Notice2025-05844
Magnuson-Stevens 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
April 4, 2025
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 a federally permitted fishing vessel to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). 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 90 Issue 64 (Friday, April 4, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 64 (Friday, April 4, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14791-14792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05844]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE800]
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 a federally permitted fishing vessel
to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing
activities proposed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
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 21, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#46282b20356821273468232036062829272768212930"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94faf9f2e7baf3f5e6baf1f2e4d4fafbf5f5baf3fbe2">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``Electronic jigging
machines in the Gulf of Maine Groundfish Closure Areas.'' 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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elise Scholl, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6939a9f8593d885959e999a9ab698999797d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5d3831342e38732e3e353231311d33323c3c733a322b">[email protected]</span></a>, (978) 281-9189.
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 648.83(a)(1)......... Restriction on To retain sublegal
retention of size pollock for
pollock under the research sampling.
minimum fish size
(TL) of 19 inches
(48.3 cm).
50 CFR 648.81(a)(1)......... No fishing vessel To allow commercial
may enter, fish, or fishing activity in
be in, and no the Western Gulf of
fishing gear Maine Closure Area
capable of catching and the Cashes
NE multispecies Ledge Closure Area
maybe on board a (except the Ammen
vessel in the Rock Habitat
Cashes Ledge or Management Area),
Western Gulf of to collect samples
Maine Closure Areas. for research.
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Table 2--Project Summary
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Project title..................... Using electronic jigging machines as
a novel, ultra-low impact, gear
type to collect catch data and
biological samples in the Gulf of
Maine (GOM) Groundfish Closure
Areas.
Project start..................... 05/01/2025.
Project end....................... 04/30/2026.
Project objectives................ Provide critical data on the
distribution, size and sex
composition, feeding habits, and
physical characteristics of pollock
in data-limited areas in the GOM.
Project location.................. Statistical areas 513, 514, and 515.
[[Page 14792]]
Number of vessels................. 1.
Number of trips................... Up to 30.
Trip duration (days).............. 2.
Total number of days.............. Up to 60.
Gear type(s)...................... Hook, Rod and Reel.
Number of tows or sets............ 4 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 3 hours.
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Project Narrative
GMRI is requesting an EFP in support of a pilot study aimed at
collecting data on the distribution, size and sex composition, feeding
habits, and physical characteristics of pollock in data limited areas
within the GOM. The project aims to collect data through haul-level
catch and effort data collection, biological sampling, and discard
monitoring via electronic monitoring (EM). The participating vessel is
authorized to use EM through their Sector Operations Plans.
The project aims to fulfill specific research needs of GMRI's
pollock study and address research priorities identified in the 2022
pollock stock assessment, including research on the geographic
distribution by size. The exemptions would allow sampling inside the
Western GOM Closure Area and the Cashes Ledge Closure Area in order to
evaluate pollock size distributions and reproductive dynamics inside
and outside the closure areas. The exemption to the minimum pollock
size would allow the vessel to retain sub-legal sized pollock to
collect catch data and biological samples.
Sampling would be conducted with hook jigging gear, including auto-
jigs and rod and reel. The applicant claims that the auto-jigging
machines are low-impact due to this method being associated with
minimal bycatch and discards exhibiting relatively high survivability.
There would be up to 4 auto-jigs, and 2 rod and reels deployed at a
time, with a maximum of 32 hooks total fishing at one time. The hook
sizes would vary from size \8/0\ to \14/0\.
The applicant estimates there would be 28 trips inside the closure
areas and 20 trips outside the closure areas. GMRI researchers are
seeking at least 50 tagged pollock per area per season, so that samples
of pollock on any given trip do not all come from the same school.
Fishing effort may occur both inside and outside the closure areas on
the same trip. GMRI would not compensate the vessel for collecting data
and samples. Rather, the sampling design would allow the vessel to
harvest groundfish from an area that it is not otherwise authorized to
fish in, offering an incentive to participate in the study. This
incentive would be used to offset costs associated with the sampling
regime requested by GMRI researchers.
To help expand the temporal and spatial scope of the samples, every
10th pollock would be separated from the commercial catch, and tagged
with a color-coded zip tie differentiating its harvest location. Sub-
legal sized pollock selected for biological sampling would be measured
according to the Vessel Electronic Monitoring Plan (VMP) prior to
storing in slush ice, while sub-legal sized pollock not selected for
biological sampling would be live discarded according to the VMP. Sub-
legal sized fish of all other species would also be live discarded
according to the VMP. GMRI scientists would conduct dockside sampling
of all tagged fish including length, weight, sex, and stomach contents,
as well as taking photo documentation of the physical characteristics
of each tagged pollock. Haul level catch, discard, and fishing effort
data collection would be completed using the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center Fisheries Logbook Data Recording Software.
The project would also provide 50-100 cod fin clips from inside the
GOM Closure Areas to expand the geographic range of an ongoing cod DNA
study being conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Samples would
consist of fingernail-size fin clips from the top of the tail,
presumably posing no threat to the survivability of the released cod.
The project seeks to sample cod catch, including undersized cod.
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: April 1, 2025.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-05844 Filed 4-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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