Department of Commerce April 4, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Director, State, Federal and Constituent Programs Office, Northeast Region, NMFS (Office Director) has made a preliminary determination that the subject Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all the required information and warrants further consideration. The Office Director has also made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under the EFPs would be consistent with the goals and objectives of Federal management of the American lobster resource. However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue EFPs. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Office Director proposes to issue EFPs that would allow a maximum of seven vessels to conduct fishing operations involving the use of one juvenile lobster collector trap per vessel that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the American lobster fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The EFP involves the non-destructive collection of size frequency and population data on legal and sublegal lobsters as part of an ongoing research project to monitor the offshore lobster fishery in Lobster Management Area 3. It would not involve the authorization of any additional trap gear in the area. A maximum of seven participating commercial fishing vessels will collect detailed abundance and size frequency data on the composition of lobsters in four general offshore study areas in a collaborative effort with the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association (AOLA). This EFP requests that each participating commercial fishing vessel utilize one modified juvenile lobster collector trap to collect population data. The lobster trap modifications are to the escape vents, and trap entrance head, not to the trap's size or configuration. Therefore, this modified trap would impact its environment no differently than the regular lobster trap it replaces and will add no additional traps to the area. After data is collected on lobsters in the trap, all sub-legal and berried female lobsters will be immediately returned to the sea. The EFP waives the American lobster escape vent requirement for a maximum of one trap per vessel for a maximum of seven vessels in the program. Therefore, this document invites comments on the issuance of EFPs to allow a maximum of seven commercial fishing vessels utilize a maximum of seven modified lobster traps and to collect statistical data using modified lobster trap gear.

In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as amended, notification is hereby given that an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) to take small numbers of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to conducting on-ice vibroseis seismic operations from Milne Point to the eastern channel of the Colville River in the U.S. Beaufort Sea to a distance offshore of 2.3 nautical miles (nm)(4.3 kilometers (km)) has been issued to ConocoPhillips Alaska (CPA) for a period of one year.

Notice is hereby given that Llewellyn Ehrhart, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Florida 32816- 2368 has been issued a permit to take green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles for purposes of scientific research.