Notice2022-03905
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
Primary source
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Published
February 24, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10338-10339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03905]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XB831]
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.
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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 March 11, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eb85868d98c58c8a99c58e8d9bab85848a8ac58c849d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3957545f4a175e584b175c5f497957565858175e564f">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line
``AOLA Larval Lobster EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Deighan, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#86cae7f3f4e7a8c2e3efe1eee7e8c6e8e9e7e7a8e1e9f0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b6fad7c3c4d798f2d3dfd1ded7d8f6d8d9d7d798d1d9c0">[email protected]</span></a>, (978) 281-9184.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's
Association submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing
Permit (EFP) to conduct commercial fishing activities that the
regulations would otherwise restrict to assess the distribution and
abundance of lobster larvae and their potential food sources. This EFP
would exempt the participating vessels from the Federal regulations
described in Table 1.
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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Citation Regulation Need for exemption
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50 CFR 697.7(c)(1)(xxii)...... Lobster gear To allow for the use
prohibitions. of multiple gear
types capable of
catching lobsters.
Sec. 697.17(a).............. Lobster To allow the harvest
possession of lobster above the
restrictions. non-trap limit.
Sec. 697.20(a).............. Lobster To allow for the
possession collection of larval
restrictions. lobsters below the
minimum size.
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[[Page 10339]]
This project would provide information on the spatial and temporal
distribution and abundance of early and late stage American lobster
larvae and their likely zooplankton prey in the Gulf of Maine and
Georges Bank. This study would use one federally permitted lobster
vessel to conduct sampling with a neuston net at a single offshore site
(Lobster Management Area 3) during 10 5-10 day fishing trips between
May 15, 2022, and October 15, 2022. The participants would record
physical parameters and conduct three 15-minute tows on a single day
during each trip. After each tow, participants would preserve
zooplankton in 500 mL sample bottles, a total of up to 30 bottles of
preserved plankton, and transfer the samples to the project
researchers. The crew has been trained to operate the scientific gear
and obtain the samples without a technician on board.
The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association received an EFP for
this project in 2021, but the crew was only able to sample on 4 of the
14 proposed dates in 2021. This EFP would allow the project team to
complete the work and meet the project objectives.
Participants would land and sell legal catch caught in standard
gear during the trips.
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 18, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-03905 Filed 2-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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