Notice2026-06793
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 9, 2026
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 Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute. 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 91 Issue 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 68 (Thursday, April 9, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17945-17946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06793]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XF615]
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute.
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 April 24, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cda3a0abbee3aaacbfe3a8abbd8da3a2acace3aaa2bb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="147a7972673a7375663a717264547a7b75753a737b62">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line
``GMGI 2026 Lobster Genomics EFP''.
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: Caroline Potter, Fishery Resource
Management Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6d2e0c1f0201040308433d021919081f2d03020c0c430a021b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e8ab899a878481868dc6b8879c9c8d9aa886878989c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a>, (978) 281-9325.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR 697.20(c).............. Lobster Landing legs from
Mutilation. ovigerous female
lobsters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genomic population structure of
Project title American lobster in U.S. waters for
stock delineation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project start..................... 06/01/2026.
Project end....................... 09/30/2027.
Project objectives................ To assess spatial stock structure
and signals of natural selection of
American lobster to improve
management unit delineations.
Project location.................. Statistical Areas 515, 562, 526,
537, and 616.
Number of vessels................. Maximum of 8.
Number of trips................... Approximately 6.
Trip duration (days).............. 3.
Total number of days.............. Approximately 18.
Gear type(s)...................... Lobster pots.
Number of tows or sets............ 30 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 1 day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
This project would assess spatial stock structure and signals of
natural selection of American lobster by using a population genomics
approach. The intention is for the project to assist in improving
management unit delineations for lobster in the Gulf of Maine, Georges
Bank, and Southern New England regions. To achieve this, the project
sets four aims: (1) Improve the chromosome-level reference genome
assembly for the American lobster; (2) build collaborative partnerships
with commercial lobstermen and regional lobster biologists by
collecting lobster tissue samples from U.S. waters and one Canadian
location; (3) assess genetic population structure and interpret
responses to regional and environmental conditions recorded within the
genome; and (4) disseminate results to the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission's American Lobster Technical Committee to improve
stock delineations and management strategies.
Samples would be collected at six locations throughout the Gulf of
Maine, Georges Bank/Great South Channel, and Southern New England. At
each of the six locations, fishermen would fish for lobster using
standard lobster pots, which would be configured and set consistent
with offshore lobster fishing practices. This fishing activity is
planned to be conducted as part of the fishermen's regular fishing
activity.
[[Page 17946]]
Legal lobsters that are harvested during the trips would be landed for
sale. For each late-stage egg-bearing female, the fishermen would
remove for collection the smallest walking leg. After recording
carapace length and latitude/longitude, the female would be released. A
maximum of 240 samples would be collected from across the 6 locations,
with a target sample size of 25 at each location. One trip would be
taken for each location with each trip lasting 3 days.
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 6, 2026.
David R. Blankinship,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-06793 Filed 4-8-26; 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 April 9, 2026.
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.