Notice2024-20156
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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
September 9, 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 the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR). Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 174 (Monday, September 9, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73068-73069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20156]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE257]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
Cooperative Management 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME
DMR). Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative
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 September 24, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9c7c4cfda87cec8db87cccfd9e9c7c6c8c887cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f49a999287da939586da919284b49a9b9595da939b82">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``ME DMR Ventless
Trap EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Ford, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#71321903180205181f145f371e0315311f1e10105f161e07"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="03406b716a70776a6d662d456c7167436d6c62622d646c75">[email protected]</span></a>, (978) 281-9185.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ME DMR submitted a complete application for
an EFP to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations
would otherwise restrict. The EFP would provide distribution,
abundance, and biological data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs
from times and areas with low coverage from traditional surveys. This
EFP would exempt the participating vessels from the following Federal
regulations:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR 697.21(c).............. Gear To allow for closed
specification escape vents and
requirements. smaller trap mesh
and entrance heads.
Sec. 697.19................. Trap limit To allow for 3
requirements. additional traps per
fishing vessel, for
a total of up to 60
additional traps.
[[Page 73069]]
Sec. 697.19(j).............. Trap tag To allow for the use
requirements. of untagged traps
(though each
modified trap will
have the
participating
fisherman's
identification
attached).
Sec. Sec. 697.20(a), Possession To allow for onboard
697.20(d), 697.20(g), and restrictions. biological sampling
697.20(h)(1)-(2). of undersized, v-
notched, and egg-
bearing lobsters and
undersized and egg-
bearing Jonah crabs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project title................ Maine lobster fishery dependent offshore
ventless and commercial trap research
program.
Project start................ 11/04/2024.
Project end.................. 11/03/2025.
Project objectives........... To develop a new survey, in partnership
with Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation (CFRF), to provide
distribution, abundance, and biological
data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah
crabs from times and areas in Federal
waters with low coverage from
traditional surveys.
Project location............. Gulf of Maine: Statistical Areas 511,
512, and 513.
Number of vessels............ Up to 20.
Number of trips.............. Up to 36 per vessel; up to 720 total.
Trip duration (days)......... Up to 3.
Total number of days......... Up to 108 per vessel; up to 2,160 total.
Gear type(s)................. Trap.
Number of tows or sets....... 1 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets..... 7-10 days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
This project would contribute to the ongoing effort by the CFRF to
collect data on juvenile lobster and Jonah crab abundance and
distribution in areas and times of the year with low or no coverage by
traditional surveys.
This project would include up to 20 federally permitted Maine
lobster vessels. Each vessel would fish with 3 modified, ventless traps
designed to catch juvenile lobsters, totaling up to 60 modified traps.
The ventless trap configuration is as follows: 40-inch length x 21-inch
width x 14-inch height (101.6-centimeter (cm) length x 53.34-cm width x
35.56-cm height), single parlor, 1-inch (2.54-cm) square rubber-coated
12-gauge wire, standard shrimp mesh netting, cement runners, and 4- by
6-inch (10.16- by 15.24-cm) disabling door. The modified traps would
adhere to the standard coastwide survey gear for lobster and Jonah crab
set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and would be
fished with standard Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan-compliant
trawls.
This study would take place during regular fishing activity of the
participating vessels, but catch from the modified traps would remain
separate from that of standard gear. Operators would collect data on
size, sex, presence of eggs, and shell hardness for lobsters and Jonah
crabs, and v-notch and shell disease for lobsters. Operators would
return all specimens from modified gear to the ocean once sampling is
complete.
The study is designed to inform management by addressing questions
about changing reproduction and recruitment dynamics of lobster and to
develop a foundation of knowledge for the data-deficient Jonah crab
fishery. All data collected by the participants using the CFRF data
collection app would be sent to ME DMR for processing. ME DMR would
then share final datasets with CFRF, to further share with the Atlantic
Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program, the Northeast Fisheries Science
Center, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
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.
All comments received are a part of the public record and may be
posted for public viewing 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).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 3, 2024.
Lindsay Fullenkamp,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-20156 Filed 9-6-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 9, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.