Notice2024-05271
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
Primary source
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Published
March 13, 2024
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 federally permitted fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by Coonamessett Farm Foundation. 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 89 Issue 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18376-18377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05271]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD656]
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 federally permitted fishing vessels
to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing
activities proposed by Coonamessett Farm Foundation. 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 April 12, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8be5e6edf8a5eceaf9a5eeedfbcbe5e4eaeaa5ece4fd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d6b8bbb0a5f8b1b7a4f8b3b0a696b8b9b7b7f8b1b9a0">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``CFF Great South
Channel HMA Clam EFP.''
All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted for public viewing in <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/organization/information-technology/foia-reading-room">https://www.noaa.gov/organization/information-technology/foia-reading-room</a> without change.
All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address),
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS
will accept anonymous comments (enter ``anonymous'' as the signature if
you wish to remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Policy Analyst,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1e7a716b79727f6d306e716a6a6d5e70717f7f30797168"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cbafa4beaca7aab8e5bba4bfbfb88ba5a4aaaae5aca4bd">[email protected]</span></a>, 978-281-9341.
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
participating vessels from the following Federal regulations:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
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50 CFR 648.370(h)............... Habitat Management To conduct
Areas--prohibitio compensation
n on using bottom- fishing with
tending mobile hydraulic clam
gear. dredges.
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Table 2--Project Summary
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Compensation fishing in support of a
Great South Channel Habitat
Project title Management Area study phase II: an
acoustic mapping survey of Davis
Bank East
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Division action number............ DA23-073.
Principal Investigator............ Natalie Jennings.
Institution....................... Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF).
Continuing project (yes/no)....... Yes.
Initial application date.......... September 26, 2023.
Complete application date......... December 5, 2023.
Funding source.................... Compensation fishing.
Project Start..................... Upon issue.
Project End....................... 1 year from issue.
[[Page 18377]]
Project objectives................ Compensation surfclam fishing to
fund a habitat mapping project
using multibeam sonar and drop
cameras.
Project location.................. Great South Channel Habitat
Management Area, Davis Bank East.
Number of vessels................. 3 (2 active with 1 in reserve).
Number of trips................... 260.
Trip duration (days).............. 1.
Total number of days.............. 260.
Gear type(s)...................... Hydraulic clam dredge.
Number of tows or sets............ 30 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 0.16 hrs.
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Project Narrative
Acoustic Survey Trips
An initial survey of the full Davis Bank East area (approximately
60 square kilometers) would be conducted using multibeam sonar and a
drop camera array, lasting approximately 8 and 6 days, respectively.
This would establish a baseline to monitor changes in fished and
unfished portions of the area. Following the initial survey, research
trips would consist of one 4-day trip per season (16 total days) in the
northern half of the area. The survey would be conducted with a 25-
percent overlap between adjacent multibeam lines. Sonar imagery would
be processed for bathymetry and backscatter. In addition, a 2-day
research trip would occur seasonally (8 total days) using a drop camera
array to ground-truth the sonar imagery and provide benthic community
biological information. Drop camera survey trips would be conducted
concurrent with the sonar survey trips. Four drops per hour would be
accomplished for 12 hours for 2 days, with a goal of approximately 96
stations sampled per trip. Time of day, sea state and weather
conditions, GPS coordinates, depth, and time on bottom will be recorded
at each drop camera station. The drop camera is a 4-foot-tall, four-
sided pyramid outfitted with lights and a high-resolution Sony camera
with a 1-meter-squared field of view. A final multibeam sonar and drop
camera survey of the full Davis Bank East area would be conducted again
lasting approximately 8 and 6 days, respectively. All survey trips
would be directed by two CFF scientists onboard the vessel. No fishing
gear will be deployed during survey trips. CFF will submit a separate
application for a letter of acknowledgment of scientific research for
these survey cruises.
Compensation Fishing Trips
The EFP would authorize the harvest of surfclams from an area
closed to hydraulic clam dredges for the purpose of generating funds
for the acoustic survey. After the initial acoustic survey is
completed, two commercial surfclam vessels would take up to 130 trips
(260 total trips) into the southern portion of the Davis Bank East area
defined by these coordinates:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latitude Longitude
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41.268[deg] N............................. 69.58[deg] W.
41.268[deg] N............................. 69.508[deg] W.
41.223[deg] N............................. 69.566[deg] W.
41.223[deg] N............................. 69.508[deg] W.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Both vessels would use a 48-inch-wide hydraulic surfclam dredge,
towed between 2 and 3 knots for 10 minutes per tow, with a trip limit
of 14 cages. Approximately 30 tows would be conducted per trip. A CFF
scientist would be onboard 25 percent of compensation fishing trips to
collect surfclam catch per unit effort and catch composition data. The
vessel owners have committed 15 percent of the value of each trip to
cover the full cost of the research trips and data analysis. At an
estimated $30 per bushel ex-vessel value, this would just cover the
total research budget of roughly $505,000. The participating vessel
owners have agreed to make up the difference if the price falls below
$30 per bushel.
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: March 7, 2024.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-05271 Filed 3-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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