Notice2024-22248
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit
Primary source
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Published
September 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
This notice announces NMFS' receipt of an application and the public comment period for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Trident Seafoods. If issued, this permit would allow the applicant to develop and test modifications to the footrope of pelagic trawl gear. The purpose and goal of this EFP, if issued, would be to exempt participating vessels from complying with the regulation defining the footrope for pelagic trawl gear. Field testing would be conducted between January 20, 2025 and December 31, 2027, and the EFP would expire at the end of that period. This experiment would test trawl gear design that aims to minimize seafloor contact by the footrope when targeting pollock that are on or near the seafloor and thus promote the objective of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to protecting habitat that fish need to spawn, breed, feed, and grow to maturity.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 189 (Monday, September 30, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 189 (Monday, September 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79526-79528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22248]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE287]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Application
for an Exempted Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for exempted fishing permit.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces NMFS' receipt of an application and the
public comment period for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) from Trident
Seafoods. If issued, this permit would allow the applicant to develop
and test modifications to the footrope of pelagic trawl gear. The
purpose and goal of this EFP, if issued, would be to exempt
participating vessels from complying with the regulation defining the
footrope for pelagic trawl gear. Field testing would be conducted
between January 20, 2025 and December 31, 2027, and the EFP would
expire at the end of that period. This experiment would test trawl gear
design that aims to minimize seafloor contact by the footrope when
targeting pollock that are on or near the seafloor and thus promote the
objective of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) to protecting habitat that fish need to
spawn, breed, feed, and grow to maturity.
DATES: Comments on this EFP application must be submitted to NMFS on or
before October 15, 2024. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council
(Council) will consider the application at its meeting from September
30, 2024 through October 8, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be held virtually and in person in
Anchorage, AK. The agenda for the Council meeting is available at
<a href="https://www.npfmc.org">https://www.npfmc.org</a>. In addition to submitting public comments during
the Council meeting through the Council website, you may submit your
comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2024-0106, by either of the following
methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e Rulemaking Portal. Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and enter [NOAA-NMFS-2024-0106] in the Search box
(note: copying and pasting the FDMS Docket Number directly from this
document may not yield search results). Click on the ``Comment'' icon,
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Gretchen Harrington,
Assistant Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division,
Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Records Office. Mail comments to P.O. Box
21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
<bullet> Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any
other address or individual, 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
[[Page 79527]]
and will generally be posted for public viewing on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</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
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
Electronic copies of the EFP application and the basis for a
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act are
available from <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or from the NMFS Alaska
Region website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/alaska">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/alaska</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maggie Chan, 907-586-7228.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI)
under the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the BSAI
Management Area (BSAI FMP). The Council prepared the BSAI FMP under the
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Regulations governing the BSAI groundfish
fisheries appear at 50 CFR parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the EFP-
implementing regulations at Sec. 600.745(b) and Sec. 679.6 allow the
NMFS Regional Administrator to authorize, for limited experimental
purposes, fishing that would otherwise be prohibited. Procedures for
issuing EFPs are contained in the implementing regulations.
Background and Need for Exempted Fishing Permit
As described further below, NMFS has regulatory definitions for a
pelagic trawl that specify the allowable numbers of fishing line,
footrope, and weighted lines. This regulatory definition limits the
ability to test trawl gear redesigns on the footrope and weighted
lines.
In 2023, Trident Seafoods began a pilot project aimed at designing
modified footrope concepts after consulting with NMFS. This pilot
project occurred during the 2023 pollock fishery and underscored the
need to expand the pilot project into an EFP. This EFP would help
facilitate innovation to reduce impacts to the environment from pelagic
trawl fishing and provide transparency in the development of new gear
designs. This EFP would build on the 2023 pilot project by expanding
testing modified footrope designs during commercial fishing operations.
The primary gear modification involves altering the length and
orientation of the existing footrope components in a way that maintains
sufficient weight to ensure the proper opening (i.e., shape) of the
net, while also resulting in less bottom contact. The re-design of the
gear results in having more than two weighted lines, but, due to the
design of the modified footrope, results in less total bottom contact.
The EFP would assess changes to bottom contact and catch (composition
and efficiency), gear performance, and fishing operations and safety.
This requested EFP would temporarily exempt fishers from the
regulation at Sec. 679.2 ``Authorized fishing gear'', paragraph
(14)(vii) that states pelagic trawl gear ``Has no more than one fishing
line and one footrope for a total of no more than two weighted lines on
the bottom of the trawl between the wing tip and the fishing circle.''
If approved, this EFP would allow testing of trawl gear design concepts
that aim to minimize seafloor contact by the trawl gear when targeting
pollock that are on or near the seafloor. The EFP would expire on
December 31, 2027.
Exempted Fishing Permit
On September 6, 2024, Dr. No[euml]lle Yochum and Shannon Carroll of
Trident Seafoods submitted an application for an EFP to develop and
test modifications to the footrope of pelagic trawl gear. The purpose
and goal of this proposed EFP is to assess changes to gear performance,
catch composition, fishing operations, safety, and costs.
Vessel operators participating in this project would include trawl
vessels that deliver catch to shoreside plants or motherships. All
vessels will be equipped for pollock fishing in Alaska and will use
pelagic pollock trawls. Gear and fishing operations will be conducted
in compliance with current management regulations with the exception of
the modifications exempted under the EFP.
Vessel operators would continue to adhere to required monitoring
and fishery observer requirements. Vessel operators fishing under the
EFP will be responsible for providing information to the EFP applicant
about gear performance and use, including areas fished and catch
information. Fishing under this EFP will not be conducted within any
protected or restricted areas that are otherwise closed to pollock
fishing under the American Fisheries Act and Community Development
Quota programs under current regulations. This project aims to minimize
seafloor contact by the trawl gear when targeting pollock that are on
or near the seafloor.
Exemptions
One exemption is necessary to conduct this project. An exemption
would be necessary from the regulation at Sec. 679.2 ``Authorized
fishing gear'', paragraph (14)(vii) that states pelagic trawl gear
``Has no more than one fishing line and one footrope for a total of no
more than two weighted lines on the bottom of the trawl between the
wing tip and the fishing circle.''
Permit Conditions, Review, and Effects
If issued, the exempted fishing permit would contain several
conditions. Among them, the applicant would be required to submit to
NMFS an annual report that includes a summary of the vessels
participating, any problems and successes, and how well EFP objectives
were accomplished. Within 6 months of the end of EFP fishing, a final
report would be submitted to NMFS that updates the interim reports and
describes how well EFP objectives were accomplished. The Alaska
Fisheries Science Center found no concern with the objectives, scope,
or methods described in the EFP. The activities that would be conducted
under this EFP involve the development and testing of new and modified
trawl fishing gear and technology in order to reduce adverse effects
from trawl fishing gear on non-target species, and is limited in size,
magnitude, and duration with no potential for significant individual or
cumulative impacts, as detailed in the draft categorical exclusion for
this action (see ADDRESSES).
In accordance with Sec. Sec. 679.6 and 600.745, NMFS has
determined that the application warrants further consideration and has
forwarded the application to the Council to initiate consultation. The
Council is scheduled to consider the EFP application during its October
2024 meeting, which will be held in person in Anchorage, AK with an
option to participate virtually. The applicant has been invited to
speak in support of the application.
Public Comments
Interested persons may comment on the application during the
October 2024 Council meeting during public testimony or the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES) until October 15, 2024, when the
comment period ends. Information regarding the meeting is available at
the Council's website at <a href="https://www.npfmc.org">https://www.npfmc.org</a>. Copies of the
application and categorical exclusion are available for review from
NMFS (see ADDRESSES). Comments may also be
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submitted directly to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) by the end of the comment
period (see DATES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 24, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-22248 Filed 9-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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