Notice2025-06226
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 11, 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 federally permitted fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by the Northeast Seafood Coalition, in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF). 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 69 (Friday, April 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 69 (Friday, April 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15452-15453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06226]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE796]
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 the Northeast Seafood Coalition, in partnership
with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF).
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 28, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#711f1c17025f1610035f141701311f1e10105f161e07"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8de3e0ebfea3eaecffa3e8ebfdcde3e2ececa3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``Targeted Inshore
Cod Protection Closure Spawning Evaluation.'' 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: Christine Ford, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7c1f140e150f08151219521a130e183c12131d1d521b130a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aac9c2d8c3d9dec3c4cf84ccc5d8ceeac4c5cbcb84cdc5dc">[email protected]</span></a>, 978-281-9185.
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:
[[Page 15453]]
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
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50 CFR 648.81(d)(4)(i) and Restrictions on To collect data on
(ii). fishing for the presence/
Northeast (NE) absence of spawning
multispecies, or cod in targeted
having fishing gear areas of GOM Cod
capable of catching Protection Closure
NE multispecies, on Area I and II.
board a vessel in
Gulf of Maine (GOM)
Cod Protection
Closure Area I and
II.
50 CFR 648.83............... Restriction on To collect sex and
retention of cod maturity data of
under the minimum all cod caught in
fish size (TL) of targeted areas of
19 inches (48.3 cm). the spring GOM Cod
Protection Closure
Areas.
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Table 2--Project Summary
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Project title................ Exploration of Targeted Commercial
Groundfish Sector Access to Inshore Cod
Protection Closures to better optimize
overall yield of other allocated
groundfish stocks and provide cod
spawning information for the New England
Fishery Management Council's Phase 2 of
the Atlantic Cod Transition Plan.
Project start................ 05/01/2025.
Project end.................. 06/30/2025.
Project objectives........... To generate data to evaluate the nature
of Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) cod
spawning activity in spring seasonal
groundfish closures, in support of the
New England Fishery Management Council
priority to assess closures as part of
Phase 2 of the Atlantic Cod Transition
Plan. Assess ability of the groundfish
fishing industry to harvest healthy
groundfish stocks, without undermining
groundfish conservation and management
measures.
Project location............. Statistical Areas 132 and 133.
Number of vessels............ 14.
Number of trips.............. 128.
Trip duration (days)......... 1.
Total number of days......... 128.
Gear type(s)................. Bottom trawl.
Number of tows or sets....... Up to 3 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets..... 4 hours.
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Project Narrative
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the utility of seasonal
cod protection closure areas, collect biological samples of cod, and
support industry access to healthy groundfish stocks. Despite ongoing
mortality and spawning closures, WGOM cod and other cod stocks remain
in a depleted state. The applicant states that the closures are poorly
aligned with the seasonal availability of non-cod stocks, which
restricts opportunities to utilize available sector Annual Catch
Entitlement (ACE) to target underutilized groundfish stocks.
Under this EFP, participating fishermen would conduct tows in
targeted areas within spring GOM Cod Protection Closures I and II,
where industry-based groundfish surveys previously demonstrated low
spawning cod density compared to other portions of the closure. Vessels
would submit trip notification to the Pre-Trip Notification System as
usual. Vessels would only be allowed in targeted areas if they have a
Northeast Fisheries Observer or At-Sea Monitor aboard, or participate
in an approved electronic monitoring program for the trip. Tows
conducted within the targeted areas would be restricted to remain
inside the area for the entire tow; however, vessels could make tows
both inside and outside the target area on the same trip. Upon
departure for a trip, vessels would notify a MA DMF project coordinator
about intent to fish in the target areas.
During all trips under this EFP, cod of all sizes caught in each
tow conducted within the target areas would be kept round (not gutted),
and isolated in separate totes with sealed and zip-tied lids. Cod
caught in tows conducted outside the target areas would be handled
consistent with standard fishing practices. Upon returning from a trip,
vessels would contact MA DMF to meet them to sample target area-caught
cod for sex and maturity. Additional sampling would be conducted to
support the Northeast Fisheries Science Center conversion factor study.
All catch would be accounted for consistent with standard fishing
activities and applicable ACE, and legal size catch would be sold.
If MA DMF detects spawning cod caught in tows within the target
areas to be at or above proposed thresholds, participating vessels
would no longer be able to fish under the EFP. MA DMF defines spawning
cod as females with clear eggs or males with running milt. The proposed
thresholds are more than five spawning cod in one tow or more than 18
percent of tows within a 7-day consecutive fishing period contain
spawning cod. MA DMF would immediately notify participating sector
managers and National Marine Fisheries Service if a cod spawning
threshold has been reached.
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 8, 2025.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-06226 Filed 4-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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