Notice2026-18627
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
September 14, 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 Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries. 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 91 Issue 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 176 (Monday, September 14, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58097-58098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18627]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XG046]
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 Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries.
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 September 29, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#82ecefe4f1ace5e3f0ace7e4f2c2ecede3e3ace5edf4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="503e3d36237e3731227e353620103e3f31317e373f26">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``EGOM Sentinel
Survey.'' 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#67040f150e14130e09024901081503270908060649000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0e6d667c677d7a67606b2068617c6a4e60616f6f20696178">[email protected]</span></a>, (978) 281-9185.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant submitted a complete
application for an EFP to conduct 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 648.4 (a)(1)......... Requirement for To allow the
vessels fishing American lobster-
for, possessing, or permitted vessel to
landing fish for and
multispecies temporarily possess
finfish to have Atlantic cod and
been issued a valid pollock for
Federal Northeast biological
(NE) multispecies sampling, and to
permit. land a small amount
of lethally sampled
cod for personal
use.
Sec. 648.4(a)(5)(iii)..... Requirement for To allow all
vessels fishing participating
for, possessing, or vessels to fish for
landing Atlantic and temporarily
mackerel to have possess Atlantic
been issued a valid mackerel for
Federal mackerel biological
vessel permit. sampling.
Sec. 648.82(a)............ Vessels issued a To allow the
limited access NE multispecies
multispecies permit category A vessel
may not fish for, to conduct EFP-
possess, or land related activities
regulated species, without having to
except during use a DAS.
day(s)at-sea (DAS).
Sec. 648.83(a)............ Restriction against To allow all
fishing for, participating
possessing, or vessels to sample
landing cod or all sizes of cod
pollock less than and pollock caught
19 inches (48.3 during surveys, and
centimeters). to land a small
amount of lethally
sampled cod for
personal use.
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Table 2--Project Summary
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Project title..................... Eastern Gulf of Maine (EGOM)
Sentinel Survey.
Project start..................... 10/01/2026.
Project end....................... 01/15/2027.
Project objectives................ Survey the groundfish, particularly
cod, resource in the waters of
Eastern Maine, with a focus on
evaluating local ecological
knowledge of cod distribution for
potential inclusion in future stock
assessment work.
Project location.................. Bound on the west by Penobscot Bay
and on the east by the Canadian
border; extends south to the 50-
meter (m) bathymetric edge,
overlapping with statistical areas
511 and 512.
Number of vessels................. 2.
Number of trips................... 15.
Trip duration (days).............. 1.
Total number of days.............. 15.
Gear type(s)...................... Rod and reel jigging.
Number of tows or sets............ Up to 40 sets per trip; up to 450
sets total.
Duration of tows or sets.......... Up to 5 minutes.
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[[Page 58098]]
Project Narrative
This project would continue an ongoing jig survey of the groundfish
resource in the EGOM, going back to 2011. The Atlantic Cod Stock
Assessment Workshop identified cod in statistical areas 511 and 512 as
a separate biological stock, and, as a result, the research track has
accepted the Sentinel Survey's inshore jig time series for inclusion as
a recruitment index for the EGOM stock unit's assessment.
The EFP would authorize 2 vessels to conduct random stratified
sampling using jig gear from 0 to 50 m at 36 sites, plus 9 fishermen's
choice sites within the study area, for a total of 45 sites. Jig gear
consists of a 16- or 26-oz (453.6- or 737.1-gram) Norwegian style
diamond jig with three teaser hooks, spaced at 15 inches (38.1
centimeters) apart. At each site, two anglers would execute five 5-
minute jig drops within 1 hour. Gear would be retrieved upon the first
bite or at the 5-minute mark, whichever comes first.
All species captured would be weighed and measured. Photos and fin
clips would be collected from all cod, and a subset of cod (no more
than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) per trip) would have otoliths and
stomach samples collected. Catch that are lethally sampled could be
landed for personal use. All other catch would be returned to the ocean
once sampling is complete. Scientific personnel from Maine Center for
Coastal Fisheries would be aboard the vessels to conduct sampling
activities. No catch would be landed for sale.
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: September 9, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-18627 Filed 9-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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