Notice2025-11367
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
Primary source
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Published
June 20, 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 application to modify and extend an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 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 (CFF). Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act allow NMFS to publish a notification in the Federal Register if an EFP, as granted, is significantly different from the original application.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 117 (Friday, June 20, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 117 (Friday, June 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26274-26276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-11367]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE996]
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.
[[Page 26275]]
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 application to modify and extend an Exempted
Fishing Permit (EFP) 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
(CFF). Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act allow NMFS to publish a notification in the Federal
Register if an EFP, as granted, is significantly different from the
original application.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 7, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b8d6d5decb96dfd9ca96dddec8f8d6d7d9d996dfd7ce"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5937343f2a773e382b773c3f291937363838773e362f">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``CFF Great South
Channel HMA Clam EFP modification.''
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#70141f05171c11035e001f040403301e1f11115e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="05616a70626964762b756a717176456b6a64642b626a73">[email protected]</span></a>, 978-281-9341.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 13, 2024, NMFS published a notice
seeking public comment on an EFP application submitted by CFF (89 FR
18376), which, once approved, authorized 260 surf clam compensation
fishing trips in a portion of Davis Bank East, with proceeds used to
support acoustic habitat mapping of Davis Bank East. Four comments were
received on the application, three in support of the EFP and one
comment supported the habitat mapping objectives of the project while
raising concerns about the potential impact of the compensation
fishing. On May 24, 2024, NMFS issued the EFP effective August 1, 2024,
through July 31, 2025. On October 24, 2024, CFF requested a minor
modification to the compensation fishing area because of unexpectedly
low catch rates in the original area. After reviewing the potential
impact of the requested change, NMFS issued a revised EFP on November
6, 2024.
Because of continuing poor catch rates in the Davis Bank East area,
CFF requested to move most of the remaining compensation fishing trips
to a portion of the Rose and Crown area of the Great South Channel
Habitat Management Area. In addition, CFF requests the duration of the
EFP be extended to allow time to complete the full number of authorized
trips. Because this new compensation fishing area is outside of the
area described in the March 2024 notice, NMFS is seeking public comment
on the requested change. The new area is defined by these coordinates:
Table 1--Coordinates
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Latitude Longitude
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41.19996552[deg] N........................ 69.70669353[deg] W
41.22955[deg] N........................... 69.6906[deg] W
41.27988109[deg] N........................ 69.71163754[deg] W
41.27766413[deg] N........................ 69.62776194[deg] W
41.23004167[deg] N........................ 69.60022291[deg] W
41.21001667[deg] N........................ 69.58873333[deg] W
41.1985623[deg] N......................... 69.59788189[deg] W
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The EFP allows fishing vessels to conduct commercial fishing
activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. This EFP
exempts the participating vessels from the following Federal
regulations:
Table 2--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 3--Project Summary
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Project title..................... Compensation fishing in Support of a
Great South Channel Habitat
Management Area Study Phase II: An
Acoustic Mapping Survey of Davis
Bank East.
Principal Investigator............ Natalie Jennings.
Institution....................... CFF.
Continuing project (yes/no)....... Yes.
Initial application date.......... September 26, 2023.
Complete application date......... December 5, 2023.
Request to Modify and Extend...... March 31, 2025.
Funding source.................... Compensation fishing.
Project Start..................... August 1, 2024.
Project End....................... December 31, 2025.
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
and Rose and Crown.
Number of vessels................. 3 (2 active with 1 in reserve).
Number of trips................... 260 (207 remaining).
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 (hours).. 0.16.
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[[Page 26276]]
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: June 17, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-11367 Filed 6-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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