Notice2022-22801
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
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
October 20, 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 (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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 202 (Thursday, October 20, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 202 (Thursday, October 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63762-63763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22801]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC474]
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.
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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 (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 November 4, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cda3a0abbee3aaacbfe3a8abbd8da3a2acace3aaa2bb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7b15161d08551c1a09551e1d0b3b15141a1a551c140d">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line
``MREM 4.5-inch Mesh and Underutilized Species EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha Tolken, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1241737f737c667a733c467d7e79777c527c7d73733c757d64"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="96c5f7fbf7f8e2fef7b8c2f9fafdf3f8d6f8f9f7f7b8f1f9e0">[email protected]</span></a>, 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
[[Page 63763]]
participating vessels from the following Federal regulations:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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Citation Regulation Need for exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR 648.80(a)(3)(i)........ Gulf of Maine Conduct exploratory
(GOM) Regulated fishing to test the
Mesh Area use of 4.5-inch
Minimum Mesh (11.4-cm) square
Size and Gear mesh, intended to
Restrictions. facilitate the catch
of haddock and
pollock, 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) diamond
mesh to facilitate
the catch of redfish
and haddock, and 5.5-
inch (14-cm) square
mesh to facilitate
the catch of haddock
and pollock.
Sec. 648.80(a)(4)(i)........ Georges Bank (GB) Conduct exploratory
Regulated Mesh fishing to test the
Area Minimum use of 4.5-inch
Size and Gear (11.4-cm) square
Restrictions. mesh, intended to
facilitate the catch
of haddock and
pollock, 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) diamond
mesh to facilitate
the catch of redfish
and haddock, and 5.5-
inch (14-cm) square
mesh to facilitate
the catch of haddock
and pollock.
Sec. 648.85(e)(1)(ii)....... Redfish Exemption Conduct exploratory
Program fishing in the
Exemption Area. larger, fishing
years 2015-2019
Redfish Sector
Exemption Area.
Sec. 648.85(e)(1)(viii)..... Redfish Exemption Conduct exploratory
Program Catch fishing to test the
Thresholds. use of 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) square
mesh, intended to
facilitate the catch
of haddock and
pollock, 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) diamond
mesh to facilitate
the catch of redfish
and haddock, and 5.5-
inch (14-cm) square
mesh to facilitate
the catch of haddock
and pollock.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project title..................... Maximized Retention Electronic
Monitoring 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) Mesh
and Underutilized Species.
Applicant......................... Commercial Fisherman Michael Walsh
and Northeast Sector Service
Network, Inc. (NSSN).
Project objectives................ Determine the gear configuration and
mesh size that most effectively
increases catch of underutilized
healthy stocks (pollock, haddock,
redfish) while minimizing catch of
other stocks (white hake, cod,
etc.), and evaluate if a second
vessel and captain is capable of
maintaining a similar catch
composition of underutilized
species while minimizing catch of
other allocated species.
Application date.................. 3/2/2022.
Project period.................... 10/1/2022, or as soon as possible,--
4/30/2023.
Project location.................. GOM and GB.
Number of vessels................. 2.
Number of trips................... Approximately 30.
Trip duration (days).............. 7-10 total days per trip, with 5-8
fishing days per trip.
Total number of days.............. Approximately 300.
Gear type(s)...................... Bottom trawl.
Number of tows or sets............ 6-9 tows per day; approximately
2,160 total tows.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 2-5 hours per tow; approximately
10,800 total hours.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
The subject application would allow up to two sector vessels
participating in the maximized retention electronic monitoring (MREM)
program additional exemptions from 50 CFR 648.80(a)(3)(i) and
(a)(4)(i), and from Sec. 648.85(e)(1)(i) and (e)(1)(viii), to conduct
exploratory fishing using codends with 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) square mesh,
intended to facilitate the catch of haddock and pollock, 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) diamond mesh to facilitate the catch of redfish and haddock,
and 5.5-inch (14-cm) square mesh to facilitate the catch of haddock and
pollock. Additionally, vessels would not be subject to the current
universal Redfish Exemption Program Exemption Area at Sec.
648.85(e)(1)(ii) and Redfish Exemption Program Catch Thresholds at
Sec. 648.85(e)(1)(viii).
The applicant requested to operate in the larger geographic area
where the redfish exemption was permitted in fishing years 2015-2019 to
test the feasibility of using alternative codend configurations to
facilitate the catch of legal size pollock and haddock during trips
targeting Acadian redfish. Unlike trips under the current redfish
exemption, which is authorized in a smaller area during fishing year
2022, the intent of this EFP is to conduct exploratory fishing. The
participation of a second vessel will evaluate if a different vessel
and captain is capable of maintaining a similar catch composition of
underutilized species, while minimizing catch of other allocated
species. Exploratory fishing that indicates that the use of 4.5-inch
(11.4-cm) mesh and larger is biologically sustainable, could inform a
future program for a maximized-retention-based sector exemption and
could also incentivize greater participation in an MREM program by
high-volume vessels.
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: October 17, 2022.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-22801 Filed 10-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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