Notice2023-10680
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Applications for Exempted Fishing Permits; 2023-2024 Fishing Year
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
May 19, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that two Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications warrant further consideration. Both applications are from the California Wetfish Producers Association and request an exemption from the expected prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific sardine during the 2023-2024 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as part of industry-based scientific research. NMFS requests public comment on the applications.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32200-32201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10680]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC982]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Applications for Exempted
Fishing Permits; 2023-2024 Fishing Year
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of application; request for comments.
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[[Page 32201]]
SUMMARY: The Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made
a preliminary determination that two Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP)
applications warrant further consideration. Both applications are from
the California Wetfish Producers Association and request an exemption
from the expected prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific
sardine during the 2023-2024 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as
part of industry-based scientific research. NMFS requests public
comment on the applications.
DATES: Comments must be received by June 20, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2023-0069, by the following method:
<bullet> Electronic Submissions: Submit all public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and enter NOAA-
NMFS-2023-0069 in the Search box. Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete
the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. The EFP
applications will be available under Supporting and Related Materials
through the same link.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method or received after
the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NMFS. All
comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be
posted for public viewing on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS
will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if
you wish to remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Taylor Debevec, West Coast Region,
NMFS, (562) 980-4066, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b7c3d6cedbd8c599d3d2d5d2c1d2d4f7d9d8d6d699d0d8c1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5f2b3e2633302d713b3a3d3a293a3c1f31303e3e71383029">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by the Coastal
Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and regulations at
50 CFR 600.745, which allow NMFS Regional Administrators to authorize
exempted fishing permits (EFPs) for fishing activities that would
otherwise be prohibited.
At its April 2023 meeting, the Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) recommended that NMFS approve two EFP applications for the
2023-2024 Pacific sardine fishing year. Both applications are from the
California Wetfish Producers Association (CWPA) and are renewal
requests for an exemption from the expected prohibition on primary
directed fishing for Pacific sardine during the 2023-2024 fishing year;
the purpose of the requests are to collect Pacific sardine as part of
industry-based scientific research. The Council considered these EFP
applications concurrently with the 2023-2024 annual harvest
specifications for Pacific sardine because Pacific sardine catch under
each EFP would be accounted for under the proposed 2023-2024 annual
catch limit (ACL), which is 3,953 metric tons (mt). A summary of each
EFP application is provided below:
(1) Proposal for renewal of exempted fishery permit (EFP) to allow
take of Pacific sardine (for point sets) in 2023-24 nearshore research
program: The CWPA submitted a renewal application for their CPS
Nearshore Cooperative Survey (NCS) program. The purpose of this EFP
project is to continue to develop sampling methodology for estimating
CPS biomass in shallow waters that are not accessible to NOAA survey
ships. Since 2012, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in
partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting aerial surveys to
estimate the biomass and distribution of Pacific sardine and certain
other CPS in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight, and in
the Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. Currently,
there is uncertainty in the biomass estimates from aerial spotter
pilots. The CPS-NCS survey aims to quantify that level of uncertainty
by capturing CPS schools identified by aerial spotter pilots and
validating the biomass and species composition of the schools. If
approved, this EFP would allow up to five participating vessels to
directly harvest a total of 150 mt of Pacific sardine during the 2023-
2024 fishing year. A portion of each point set (i.e., an individual
haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) would be retained for
biological sampling, and the remainder would be sold by participating
fishermen and processors to offset research costs and avoid unnecessary
discard.
(2) Request for renewal of exempted fishery permit (EFP) to allow
fishing of Pacific sardine for biological samples in 2023-24 nearshore
research program: The CWPA submitted a renewal application for their
biological sampling EFP project. The primary directed fishery for
Pacific sardine has been closed since 2015, and consequently,
scientists at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (Science Center)
have a limited amount of fishery-dependent data to use in their stock
assessment. The goal of this EFP project is to provide fishery-
dependent catch data, including biological data (i.e., age and length
data from directed harvest), for potential use in Pacific sardine stock
assessments. An additional goal for this year is to collaborate with
the Science Center in a research project designed to enhance
understanding of stock structure by collecting year-round data. If
approved, this EFP would allow up to five participating vessels to
directly harvest up to 520 mt of Pacific sardine during the 2023-2024
fishing year. A portion of each landing would be retained for
biological sampling by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,
and the remainder would be sold by participating fishermen and
processors to offset research costs and avoid unnecessary discard.
Altogether, these EFP projects total 670 mt. If NMFS does not issue
one or more of these EFPs, the requested tonnage would be available for
harvest by other permissible fishing activities during the 2023-2024
fishing year (e.g., live bait or minor directed harvest).
After publication of this notice in the Federal Register, NMFS may
approve and issue permits to participating vessels after the close of
the public comment period. NMFS will consider comments submitted in
deciding whether to approve the applications as requested. NMFS may
approve the applications in their entirety or may make any alterations
needed to achieve the goals of the EFP projects and the FMP. NMFS may
also approve different amounts of Pacific sardine allocation for each
EFP project if any changes are made to the 2023-2024 proposed sardine
harvest specifications before final implementation.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 15, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-10680 Filed 5-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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