Notice2023-04632
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Approved Monitoring Service Providers
Primary source
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Published
March 7, 2023
Effective
May 1, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS has approved nine companies to provide Northeast multispecies sector at-sea catch monitoring and/or electronic catch monitoring services in fishing year 2023. Regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan require at-sea catch monitoring and electronic catch monitoring companies to be approved by NMFS to provide catch monitoring services to sectors. This action will allow sectors to contract for catch monitoring services with any of the approved service providers for fishing year 2023.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14145-14147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04632]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC742]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern
United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Approved Monitoring
Service Providers
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of approved Northeast multispecies at-sea and electronic
monitoring service providers for fishing year 2023.
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SUMMARY: NMFS has approved nine companies to provide Northeast
multispecies sector at-sea catch monitoring and/or electronic catch
monitoring services in fishing year 2023. Regulations implementing the
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan require at-sea catch
monitoring and electronic catch monitoring companies to be approved
[[Page 14146]]
by NMFS to provide catch monitoring services to sectors. This action
will allow sectors to contract for catch monitoring services with any
of the approved service providers for fishing year 2023.
DATES: Northeast multispecies at-sea and electronic monitoring service
provider approvals are effective May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The list of NMFS-approved sector monitoring service
providers is available at: <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/data/observer-providers-northeast-and-mid-atlantic-programs">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/data/observer-providers-northeast-and-mid-atlantic-programs</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha Tolken, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 675-2176, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d98ab8b4b8b7adb1b8f78db6b5b2bcb799b7b6b8b8f7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="74271519151a001c155a201b181f111a341a1b15155a131b02">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan includes a requirement for industry-funded monitoring
of catch by sector vessels. NMFS approves independent third-party
service providers who sectors may contract with to provide at-sea and/
or electronic catch monitoring services to their vessels. Beginning
this year, NMFS is requiring full applications for approval only from
at-sea catch monitoring (ASM) and electronic catch monitoring (EM)
companies that are not currently approved to be a service provider.
Previously approved ASM and EM companies are no longer required to
submit a full application to maintain their approval status if they
continue to meet all service provider performance standards and submit
required updated information annually. The required updated information
to maintain approval includes an updated Emergency Action Plan,
evidence of adequate insurance coverage, and, if applicable, any
updates to staffing or operations. Regulations at 50 CFR 648.11(h)
describe the criteria for approval of ASM and EM service provider
applications. NMFS approves service providers based on: (1)
Completeness and sufficiency of applications; and (2) determination of
the applicant's ability to meet the performance requirements of a
sector monitoring service provider. Once approved, service providers
must meet specified performance requirements outlined in Sec.
648.11(h)(5) and (6), including required coverage levels, in order to
maintain eligibility. NMFS must notify service providers, in writing,
if NMFS withdraws approval for any reason.
Approved Monitoring Service Providers
On December 9, 2022, NMFS announced an opportunity for new
monitoring companies to apply for approval to provide ASM and/or EM
services in fishing year 2023, and an opportunity for currently
approved providers to submit documentation to maintain their approval
status in fishing year 2023. NMFS previously approved nine companies to
provide catch monitoring services to the Northeast multispecies sectors
in fishing year 2022. Four of the nine approved companies provide both
ASM and EM services: A.I.S., Inc.; East West Technical Services, LLC;
Fathom Research, LLC; and Saltwater, Inc. The other five approved
companies provide EM services only: Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd.;
Flywire Cameras; New England Marine Monitoring; Satlink US, LLC; and
Teem Fish Monitoring, Inc.
All currently approved ASM and EM companies continue to meet all
service provider performance standards, submitted all required
documentation, and are therefore approved service providers for fishing
year 2023. Additionally, one company previously approved only for EM
services, New England Marine Monitoring, met the ASM application
requirements, documented its ability to comply with service provider
standards, and therefore is newly approved to provide ASM services in
fishing year 2023, in addition to EM services. Table 1 includes the
revised list of approved monitoring service providers.
The new procedures do not change NMFS's authority to remove a
service provider from its approved status in accordance with the
regulations at Sec. 648.11(h)(7). A monitoring service provider that
fails to meet the requirements, conditions, and responsibilities will
be notified in writing that it is subject to removal from the list of
approved monitoring service providers. Withdrawing approval of a
service provider will be based on an evaluation of the service
providers ability to meet the third-party catch monitoring provider
standards in Sec. 648.11(h)(5) and (6). NMFS will closely monitor the
performance of approved service providers, and will withdraw approval
during the current approval term if we determine performance standards
are not being met.
NMFS did not solicit applications to provide dockside monitoring
(DSM) services related to the maximized retention EM program. NMFS
intends to continue to fund and manage the DSM program for the
remainder of the 2022 and 2023 fishing years. In future fishing years,
NMFS intends to solicit applications to be an approved DSM provider
when the DSM program transitions to industry funding.
Table 1--Approved Providers for Fishing Year 2023
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Provider Services Address Phone Fax Website
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A.I.S., Inc........................... ASM/EM...................... 540 Hawthorn St., 508-990-9054 508-990-9055 <a href="https://aisobservers.com/">https://aisobservers.com/</a>
Dartmouth, MA 02747. .
Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd...... EM.......................... 525 Head St., Victoria, 250-383-4535 250-383-0103 https://
BC V9A 5S1 Canada. www.archipelago.ca/.
East West Technical Services, LLC..... ASM/EM...................... 91 Point Judith Rd., 860-910-4957 860-223-6005 <a href="https://www.ewts.com/">https://www.ewts.com/</a>.
Suite 26 Unit 347
Narragansett, RI 02882.
Fathom Resources, LLC................. ASM/EM...................... 855 Aquidneck Ave., Unit 508-990-0997 508-858-5383 https://
9, Middletown, RI 02842. fathomresources.com/.
Flywire Cameras....................... EM.......................... PO BOX 55048, Lexington, 888-315-7796 502-861-6568 https://
KY 40511. www.flywirecameras.com/
.
New England Marine Monitoring......... ASM/EM...................... 350 Commercial St., 508-269-8138 .............. https://
Portland, ME 04101. www.nemarinemonitoring.
com/.
Saltwater, Inc........................ ASM/EM...................... 733 N St., Anchorage, AK 907-276-3241 907-258-5999 https://
99501. www.saltwaterinc.com/.
Satlink US, LLC....................... EM.......................... 16423 Sawgrass Drive, 703-447-5287 .............. https://www.satlink.es/
Rehoboth Beach, DE en/.
19971.
[[Page 14147]]
Teem Fish Monitoring, Inc............. EM.......................... 309 2nd Ave., Suite 363, 778-884-2598 .............. <a href="https://teem.fish/">https://teem.fish/</a>.
Prince Rupert, BC V8J
3T1 Canada.
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Note: ASM/EM = At-sea and electronic monitoring; EM = Electronic monitoring only.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 2, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-04632 Filed 3-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-23-P
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