Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 37863-37864 [2023-12290]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 111 / Friday, June 9, 2023 / Notices
Smith, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Southeast Fisheries Science
Center, Fisheries Statistics Division,
4700 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77551,
409–210–1817, or rebecca.smith@
noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is for an extension of a
current information collection.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) authorizes the
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council (Council) to prepare and amend
fishery management plans for any
fishery in waters under its jurisdiction.
NMFS manages the commercial shrimp
fishery in Federal waters of the Gulf of
Mexico (Gulf) under the Fishery
Management Plan for the Shrimp
Fishery of the Gulf. The electronic
logbook (ELB) regulations for the Gulf
shrimp fishery may be found at 50 CFR
622.51(a)(2). The ELB is a device that
records the position of the vessel every
ten minutes. The tracks of the vessels
can be examined to determine when and
where shrimp trawling is occurring.
As of May 1, 2023, there are
approximately 1,319 valid or renewable
Federal permits to commercially harvest
shrimp from the exclusive economic
zone (EEZ) in the Gulf. Monitoring
shrimp vessels, operating together with
many other fishing vessels of differing
sizes, gears types used, and fishing
capabilities, is made even more
challenging by seasonal variability in
shrimp abundance and price, and the
broad geographic distribution of the
fleet. ELBs provide a precise means of
estimating the amount of shrimp fishing
effort. Using ELBs to estimate fishing
effort serves an important role to help
estimate bycatch in the Gulf shrimp
fleet.
II. Method of Collection
The ELB unit automatically collects
fishing effort data on a Secure Digital
(SD) card. Twice per year the NMFS
Galveston Laboratory mails replacement
SD cards to the permit holders. The card
in the ELB unit must be removed by the
shrimper and mailed to the NMFS
Galveston Laboratory, and replaced in
the unit by the newly one received.
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III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0543.
Form Number(s): None.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Jun 08, 2023
Jkt 259001
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,319.
Estimated Time per Response: 2
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 2,638.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0 in recordkeeping or reporting
costs.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required.
Legal Authority: Fishing Regulation
50 CFR 622.51(a)(2).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you may ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023–12373 Filed 6–8–23; 8:45 am]
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37863
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XD075]
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 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
Exempted Fishing Permit 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 and the Atlantic
Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested
parties the opportunity to comment on
applications for proposed Exempted
Fishing Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on
or before June 26, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written
comments by the following method:
• Email: nmfs.gar.efp@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line ‘‘CFRF
Ventless Trap EFP.’’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Deighan, Fishery Management
Specialist, Laura.Deighan@noaa.gov,
(978) 281–9184.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation submitted a complete
application for an Exempted Fishing
Permit (EFP) to conduct commercial
fishing activities that the regulations
would otherwise restrict. The EFP
would continue to provide distribution,
abundance, and biological data on
juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs from
times and areas with low coverage from
traditional surveys. This EFP would
exempt the participating vessels from
the following Federal regulations:
SUMMARY:
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37864
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 111 / Friday, June 9, 2023 / Notices
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TABLE 1—REQUESTED EXEMPTIONS
Citation
Regulation
Need for exemption
50 CFR 697.21(c) ............
Gear specification requirements .........
§ 697.19 ...........................
Trap limit requirements .......................
§ 697.19(j) ........................
Trap tag requirements ........................
§ 697.20(a), (d), (g), and
(h)(1) and (2).
Possession restrictions .......................
To allow for closed escape vents and smaller trap mesh and entrance
heads.
To allow for 3 additional traps per fishing vessel, for a total of 66 additional
traps.
To allow for the use of untagged traps (though each modified trap will have
the participating fisherman’s identification attached).
To allow for onboard biological sampling of undersized, v-notched, and eggbearing lobsters and undersized and egg-bearing Jonah crabs and retention of up to 300 legal and sublegal Jonah crabs per month for a molting
study.
This project would continue an
ongoing effort to collect data on juvenile
lobster and Jonah crab abundance and
distribution in areas and times of the
year with low or no coverage by
traditional surveys. To date, this project
has collected data from over 200,000
lobsters and 120,000 Jonah crabs. The
current EFP will expire on June 30,
2023. The EFP under consideration
would authorize research trips from July
1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
The project would include 5 inshore
vessels (Lobster Management Area 2)
and 17 offshore vessels (Lobster
Management Areas 1 and 3) and may
include an additional vessel to increase
the offshore coverage (Lobster
Management Areas 4 and 5). Each vessel
would fish with 3 modified, ventless
traps designed to capture juvenile
lobsters, totaling up to 69 modified
traps. The modified traps would adhere
to the standard coast-wide survey gear
for lobster and Jonah crab set by the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission and would be fished with
standard Atlantic Large Whale Take
Reduction Plan-compliant trawls. The
traps would remain in the water for up
to 12 months and be hauled every 7
days by the inshore vessels and every 10
days by the offshore vessels.
This study would take place during
the regular fishing activity of the
participating vessels, but catch from
modified traps would remain separate
from that of standard gear. Operators
would collect data on size, sex, presence
of eggs, and shell hardness for lobsters
and Jonah crabs and v-notch and shell
disease for lobsters. In addition to
onboard sampling, 3 inshore and 3
offshore vessels would retain up to 50
Jonah crabs per month each, for a total
of up to 300 crabs per month, for a
molting study. Operators would return
all other specimens from modified gear
to the ocean once sampling is complete.
The study is designed to inform
management by addressing questions
about changing reproduction and
recruitment dynamics of lobster and to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Jun 08, 2023
Jkt 259001
develop a foundation of knowledge for
the data-deficient Jonah crab fishery.
The Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation would share data with the
Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics
Program, the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center, the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission, and the
Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management every six
months.
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.
All comments received are a part of
the public record and will generally be
posted for public viewing at https://
www.noaa.gov/organization/
information-technology/foia-readingroom without change. All personal
identifying information (e.g., name,
address), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive
information submitted voluntarily by
the sender will be publicly accessible.
NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ‘‘anonymous’’ as the
signature if you wish to remain
anonymous).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 5, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023–12290 Filed 6–8–23; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XC962]
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental to the Falls Bridge
Replacement Project in Blue Hill,
Maine
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments on
proposed renewal incidental harassment
authorization (IHA).
AGENCY:
NMFS received a request from
the Maine Department of Transportation
(MEDOT) for the renewal of their
currently active incidental harassment
authorization (IHA) to take marine
mammals incidental to Falls Bridge
Replacement Project in Blue Hill,
Maine. These activities consist of
activities that are covered by the current
authorization but will not be completed
prior to its expiration. Pursuant to the
Marine Mammal Protection Act, prior to
issuing the currently active IHA, NMFS
requested comments on both the
proposed IHA and the potential for
renewing the initial authorization if
certain requirements were satisfied. The
renewal requirements have been
satisfied, and NMFS is now providing
an additional 15-day comment period to
allow for any additional comments on
the proposed renewal not previously
provided during the initial 30-day
comment period.
DATES: Comments and information must
be received no later than June 26, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be
addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief,
Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, and should be
submitted via email to ITP.harlacher@
noaa.gov.
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 111 (Friday, June 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37863-37864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12290]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD075]
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 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
Exempted Fishing Permit 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 and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for
proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 26, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``CFRF Ventless Trap EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Deighan, Fishery Management
Specialist, [email protected], (978) 281-9184.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP)
to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations would
otherwise restrict. The EFP would continue to provide distribution,
abundance, and biological data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs
from times and areas with low coverage from traditional surveys. This
EFP would exempt the participating vessels from the following Federal
regulations:
[[Page 37864]]
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citation Regulation Need for exemption
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR 697.21(c)........................ Gear specification To allow for closed escape vents and
requirements. smaller trap mesh and entrance heads.
Sec. 697.19........................... Trap limit requirements.... To allow for 3 additional traps per
fishing vessel, for a total of 66
additional traps.
Sec. 697.19(j)........................ Trap tag requirements...... To allow for the use of untagged traps
(though each modified trap will have the
participating fisherman's identification
attached).
Sec. 697.20(a), (d), (g), and (h)(1) Possession restrictions.... To allow for onboard biological sampling
and (2). of undersized, v-notched, and egg-
bearing lobsters and undersized and egg-
bearing Jonah crabs and retention of up
to 300 legal and sublegal Jonah crabs
per month for a molting study.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This project would continue an ongoing effort to collect data on
juvenile lobster and Jonah crab abundance and distribution in areas and
times of the year with low or no coverage by traditional surveys. To
date, this project has collected data from over 200,000 lobsters and
120,000 Jonah crabs. The current EFP will expire on June 30, 2023. The
EFP under consideration would authorize research trips from July 1,
2023, through June 30, 2024.
The project would include 5 inshore vessels (Lobster Management
Area 2) and 17 offshore vessels (Lobster Management Areas 1 and 3) and
may include an additional vessel to increase the offshore coverage
(Lobster Management Areas 4 and 5). Each vessel would fish with 3
modified, ventless traps designed to capture juvenile lobsters,
totaling up to 69 modified traps. The modified traps would adhere to
the standard coast-wide survey gear for lobster and Jonah crab set by
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and would be fished
with standard Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan-compliant
trawls. The traps would remain in the water for up to 12 months and be
hauled every 7 days by the inshore vessels and every 10 days by the
offshore vessels.
This study would take place during the regular fishing activity of
the participating vessels, but catch from modified traps would remain
separate from that of standard gear. Operators would collect data on
size, sex, presence of eggs, and shell hardness for lobsters and Jonah
crabs and v-notch and shell disease for lobsters. In addition to
onboard sampling, 3 inshore and 3 offshore vessels would retain up to
50 Jonah crabs per month each, for a total of up to 300 crabs per
month, for a molting study. Operators would return all other specimens
from modified gear to the ocean once sampling is complete.
The study is designed to inform management by addressing questions
about changing reproduction and recruitment dynamics of lobster and to
develop a foundation of knowledge for the data-deficient Jonah crab
fishery. The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation would share data
with the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program, the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
every six months.
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.
All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted for public viewing at https://www.noaa.gov/organization/information-technology/foia-reading-room without change.
All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address),
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS
will accept anonymous comments (enter ``anonymous'' as the signature if
you wish to remain anonymous).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 5, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-12290 Filed 6-8-23; 8:45 am]
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