Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 7079-7080 [2023-02167]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 22 / Thursday, February 2, 2023 / Notices
Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca)
and opportunistically study other
cetaceans in the inland and coastal
waters of Washington. Up to 17
additional species of cetaceans may be
targeted for research including the
following ESA-listed species: blue
(Balaenoptera musculus), fin (B.
physalus), gray (Western North Pacific
distinct population segment [DPS];
Eschrichtius robustus), humpback
(Mexico and Central America DPS;
Megaptera novaeangliae), North Pacific
right (Eubalaena japonica), sei (B.
borealis), and sperm (Physeter
macrocephalus) whales. Researchers
would conduct vessel surveys,
including unmanned aircraft systems,
for counts, photography, photoidentification, photogrammetry, video
recording, observations, passive
acoustic recording, collection of
samples (sloughed skin, feces, and
predation remains), and underwater
photo/videography. Five species of
pinnipeds, including endangered Steller
sea lions (Western DPS; Eumetopias
jubatus), may be harassed during
research. See the application for
numbers of animals requested by
species and procedure.
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
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: January 30, 2023.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–02157 Filed 2–1–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC732]
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,
SUMMARY:
7079
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 EFP would allow
federally permitted fishing vessels to
fish outside fishery regulations in
support of exempted fishing activities
proposed by the applicant. Regulations
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
require publication of this notification
to provide interested parties the
opportunity to comment on applications
for proposed EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before February 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by the following method:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘6-Inch
Gillnet Mesh Exploratory Fishing.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Spencer Talmage, Fishery Policy
Analyst, Spencer.Talmage@noaa.gov,
(978) 281–9232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
applicant submitted a complete
application for an EFP to conduct
commercial fishing activities that the
regulations would otherwise restrict.
This EFP would exempt the
participating vessels from the following
Federal regulations:
TABLE 1—REQUESTED EXEMPTIONS
Citation
Regulation
Need for exemption
50 CFR 648.80(a)(3)(iv)(B)(1) ..............
Minimum mesh size for Trip Gillnet Vessels in the
Gulf of Maine.
Needed to deploy 6-inch gillnet gear in Gulf of
Maine.
TABLE 2—PROJECT SUMMARY
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Project title ......................................
Applicant .........................................
Project objectives ............................
Application date ..............................
Project period ..................................
Project location ...............................
Number of vessels ..........................
Number of trips ...............................
Trip duration (days) .........................
Total number of days ......................
Gear type(s) ....................................
Number of tows or sets ..................
Duration of tows or sets ..................
6-Inch Gillnet Mesh Exploratory Fishing.
Northeast Sector Services Network.
Evaluate the efficacy of smaller mesh gillnet for haddock, without increasing catch of cod.
November 22, 2022.
January 2023—May 31, 2023.
Gulf of Maine.
1.
20–30.
2–3.
40–90 days.
Gillnet, 6 inch (15.24-cm) mesh.
20–30.
24 hours.
Project Narrative
The proposed EFP is a continuation of
a project conducting exploratory fishing
in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) that mimics
the structure of the GOM Sink Gillnet
Mesh Exemption originally approved for
sectors from fishing years 2010 through
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:57 Feb 01, 2023
Jkt 259001
2012. In fishing year 2013, NMFS
disapproved the exemption due to
concerns regarding the status of the
GOM haddock stock, which at the time
was subject to overfishing and
approaching an overfished condition.
The proposed EFP would provide
preliminary catch data to inform future
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
studies to test the feasibility of using the
6-inch (15.24-cm) gillnet gear to target
haddock while minimizing catch of
GOM cod.
From issuance to May 31, 2023, the
participating vessel would conduct
between 20 and 30 trips under the EFP
in the GOM Regulated Mesh Area
E:\FR\FM\02FEN1.SGM
02FEN1
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
7080
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 22 / Thursday, February 2, 2023 / Notices
during which it would make 20–30
hauls with 6-inch (15.24-cm) mesh
gillnet gear. The maximum number of
individual nets that could be deployed
is 75. Gillnets would be set for a soak
of up to 24 hours, and would be actively
tended by the vessel (i.e., the vessel
would not leave the fishing grounds
while nets are deployed).
A Northeast Fisheries at-sea monitor
or observer would be deployed on all
groundfish trips taken under the EFP.
The participating vessel would use the
Pre-Trip Notification System to identify
groundfish trip taken under the EFP.
Trips would be eligible for natural
selection for observer coverage for either
the Northeast Fisheries Observer
Program or the At-Sea Monitoring
program. Trips not naturally selected for
observer coverage would not be
reimbursable from Federal
appropriations.
Allowable discards would be
discarded at-sea, while all other species
would be retained, landed, and
processed per normal commercial
fishing procedures. Monitors would
document all discards of allocated sublegal catch.
While on EFP trips, the vessel may
also occasionally deploy a small amount
of longline and 6.5-inch (16.51-cm)
mesh gillnet gear, in order to generate
catch composition data that could be
used to compare the catchability of the
6-inch (15.24-cm) mesh gear with other
gears used on a normal fishing trip. The
gillnet gear would consist of 12 to 24
nets in a single string, while the
longline gear would have between 1,000
and 2,400 hooks. All groundfish catch,
including both discards and landings,
would be deducted from the appropriate
sector allocation.
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: January 30, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–02167 Filed 2–1–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:57 Feb 01, 2023
Jkt 259001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC724]
Marine Mammals; File No. 26919
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources, 2070 U.S. Highway 278
Southeast, Social Circle, GA 30025
(Responsible Party: Jonathan Ambrose)
has applied in due form for a permit to
conduct research on cetaceans.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email
comments must be received on or before
March 6, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The application and related
documents are available for review by
selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public
Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on
the Applications and Permits for
Protected Species (APPS) home page,
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then
selecting File No. 26919 from the list of
available applications. These documents
are also available upon written request
via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted via email to
NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please
include File No. 26919 in the subject
line of the email comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov. The request should set forth
the specific reasons why a hearing on
this application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shasta McClenahan, Ph.D., 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.), the
regulations governing the taking and
importing of marine mammals (50 CFR
part 216), the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.), and the regulations governing
the taking, importing, and exporting of
endangered and threatened species (50
CFR parts 222–226).
The applicant requests a 5-year permit
to study endangered North Atlantic
right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) to
monitor the population and its habitat,
identify and reduce human causes of
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
mortality and serious injury, and
implement the recovery plan. Three
species of non-listed cetaceans may be
unintentionally harassed and
opportunistically studied during
research. Researchers would conduct
surveys from vessels or aircraft (manned
or unmanned) for counts, photography,
photo-identification, photogrammetry,
thermal imaging, video recording,
observations, passive acoustic
recording, tracking, underwater photo/
videography, and biological sampling
(exhaled air, feces, and skin and blubber
biopsy). Marine mammal parts may be
exported and imported for analysis. See
the application for numbers of animals
requested by species and procedure.
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
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: January 30, 2023.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–02159 Filed 2–1–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC592]
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Geophysical Surveys
Related to Oil and Gas Activities in the
Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of Letter of
Authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, its implementing
regulations, and NMFS’ MMPA
Regulations for Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to Geophysical
Surveys Related to Oil and Gas
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico,
notification is hereby given that a Letter
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\02FEN1.SGM
02FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7079-7080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02167]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC732]
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 an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application
contains all of the required information and warrants further
consideration. The EFP would allow federally permitted fishing vessels
to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing
activities proposed by the applicant. Regulations under the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to
comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``6-Inch Gillnet Mesh Exploratory Fishing.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Policy
Analyst, [email protected], (978) 281-9232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant submitted a complete
application for an EFP to conduct commercial fishing activities that
the regulations would otherwise restrict. This EFP would exempt the
participating vessels from the following Federal regulations:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citation Regulation Need for exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR Minimum mesh size Needed to deploy 6-
648.80(a)(3)(iv)(B)(1). for Trip Gillnet inch gillnet gear
Vessels in the Gulf in Gulf of Maine.
of Maine.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project title..................... 6-Inch Gillnet Mesh Exploratory
Fishing.
Applicant......................... Northeast Sector Services Network.
Project objectives................ Evaluate the efficacy of smaller
mesh gillnet for haddock, without
increasing catch of cod.
Application date.................. November 22, 2022.
Project period.................... January 2023--May 31, 2023.
Project location.................. Gulf of Maine.
Number of vessels................. 1.
Number of trips................... 20-30.
Trip duration (days).............. 2-3.
Total number of days.............. 40-90 days.
Gear type(s)...................... Gillnet, 6 inch (15.24-cm) mesh.
Number of tows or sets............ 20-30.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 24 hours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
The proposed EFP is a continuation of a project conducting
exploratory fishing in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) that mimics the
structure of the GOM Sink Gillnet Mesh Exemption originally approved
for sectors from fishing years 2010 through 2012. In fishing year 2013,
NMFS disapproved the exemption due to concerns regarding the status of
the GOM haddock stock, which at the time was subject to overfishing and
approaching an overfished condition. The proposed EFP would provide
preliminary catch data to inform future studies to test the feasibility
of using the 6-inch (15.24-cm) gillnet gear to target haddock while
minimizing catch of GOM cod.
From issuance to May 31, 2023, the participating vessel would
conduct between 20 and 30 trips under the EFP in the GOM Regulated Mesh
Area
[[Page 7080]]
during which it would make 20-30 hauls with 6-inch (15.24-cm) mesh
gillnet gear. The maximum number of individual nets that could be
deployed is 75. Gillnets would be set for a soak of up to 24 hours, and
would be actively tended by the vessel (i.e., the vessel would not
leave the fishing grounds while nets are deployed).
A Northeast Fisheries at-sea monitor or observer would be deployed
on all groundfish trips taken under the EFP. The participating vessel
would use the Pre-Trip Notification System to identify groundfish trip
taken under the EFP. Trips would be eligible for natural selection for
observer coverage for either the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program
or the At-Sea Monitoring program. Trips not naturally selected for
observer coverage would not be reimbursable from Federal
appropriations.
Allowable discards would be discarded at-sea, while all other
species would be retained, landed, and processed per normal commercial
fishing procedures. Monitors would document all discards of allocated
sub-legal catch.
While on EFP trips, the vessel may also occasionally deploy a small
amount of longline and 6.5-inch (16.51-cm) mesh gillnet gear, in order
to generate catch composition data that could be used to compare the
catchability of the 6-inch (15.24-cm) mesh gear with other gears used
on a normal fishing trip. The gillnet gear would consist of 12 to 24
nets in a single string, while the longline gear would have between
1,000 and 2,400 hooks. All groundfish catch, including both discards
and landings, would be deducted from the appropriate sector allocation.
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: January 30, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-02167 Filed 2-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P