Notice2022-05768
Pacific Island Fisheries; Experimental Fishing Permit
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 18, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS is issuing an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to the Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to evaluate the risk of seabird interactions in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery when setting fishing gear one hour before and one hour after local sunset and using tori lines instead of required blue-dyed bait and strategic offal discharge as seabird mitigation measures. The intent of the EFP is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of potential alternative effective methods of discouraging seabird interactions while providing operational flexibility during setting in the shallow-set longline fishery.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 53 (Friday, March 18, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 15383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05768]
[[Page 15383]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XB844]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Experimental Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is issuing an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to the
Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to evaluate the risk of seabird
interactions in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery when setting
fishing gear one hour before and one hour after local sunset and using
tori lines instead of required blue-dyed bait and strategic offal
discharge as seabird mitigation measures. The intent of the EFP is to
conduct a preliminary evaluation of potential alternative effective
methods of discouraging seabird interactions while providing
operational flexibility during setting in the shallow-set longline
fishery.
DATES: The EFP is authorized from March 24, 2022, through September 24,
2023.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP, HLA's application, and supporting
documents are available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2021-0128">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2021-0128</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Cronin, Sustainable Fisheries,
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, tel (808) 725-5179.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is issuing an EFP to the HLA under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western
Pacific, and regulations at 50 CFR 665.17. Under the EFP, HLA will
conduct a pilot test of tori lines (bird scaring streamers) as
replacement seabird mitigation measures to discourage seabird
interactions during setting in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery.
The purpose of the experiment is to test new ways to mitigate seabird
interactions that also increase operational flexibility during setting.
HLA will use one vessel to test tori lines as an alternate seabird
mitigation measure to currently required blue-dyed bait, strategic
offal discharge, and night setting measures (50 CFR 665.815(a)(2) &
(4)).
On December 15, 2021, NMFS published a notice of HLA's EFP
application and request for public comments (86 FR 71234). NMFS
received comments from 2 individuals and considered those comments
before making a final decision to issue the EFP. One commenter
expressed support for any strategy or technology that reduces
interactions with seabirds. The other expressed opposition to the EFP
stating, ``it will wipe out stocks and jeopardize the [sic] continued
existence of these stocks . . . .'' NMFS expects that fishing under the
EFP will have similar environmental impacts on seabirds as well as
target fish species, non-target fish species, and non-seabird protected
species as conventional shallow-set longline fishing. The project is
limited in scale (only 3 vessels, setting a combined total of 80 sets
with no more than one vessel operating at any given time), proposes a
minor change in fishing operations that does not have the potential to
change the overall effects of the fishery, and will be effective for no
longer than 18 months. All other requirements would continue, including
seabird mitigation measures such as strategic offal discharge during
hauling and safe handling practices.
In addition, gear configurations and operations under the EFP would
be compliant with international seabird mitigation requirements under
the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Inter-
American Tropical Tuna Commission. More information about the EFP may
be found in the December 15, 2021 notice, and in HLA's EFP application
(see ADDRESSES).
The EFP is effective March 24, 2022, through September 24, 2023,
unless revoked, suspended, or modified earlier.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 15, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-05768 Filed 3-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 18, 2022.
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