Fishing Permit (EFP) to conduct a lobster and Jonah crab monitoring
study that Federal regulations would otherwise restrict. The purpose of
this study is to collect pre-construction data on the abundance, size,
and distribution of lobster and Jonah crab in the South Fork wind farm
lease area and adjacent waters.
The EFP would authorize the eight participating vessels (3 active
and 5 back up vessels) to deploy 4 standard and 6 ventless traps per
10-pot trawl. The project consists of two survey periods from August
2020 through November 2020 and May 2021 through November 2021. Each
vessel would take three one-day trips during the survey periods; one
day to set traps, one day for sampling and resetting, and another day
of additional sampling. Soak time between trips will be five days. CFRF
staff will be on board for the sampling trips. All gear would be
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan compliant. Survey traps will
be separate from each vessel's commercial lobster traps and will have
unique identification markers. To reduce the potential risk to right
whales, CFRF has agreed to report if line and/or trawls are missing,
apply distinct gear marking colors to the research trawls, and use
1,700 lb breaking strength buoy lines.
All catch during sampling trips would be retained temporarily to
collect biological data and returned promptly to the ocean. No catch
from the research traps would be landed for sale.
If approved, CFRF may request minor modifications and extensions to
the EFP throughout the study. 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: September 2, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-19864 Filed 9-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
