Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 64126-64127 [2020-22397]

Download as PDF 64126 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices intends to begin reviewing applications to fill upcoming vacancies by January 31, 2021. Applications will be kept on file for consideration of any Board vacancy for a period of three years from January 31, 2021. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held virtually only. For more information and for virtual access see below in the their financial assistance awards. The reserves were found to be adhering to programmatic requirements of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Keelin Kuipers, Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT [FR Doc. 2020–22460 Filed 10–8–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–JE–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Sea Grant Advisory Board (NSGAB); Public Meeting and Solicitation for Nominations for the National Sea Grant Advisory Board National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice of public meeting and notice of solicitation for nominations for the National Sea Grant Advisory Board. AGENCY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the National Sea Grant Advisory Board (Board). Board members will discuss and provide advice on the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) in the areas of program evaluation, strategic planning, education and extension, science and technology programs, and other matters as described in the agenda found on the NSGCP website at https:// seagrant.noaa.gov/WhoWeAre/ Leadership/NationalSea GrantAdvisoryBoard/ UpcomingAdvisoryBoardMeetings.aspx. This notice also responds to the Sea Grant Program Improvement Act of 1976, which requires the Secretary of Commerce to solicit nominations at least once a year for membership on the National Sea Grant Advisory Board. To apply for membership to the Board applicants should submit a current resume. A cover letter highlighting specific areas of expertise relevant to the purpose of the Board is helpful, but not required. Nominations will be accepted by email (preferred) or U.S. mail (See Contact Information Section). NOAA is an equal opportunity employer. DATES: The announced meeting is scheduled for Friday, November 13, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. There is no due date for nominations, however the program SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Oct 08, 2020 Jkt 253001 section. Nominations should be sent via email to Ms. Donna Brown, Donna.Brown@noaa.gov. Status: The meeting will be open to public participation with a 15-minute public comment period on Friday, November 13, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. (Check agenda using link in the Summary section to confirm time.) The Board expects that public statements presented at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted verbal or written statements. In general, each individual or group making a verbal presentation will be limited to a total time of three (3) minutes. Public written comments should be received by Ms. Donna Brown by Friday, October 30, 2020 to provide sufficient time for Board review. Public written comments received after the deadline will be distributed to the Board, but may not be reviewed prior to the meeting date. As this will be a virtual meeting, there is no physical address for the meeting and all public comments should be sent to the contact below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For any questions concerning the meeting, please contact Ms. Donna Brown, at Donna.Brown@noaa.gov. Phone Number: 301–734–1088. Special Accommodations: The Board meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. Donna Brown by Friday, November 1, 2020. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board, which consists of a balanced representation from academia, industry, state government and citizens groups, was established in 1976 by Section 209 of the Sea Grant Improvement Act (Pub. L. 94–461, 33 U.S.C. 1128). The Board advises the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the NSGCP with respect to operations under the Act, and such other matters as the Secretary refers to them for review and advice. Individuals Selected for Federal Advisory Committee Membership: Upon selection and agreement to serve on the National Sea Grant Advisory Board, you become a Special Government Employee (SGE) of the United States Government. According to 18 U.S.C. PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 202(a), an SGE is an officer or employee of an agency who is retained, designated, appointed, or employed to perform temporary duties, with or without compensation, not to exceed 130 days during any period of 365 consecutive days, either on a full time or intermittent basis. Please be aware that after the selection process is complete, applicants selected to serve on the Board must complete the following actions before they can be appointed as a Board member: (a) Security Clearance (on-line Background Security Check process and fingerprinting), and other applicable forms, both conducted through NOAA Workforce Management; and (b) Confidential Financial Disclosure Report as an SGE, you are required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report annually to avoid involvement in a real or apparent conflict of interest. You may find the Confidential Financial Disclosure Form at the following website. https://oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/ OGE%20Forms/60739EAC38F56977 85258363005C02C9. Dated: September 21, 2020. David Holst, Director Chief Financial Officer/CAO, Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [FR Doc. 2020–22427 Filed 10–8–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–KA–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA518] Magnuson-Stevens 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 Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that Exempted Fishing Permits to facilitate the use of fishing year 2020 and 2021 monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea warrant further consideration. This notice provides interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 26, 2020. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM 09OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 197 / Friday, October 9, 2020 / Notices You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on 2020 Monkfish RSA EFP.’’ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management Specialist, 978–281–9225, Laura.Hansen@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) that waive monkfish landing limits have been routinely approved since 2007 to increase operational efficiency and optimize research funds generated from the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. These EFPs would facilitate compensation fishing in support of the projects funded under the 2020/2021 monkfish RSA competition. Consistent with previous years of the monkfish RSA program, these RSA compensation fishing EFPs would authorize an exemption for participating vessels from days-at-sea (DAS) landing limit restrictions in the Monkfish Northern and Southern Fishery Management Areas found at 50 CFR 648.94(b)(1) and (2). Vessels fishing under an RSA DAS would be allowed to harvest monkfish in excess of the usual landing limits associated with their Federal permits. The Monkfish RSA Program is allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS annually, as established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish FMP (70 FR 21929; April 28, 2005). These monkfish RSA DAS are awarded through a competitive grant program in support of monkfish research. Award recipients sell RSA DAS to fishermen to fund approved monkfish research projects. Award recipients receive an allocation of RSA DAS and a maximum amount that may be landed under available DAS. Projects are constrained to the total DAS, maximum available landing weight, or award timetable, whichever is reached first. To calculate a maximum weight allocation that is similar to the Councils’ original intent to be harvested under the allocated 500 RSA DAS, NMFS uses twice the landing limit for Permit Category A and C monkfish vessel fishing in the Southern Fishery Management Area (4,074 lb [2 mt] whole weight) for each RSA DAS. Annually, a maximum of 2,037,000 lb (924 mt) of whole weight may be harvested across all Monkfish RSA projects. Allowing vessels an exemption from monkfish landing limits provides an incentive for vessels to purchase and fish under RSA DAS to catch more monkfish per trip, while constraining ADDRESSES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:26 Oct 08, 2020 Jkt 253001 each project to a maximum available harvest limit ensures that the overall monkfish RSA catch will not be an excessive burden on the fishery as a whole. Arizona State University (ASU) was awarded 400 DAS for 2020 and 399 DAS for 2021. The University of Delaware (UD) was awarded 100 DAS for 2020 and 101 DAS for 2021. If approved, ASU and UD may request minor modifications and extensions to their EFPs 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 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: October 6, 2020. Jennifer M. Wallace, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2020–22397 Filed 10–8–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Final Management Plan for the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC). ACTION: Notice; approval of management plan. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that the Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approves the revised management plan for the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Great Bay Reserve) in New Hampshire. In accordance with applicable federal regulations, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department revised the Great Bay Reserve’s management plan, which replaces the plan that was approved in 2007. ADDRESSES: The approved management plan can be downloaded or viewed at https://www.greatbay.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/06/ManagementPlan.pdf. A hard copy of the documents may be requested by sending a written request SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 64127 to the point of contact identified below (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Mountz of NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, by email at Elizabeth.Mountz@noaa.gov, phone at (240) 533–0819, or mail at: 1305 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(c), a state must revise the management plan for a national estuarine research reserve at least every five years. Changes to a national estuarine research reserve’s management plan may be made only after receiving written approval from NOAA. NOAA approves changes to management plans via notice in the Federal Register. On March 24, 2020, NOAA issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing a thirty-day public comment period for the proposed revision of the management plan for the Great Bay Reserve (85 FR 16618). Responses to written and oral comments NOAA received, and an explanation of how comments were incorporated into the final version of the revised management plan, are available in appendix 3 of the plan. The management plan outlines the Great Bay Reserve’s strategic goals and objectives; administrative structure; programs for conducting research and monitoring, education, and training; resource protection and restoration plans; public access and visitor use plans; consideration for future land acquisition; and facility development to support Great Bay Reserve operations. Since 2007, the Great Bay Reserve has implemented its core and system-wide programs; secured science, education, and conservation grants to serve Great Bay communities; made significant repairs and improvements to the Discovery Center campus including installing a pervious pavement parking lot, replacing the original boardwalk, and refurbishing staff offices in the Depot House and Discovery Center; updated exhibits in Discovery Center including designing and installing marine debris exhibits; and enhanced waterfront access for kayak launching. There will be no boundary change with the approval of the revised management plan. The revised management plan will serve as the guiding document for the 10,235-acre Great Bay Reserve for the next five years. NOAA reviewed the environmental impacts of the revised management plan and determined that this action is categorically excluded from further analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 E:\FR\FM\09OCN1.SGM 09OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 197 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64126-64127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22397]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA518]


Magnuson-Stevens 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 Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that Exempted Fishing Permits to facilitate the use of 
fishing year 2020 and 2021 monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea 
warrant further consideration. This notice provides interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 26, 2020.

[[Page 64127]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on 2020 Monkfish RSA EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9225, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) that waive 
monkfish landing limits have been routinely approved since 2007 to 
increase operational efficiency and optimize research funds generated 
from the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. These EFPs would 
facilitate compensation fishing in support of the projects funded under 
the 2020/2021 monkfish RSA competition. Consistent with previous years 
of the monkfish RSA program, these RSA compensation fishing EFPs would 
authorize an exemption for participating vessels from days-at-sea (DAS) 
landing limit restrictions in the Monkfish Northern and Southern 
Fishery Management Areas found at 50 CFR 648.94(b)(1) and (2). Vessels 
fishing under an RSA DAS would be allowed to harvest monkfish in excess 
of the usual landing limits associated with their Federal permits.
    The Monkfish RSA Program is allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS 
annually, as established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Councils in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish FMP (70 FR 21929; 
April 28, 2005). These monkfish RSA DAS are awarded through a 
competitive grant program in support of monkfish research. Award 
recipients sell RSA DAS to fishermen to fund approved monkfish research 
projects. Award recipients receive an allocation of RSA DAS and a 
maximum amount that may be landed under available DAS. Projects are 
constrained to the total DAS, maximum available landing weight, or 
award timetable, whichever is reached first. To calculate a maximum 
weight allocation that is similar to the Councils' original intent to 
be harvested under the allocated 500 RSA DAS, NMFS uses twice the 
landing limit for Permit Category A and C monkfish vessel fishing in 
the Southern Fishery Management Area (4,074 lb [2 mt] whole weight) for 
each RSA DAS. Annually, a maximum of 2,037,000 lb (924 mt) of whole 
weight may be harvested across all Monkfish RSA projects. Allowing 
vessels an exemption from monkfish landing limits provides an incentive 
for vessels to purchase and fish under RSA DAS to catch more monkfish 
per trip, while constraining each project to a maximum available 
harvest limit ensures that the overall monkfish RSA catch will not be 
an excessive burden on the fishery as a whole. Arizona State University 
(ASU) was awarded 400 DAS for 2020 and 399 DAS for 2021. The University 
of Delaware (UD) was awarded 100 DAS for 2020 and 101 DAS for 2021.
    If approved, ASU and UD may request minor modifications and 
extensions to their EFPs 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 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: October 6, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-22397 Filed 10-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

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