Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit; Correction, 60962-60963 [2020-21402]

Download as PDF 60962 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 189 / Tuesday, September 29, 2020 / Notices following website www.reginfo.gov/ public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0607–1014. Sheleen Dumas, Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department. [FR Doc. 2020–21424 Filed 9–28–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–07–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA515] Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit; Correction National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. AGENCY: Notice; request for comments; correction. ACTION: NMFS is correcting a notice that informed the public that the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The catch estimates provided in kilograms in Table 1 were incorrect. The table also erroneously included nudibranch in the list of federally managed species. DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 1, 2020. 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 CFRF Beam Trawl Survey 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 CFRF Beam Trawl Survey EFP.’’ SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Fenton, Fishery Management Specialist, 978–281–9196, Maria.Fenton@noaa.gov. On September 16, 2020, NMFS published a notice that informed the public that the Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The catch estimates provided in kilograms in Table 1 were incorrect. The table also erroneously included nudibranch in the list of federally managed species. This correction does not change the scope or impact of the proposed EFP. This correction is necessary to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on the application with correct and complete information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Correction In the Federal Register of September 16, 2020, in FR Doc 2020–20389, on page 57835, Table 1 is corrected to read as follows: jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES TABLE 1—ESTIMATED CATCH OF FEDERALLY REGULATED SPECIES PER SURVEY TRIP, AND TOTAL ESTIMATED CATCH Common name Scientific name Estimated catch per trip Little skate ...................................... Sea scallop .................................... Winter skate ................................... Leucoraja spp. skates (immature) Winter flounder .............................. Monkfish ......................................... Spiny dogfish ................................. Clearnose skate ............................. Ocean quahog ............................... Yellowtail flounder .......................... Barndoor skate .............................. Summer flounder ........................... Windowpane flounder .................... Silver hake ..................................... Red hake ....................................... American lobster ............................ Witch flounder ................................ Ocean pout .................................... Longfin inshore squid .................... Scup ............................................... Butterfish ........................................ Surf clam ........................................ Black sea bass .............................. Haddock ......................................... Leucoraja erinacea ....................... Placopectin magellanicus ............. Leucoraja ocellata ........................ Leucoraja spp. .............................. Pseudopleuronectes americanus Lophius americanus ..................... Squalus acanthias ........................ Raja eglanteria ............................. Arctica islandica ............................ Pleuronectes ferruginea ............... Raja laevis .................................... Paralichthys dentatus ................... Scophthalmus aquosus ................ Merluccius bilinearis ..................... Urophycis chuss ........................... Homarus americanus ................... Glyptocephalus cynoglossus ........ Macrozdarces americanus ........... Doryteuthis pealeii ........................ Stenotomus chrysops ................... Peprilus triacanthus ...................... Spisula solidissima ....................... Centropristis striata ....................... Melanogrammus aeglefinus ......... 976.9 lb (443.1 kg) ....................... 754.0 lb (342.0 kg) ....................... 484.4 lb (219.7 kg) ....................... 132.5 lb (60.1 kg) ......................... 108.9 lb (49.4 kg) ......................... 96.1 lb (43.6 kg) ........................... 54.0 lb (24.5 kg) ........................... 53.1 lb (24.1 kg) ........................... 34.0 lb (15.4 kg) ........................... 29.3 lb (13.3 kg) ........................... 29.1 lb (13.2 kg) ........................... 29.1 lb (13.2 kg) ........................... 23.8 lb (10.8 kg) ........................... 15.9 lb (7.2 kg) ............................. 12.1 lb (5.5 kg) ............................. 11.5 lb (5.2 kg) ............................. 10.6 lb (4.8 kg) ............................. 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) ............................... 5.3 lb (2.4 kg) ............................... 5.3 lb (2.4 kg) ............................... 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) ............................... 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) ............................... 0.4 lb (0.2 kg) ............................... 0.4 lb (0.2 kg) ............................... VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:14 Sep 28, 2020 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 E:\FR\FM\29SEN1.SGM Estimated total survey catch 23,444.8 lb (10,634.4 kg) 18,095.5 lb (8,208.0 kg) 11,624.5 lb (5,272.8 kg) 3,179.9 lb (1,442.4 kg) 2,613.8 lb (1,185.6 kg) 2,306.9 lb (1,046.4 kg) 1,296.3 lb (588.0 kg) 1,275.2 lb (578.4 kg) 814.8 lb (369.6 kg) 703.7 lb (319.2 kg) 698.4 lb (316.8 kg) 698.4 lb (316.8 kg) 571.4 lb (259.2 kg) 381.0 lb (172.8 kg) 291.0 lb (132.0 kg) 275.1 lb (124.8 kg) 254.0 lb (115.2 kg) 227.5 lb (103.2 kg) 127.0 lb (57.6 kg) 127.0 lb (57.6 kg) 37.0 lb (16.8 kg) 37.0 lb (16.8 kg) 10.6 lb (4.8 kg) 10.6 lb (4.8 kg) 29SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 189 / Tuesday, September 29, 2020 / Notices Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: September 23, 2020. Jennifer M. Wallace, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2020–21402 Filed 9–28–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA417] 2021 Annual Determination To Implement the Sea Turtle Observer Requirement National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is providing notification that the agency will not identify additional fisheries to observe on the 2021 Annual Determination (AD), pursuant to its authority under the Endangered Species Act (ESA or Act). Through the AD, NMFS identifies U.S. fisheries operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean that will be required to take observers upon NMFS’ request. The purpose of observing identified fisheries is to learn more about sea turtle bycatch in a given fishery, evaluate measures to prevent or reduce sea turtle bycatch, and implement the prohibition against sea turtle takes. Fisheries identified on the 2018 and 2020 ADs (see Table 1) remain on the AD for a 5-year period and are required to carry observers upon NMFS’ request until December 31, 2022, and September 29, 2025 respectively. ADDRESSES: Chief, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaclyn Taylor, Office of Protected Resources, 301–427–8402; Ellen Keane, Greater Atlantic Region, 978–282–8476; Dennis Klemm, Southeast Region, 727– 824–5312; Dan Lawson, West Coast Region, 206–526–4740; Irene Kelly, Pacific Islands Region, 808–725–5141. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the hearing impaired may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 800–877– 8339 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:14 Sep 28, 2020 Jkt 250001 Purpose of the Sea Turtle Observer Requirement Under the ESA, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq., NMFS has the responsibility to implement programs to conserve marine life listed as endangered or threatened. All sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed as either endangered or threatened under the ESA. Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerhead (Caretta caretta; North Pacific distinct population segment), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green (Chelonia mydas; Central West Pacific and Central South Pacific distinct population segments), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles are listed as endangered. Loggerhead (Caretta caretta; Northwest Atlantic Ocean distinct population segment), green (Chelonia mydas; North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Central North Pacific, and East Pacific distinct population segments), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles are listed as threatened, except for breeding colony populations of olive ridleys on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered. Due to the inability to distinguish between populations of olive ridley turtles away from the nesting beach, NMFS considers these turtles endangered wherever they occur in U.S. waters. While some sea turtle populations have shown signs of recovery, many populations continue to decline. Bycatch in fishing gear is the primary anthropogenic source of sea turtle injury and mortality in U.S. waters. Section 9 of the ESA prohibits the take (defined to include harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting or attempting to engage in any such conduct), including incidental take, of endangered sea turtles. Pursuant to section 4(d) of the ESA, NMFS has issued regulations extending the prohibition of take, with exceptions, to threatened sea turtles (50 CFR 223.205 and 223.206). Section 11 of the ESA provides for civil and criminal penalties for anyone who violates the Act or a regulation issued to implement the Act. NMFS may grant exceptions to the take prohibitions with an incidental take statement or an incidental take permit issued pursuant to ESA section 7 or 10, respectively. To do so, NMFS must determine that the activity that will result in incidental take is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the affected listed species. For some Federal fisheries and most state fisheries, NMFS has not granted an exception for incidental takes of sea PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 60963 turtles primarily because we lack information about fishery-sea turtle interactions. The most effective way for NMFS to learn more about bycatch in order to implement the take prohibitions and prevent or minimize take is to place observers aboard fishing vessels. In 2007, NMFS issued a regulation (50 CFR 222.402) establishing procedures to annually identify, pursuant to specified criteria and after notice and opportunity for comment, those fisheries in which the agency intends to place observers (72 FR 43176; August 3, 2007). These regulations specify that NMFS may place observers on U.S. fishing vessels, commercial or recreational, operating in U.S. territorial waters, the U.S. exclusive economic zone, or on the high seas, or on vessels that are otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Failure to comply with the requirements under this regulation may result in civil or criminal penalties under the ESA. NMFS will pay the direct costs for vessels to carry the required observers. These include observer salary and insurance costs. NMFS may also evaluate other potential direct costs, should they arise. Once selected, a fishery will be required to carry observers, if requested, for a period of 5 years without further action by NMFS. This will enable NMFS to develop appropriate observer coverage and sampling protocol to investigate whether, how, when, where, and under what conditions sea turtle bycatch is occurring; to evaluate whether existing measures are minimizing or preventing bycatch; and to implement ESA take prohibitions and conserve and recover turtles. 2021 Annual Determination Pursuant to 50 CFR 222.402(a), NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, in consultation with Regional Administrators and Fisheries Science Center Directors, annually identifies fisheries for inclusion on the AD based on the extent to which: (1) The fishery operates in the same waters and at the same time as sea turtles are present; (2) The fishery operates at the same time or prior to elevated sea turtle strandings; or (3) The fishery uses a gear or technique that is known or likely to result in incidental take of sea turtles based on documented or reported takes in the same or similar fisheries; and (4) NMFS intends to monitor the fishery and anticipates that it will have the funds to do so. E:\FR\FM\29SEN1.SGM 29SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60962-60963]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21402]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA515]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit; Correction

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments; correction.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS is correcting a notice that informed the public that the 
Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater 
Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an 
Exempted Fishing Permit application contains all of the required 
information and warrants further consideration. The catch estimates 
provided in kilograms in Table 1 were incorrect. The table also 
erroneously included nudibranch in the list of federally managed 
species.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 1, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFRF Beam Trawl Survey 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 
CFRF Beam Trawl Survey EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Fenton, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9196, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 16, 2020, NMFS published a 
notice that informed the public that the Assistant Regional 
Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, 
has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit 
(EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants 
further consideration. The catch estimates provided in kilograms in 
Table 1 were incorrect. The table also erroneously included nudibranch 
in the list of federally managed species. This correction does not 
change the scope or impact of the proposed EFP. This correction is 
necessary to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on 
the application with correct and complete information.

Correction

    In the Federal Register of September 16, 2020, in FR Doc 2020-
20389, on page 57835, Table 1 is corrected to read as follows:

       Table 1--Estimated Catch of Federally Regulated Species per Survey Trip, and Total Estimated Catch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Estimated catch per     Estimated total survey
             Common name                   Scientific name                trip                    catch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Little skate.........................  Leucoraja erinacea.....  976.9 lb (443.1 kg)....  23,444.8 lb (10,634.4
                                                                                          kg)
Sea scallop..........................  Placopectin              754.0 lb (342.0 kg)....  18,095.5 lb (8,208.0
                                        magellanicus.                                     kg)
Winter skate.........................  Leucoraja ocellata.....  484.4 lb (219.7 kg)....  11,624.5 lb (5,272.8
                                                                                          kg)
Leucoraja spp. skates (immature).....  Leucoraja spp..........  132.5 lb (60.1 kg).....  3,179.9 lb (1,442.4 kg)
Winter flounder......................  Pseudopleuronectes       108.9 lb (49.4 kg).....  2,613.8 lb (1,185.6 kg)
                                        americanus.
Monkfish.............................  Lophius americanus.....  96.1 lb (43.6 kg)......  2,306.9 lb (1,046.4 kg)
Spiny dogfish........................  Squalus acanthias......  54.0 lb (24.5 kg)......  1,296.3 lb (588.0 kg)
Clearnose skate......................  Raja eglanteria........  53.1 lb (24.1 kg)......  1,275.2 lb (578.4 kg)
Ocean quahog.........................  Arctica islandica......  34.0 lb (15.4 kg)......  814.8 lb (369.6 kg)
Yellowtail flounder..................  Pleuronectes ferruginea  29.3 lb (13.3 kg)......  703.7 lb (319.2 kg)
Barndoor skate.......................  Raja laevis............  29.1 lb (13.2 kg)......  698.4 lb (316.8 kg)
Summer flounder......................  Paralichthys dentatus..  29.1 lb (13.2 kg)......  698.4 lb (316.8 kg)
Windowpane flounder..................  Scophthalmus aquosus...  23.8 lb (10.8 kg)......  571.4 lb (259.2 kg)
Silver hake..........................  Merluccius bilinearis..  15.9 lb (7.2 kg).......  381.0 lb (172.8 kg)
Red hake.............................  Urophycis chuss........  12.1 lb (5.5 kg).......  291.0 lb (132.0 kg)
American lobster.....................  Homarus americanus.....  11.5 lb (5.2 kg).......  275.1 lb (124.8 kg)
Witch flounder.......................  Glyptocephalus           10.6 lb (4.8 kg).......  254.0 lb (115.2 kg)
                                        cynoglossus.
Ocean pout...........................  Macrozdarces americanus  9.5 lb (4.3 kg)........  227.5 lb (103.2 kg)
Longfin inshore squid................  Doryteuthis pealeii....  5.3 lb (2.4 kg)........  127.0 lb (57.6 kg)
Scup.................................  Stenotomus chrysops....  5.3 lb (2.4 kg)........  127.0 lb (57.6 kg)
Butterfish...........................  Peprilus triacanthus...  1.5 lb (0.7 kg)........  37.0 lb (16.8 kg)
Surf clam............................  Spisula solidissima....  1.5 lb (0.7 kg)........  37.0 lb (16.8 kg)
Black sea bass.......................  Centropristis striata..  0.4 lb (0.2 kg)........  10.6 lb (4.8 kg)
Haddock..............................  Melanogrammus            0.4 lb (0.2 kg)........  10.6 lb (4.8 kg)
                                        aeglefinus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



[[Page 60963]]

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: September 23, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-21402 Filed 9-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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