Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 9871-9872 [2023-03171]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 15, 2023 / Notices
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 proposes to study seven
cetacean species in the waters of the
northeastern United States as well as
Antarctica. The purpose of the research
is to investigate the foraging ecology,
habitat use, physiology, and acoustic
and social behavior of these species to
support ecosystem-based management
and mitigate anthropogenic harm.
Research would be conducted from
boats and unmanned aircraft systems
(UAS). Animals would be studied using
photo-ID, photogrammetry, behavioral
observations, collection of fecal
samples, skin and blubber biopsy
sampling, and suction cup tagging by a
pole or UAS. Threatened and
endangered species that would be
studied if encountered are: fin whale
(Balaenoptera physalus), sei whale (B.
borealis), and North Atlantic right
whales (Eubalaena glacialis). The
permit would be valid for 5 years.
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: February 9, 2023.
Julia M. Harrison,
Chief, Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–03132 Filed 2–14–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC408]
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
SUMMARY:
9871
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
commercial fishing vessels to fish
outside 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 EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before March 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by any of the following
methods:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘HighVolume Intelligent Discard Chute EM
EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Samantha Tolken, Fishery Management
Specialist, Samantha.Tolken@noaa.gov,
978–675–2176.
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)(i) ..
Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Area Minimum
Mesh Size and Gear Restrictions.
50 CFR 648.80(a)(4)(i) ..
Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Area Minimum Size and Gear Restrictions.
50 CFR 648.81(a)(5) .....
Closed Area II Closure Area ............................
Conduct fishing with the use of 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond mesh intended to facilitate the catch of redfish and 5.1-inch (13-cm)
square mesh intended to facilitate the catch of haddock, in order to
expand the predictive capabilities of the Artificial Intelligence (AI)
program under varying catch compositions.
Conduct fishing with the use of 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond mesh intended to facilitate the catch of redfish and 5.1-inch (13-cm)
square mesh intended to facilitate the catch of haddock, in order to
expand the predictive capabilities of the AI program under varying
catch compositions.
Conduct fishing in the non-habitat management area of Closed Area
II Closure Area from April 16 through January 31 to vary the areas
fished and catch compositions to expand the capability of the AI
program and improve predictive power.
TABLE 2—PROJECT SUMMARY
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES
Project title ......................................
Applicant .........................................
Project objectives ............................
Application date ..............................
Project period ..................................
Project location ...............................
Number of vessels ..........................
Number of trips ...............................
Trip duration (days) .........................
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:16 Feb 14, 2023
High-Volume Audit (HVA) Electronic Monitoring (EM) for Groundfish Vessels Testing an Intelligent Discard
Chute.
A.I.S. Inc.
To develop and pilot an innovative solution for electronic monitoring (EM) based on wireless video transfer,
edge-based AI processing via intelligent discard chute, and web-based video review to incentivize fleet
adoption for high-volume groundfish trawl vessels.
2/8/2023.
5/1/2023–4/30/2024.
Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.
4.
130.
7–10 days.
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9872
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 15, 2023 / Notices
TABLE 2—PROJECT SUMMARY—Continued
Total number of days ......................
Gear type(s) ....................................
Number of tows or sets ..................
Duration of tows or sets ..................
1,300.
Bottom trawl.
20–25 per trip.
30 minutes–2 hours.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES
Project Narrative
The subject application would study
the feasibility of deploying an
intelligent discard chute with integrated
artificial intelligence (AI) technology for
catch accounting onboard high-volume
groundfish trawl vessels. The project
would determine the optimal design
and workflow to minimize costs and
maximize precision and accuracy of
electronic monitoring (EM) data for size,
species, and weight of regulatory
discards. This research could
significantly reduce the cost of EM
programs for large, high-volume
groundfish vessels if the intelligent
discard chute and AI prove to be an
accurate and reliable source for catch
accounting. This information could also
be used to develop a future HighVolume Audit (HVA) EM program for
high-volume vessels, which could
incentivize EM adoption in the region.
The subject application would allow
up to four high-volume trawl sector
vessels enrolled in the Audit Model EM
program additional exemptions from 50
CFR 648.80(a)(3)(i) and (a)(4)(i) to
conduct fishing using codends with
diamond mesh as small as 4.5 inches
(11.4 cm) to increase the catch of redfish
in the Sector Redfish Exemption Area
and conduct fishing using codends with
square mesh as small as 5.1 inches (13
cm) to increase the catch of haddock in
the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.
The use of different mesh sizes and
gears, leading to various catch
compositions, will improve and expand
the predictive capabilities of the AI
program and the intelligent discard
chute on high-volume vessels.
Additionally, vessels would be
exempt from the non-habitat
management area portion of the Closed
Area II Closure Area, from April 16
through January 31, at 50 CFR
648.81(a)(5). This will allow vessel
access to an additional fishing area,
where catch compositions may differ.
The opportunity to encounter varying
catch composition will be used to
further expand the AI program
capabilities and predicative powers.
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:16 Feb 14, 2023
Jkt 259001
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: February 9, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–03171 Filed 2–14–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Draft Environmental Assessment for
the Funding, Procurement, and
Operation of NOAA Small Uncrewed
Aircraft Systems
Office of Oceanic and
Atmospheric Research (OAR), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Department of
Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
NOAA’s Uncrewed Systems
Research Transition Office (UxSRTO) in
OAR has prepared a Draft
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the
Funding, Procurement, and Operation of
NOAA Small Uncrewed Aircraft
Systems (UAS). We are making the draft
EA available for public review and
comment.
DATES: Written comments must be
received on or before March 17, 2023.
ADDRESSES: The Draft EA is available
online at https://orta.research.noaa.gov/
wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DraftPEA-for-NOAA-Small-UnmannedAircraft-Systems.pdf. Please submit
public comments via email to
UXS.OAR@NOAA.gov with the subject
line ‘‘Public Comment on Draft EA for
UAS.’’ Please be aware that comments
submitted may be posted on a Federal
website or otherwise released publicly.
Clearly indicate the section, page
number, and line number, if applicable,
to which submitted comments pertain.
All comments must be provided in
English. No business proprietary
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4703
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information, copyrighted information,
or personally identifiable information
should be submitted. Please note that
the U.S. Government will not pay for
response preparation, or for the use of
any information contained in the
response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bryan Cole, Director, NOAA Uncrewed
Systems Research Transition Office
(email: bryan.cole@noaa.gov or phone
number: 831–601–2107).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
UxSRTO is often directly or indirectly
involved in the funding, procurement,
and operation of small UAS during the
course of its normal office functions.
The UxSRTO, and its predecessor, the
NOAA UAS Program Office in OAR,
were formally established to provide
guidance and expertise in support of
NOAA’s efforts in the testing and
development of UAS and to help
expand UAS research, development,
and transitions to operations and
commercialization. The draft EA
evaluates the potential impacts on the
environment from the types of small
UAS platforms and operations
commonly supported by the UxSRTO
across NOAA, in any environment for
which NOAA has a mission and
potential need for UAS resources to
help meet related mission objectives.
For purposes of the assessment, the
use of the term ‘‘small UAS’’ follows
suit with the Federal Aviation
Administration’s (FAA) definition of
‘‘small unmanned aircraft’’ (14 CFR
107.3), which weigh ‘‘less than 55
pounds on takeoff, including everything
that is on board or otherwise attached to
the aircraft.’’ The geographic scope of
the action area includes the airspace
ranging from just above the surface (for
launch and recovery), extending upward
to an operational altitude of
approximately 400 ft. above ground
level (AGL) for a majority of
applications, but may also include
operational altitudes up to as high as
100,000 ft. mean sea level (MSL) for a
few others.
UxSRTO proposes that the support for
small UAS operations at NOAA, as
described in the proposed action, would
have no significant impact on the
environment. The Draft EA has been
prepared in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
E:\FR\FM\15FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9871-9872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03171]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC408]
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 commercial fishing vessels to fish
outside fishery regulations in support of research conducted 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 March 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``High-Volume Intelligent Discard Chute EM EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha Tolken, Fishery Management
Specialist, [email protected], 978-675-2176.
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)(i)................ Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Conduct fishing with the use of 4.5-inch
Area Minimum Mesh Size and (11.4-cm) diamond mesh intended to
Gear Restrictions. facilitate the catch of redfish and 5.1-
inch (13-cm) square mesh intended to
facilitate the catch of haddock, in
order to expand the predictive
capabilities of the Artificial
Intelligence (AI) program under varying
catch compositions.
50 CFR 648.80(a)(4)(i)................ Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Conduct fishing with the use of 4.5-inch
Area Minimum Size and Gear (11.4-cm) diamond mesh intended to
Restrictions. facilitate the catch of redfish and 5.1-
inch (13-cm) square mesh intended to
facilitate the catch of haddock, in
order to expand the predictive
capabilities of the AI program under
varying catch compositions.
50 CFR 648.81(a)(5)................... Closed Area II Closure Area... Conduct fishing in the non-habitat
management area of Closed Area II
Closure Area from April 16 through
January 31 to vary the areas fished and
catch compositions to expand the
capability of the AI program and
improve predictive power.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project title..................... High-Volume Audit (HVA) Electronic
Monitoring (EM) for Groundfish
Vessels Testing an Intelligent
Discard Chute.
Applicant......................... A.I.S. Inc.
Project objectives................ To develop and pilot an innovative
solution for electronic monitoring
(EM) based on wireless video
transfer, edge-based AI processing
via intelligent discard chute, and
web-based video review to
incentivize fleet adoption for high-
volume groundfish trawl vessels.
Application date.................. 2/8/2023.
Project period.................... 5/1/2023-4/30/2024.
Project location.................. Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank.
Number of vessels................. 4.
Number of trips................... 130.
Trip duration (days).............. 7-10 days.
[[Page 9872]]
Total number of days.............. 1,300.
Gear type(s)...................... Bottom trawl.
Number of tows or sets............ 20-25 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 30 minutes-2 hours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
The subject application would study the feasibility of deploying an
intelligent discard chute with integrated artificial intelligence (AI)
technology for catch accounting onboard high-volume groundfish trawl
vessels. The project would determine the optimal design and workflow to
minimize costs and maximize precision and accuracy of electronic
monitoring (EM) data for size, species, and weight of regulatory
discards. This research could significantly reduce the cost of EM
programs for large, high-volume groundfish vessels if the intelligent
discard chute and AI prove to be an accurate and reliable source for
catch accounting. This information could also be used to develop a
future High-Volume Audit (HVA) EM program for high-volume vessels,
which could incentivize EM adoption in the region.
The subject application would allow up to four high-volume trawl
sector vessels enrolled in the Audit Model EM program additional
exemptions from 50 CFR 648.80(a)(3)(i) and (a)(4)(i) to conduct fishing
using codends with diamond mesh as small as 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) to
increase the catch of redfish in the Sector Redfish Exemption Area and
conduct fishing using codends with square mesh as small as 5.1 inches
(13 cm) to increase the catch of haddock in the Gulf of Maine and
Georges Bank. The use of different mesh sizes and gears, leading to
various catch compositions, will improve and expand the predictive
capabilities of the AI program and the intelligent discard chute on
high-volume vessels.
Additionally, vessels would be exempt from the non-habitat
management area portion of the Closed Area II Closure Area, from April
16 through January 31, at 50 CFR 648.81(a)(5). This will allow vessel
access to an additional fishing area, where catch compositions may
differ. The opportunity to encounter varying catch composition will be
used to further expand the AI program capabilities and predicative
powers.
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: February 9, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-03171 Filed 2-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
