Notice2026-21522
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
Primary source
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Published
October 21, 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 Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR). 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 202 (Wednesday, October 21, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 21, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66547-66548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21522]
[[Page 66547]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XG137]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act
Provisions; 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 Department of Marine Resources (ME
DMR). 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 November 5, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90fefdf6e3bef7f1e2bef5f6e0d0fefff1f1bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6c8cbc0d588c1c7d488c3c0d6e6c8c9c7c788c1c9d0">[email protected]</span></a>. Include in the subject line ``ME DMR Ventless
Trap 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: Christine Ford, Fishery Management
Specialist, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7a19120813090e13141f541c15081e3a14151b1b541d150c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3c5f544e554f48555259125a534e587c52535d5d125b534a">[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:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 CFR 697.21(c).............. Gear To allow for closed
specification escape vents and
requirements. smaller trap mesh
and entrance heads.
Sec. 697.19(a)-(e).......... Trap limit To allow for 3
requirements. additional traps per
fishing vessel, for
a total of up to 60
additional traps.
Sec. 697.19(j).............. Trap tag To allow for the use
requirements. of untagged traps
(though each
modified trap will
have the
participating
fisherman's
identification
attached).
Sec. Sec. 697.20(a), Possession To allow for onboard
697.20(d), 697.20(g), and restrictions. biological sampling
697.20(h)(1) and (2). of undersized, v-
notched, and egg-
bearing American
lobsters and
undersized and egg-
bearing Jonah crabs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2--Project Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project title..................... Maine lobster fishery-dependent
offshore ventless and commercial
trap research program.
Project start..................... 1/01/2027.
Project end....................... 12/31/2027.
Project objectives................ To conduct a survey, in partnership
with the Commercial Fisheries
Research Foundation (CFRF), to
provide distribution, abundance,
and biological data on juvenile
lobsters and Jonah crabs from times
and areas in Federal waters of the
Gulf of Maine with low coverage
from traditional surveys.
Project location.................. Gulf of Maine: Statistical Areas
511, 512, and 513.
Number of vessels................. Up to 20.
Number of trips................... Up to 36 per vessel; up to 720
total.
Trip duration (days).............. Up to 3 days.
Total number of days.............. Up to 108 per vessel; up to 2,160
total.
Gear type(s)...................... Trap.
Number of tows or sets............ 1 per trip; up to 720 total.
Duration of tows or sets.......... 7-10 days.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Narrative
This EFP would contribute to the ongoing effort by the ME DMR and
CFRF to collect data on juvenile lobster and Jonah crab abundance and
distribution in areas and times of the year with low or no coverage by
traditional surveys. The study is designed to inform management by
addressing questions about changing reproduction and recruitment
dynamics of lobster and to develop a foundation of knowledge for the
data-deficient Jonah crab fishery. This would be year 4 of an ongoing
project.
The 2025 survey included 18 harvesters participating in the
program; and in 2026, 16 harvesters participated in the program. There
are currently 33 ventless traps deployed within Lobster Management Area
1, spanning Statistical Areas 511, 512, and 513. As of September 8,
2026, there have been 807 sampling events from ventless traps, with a
total of 10,497 biological samples from lobsters and crabs recorded.
Year 4 of this project would continue the program using up to 20
federally permitted Maine lobster vessels. Each vessel would fish with
3 modified, ventless traps designed to catch juvenile lobsters,
totaling up to 60 modified traps. The ventless trap configuration is as
follows: 40-inch (101.6-centimeter) length x 21-inch (53.34-centimeter)
width x 14-inch (35.56-centimeter) height, single parlor, 1-inch (2.54-
centimeter) square rubber-coated 12-gauge (2.05-millimeter) wire,
standard shrimp mesh netting, cement runners,
[[Page 66548]]
and 4-inch (10.16-centimeter) x 6-inch (15.24-centimeter) disabling
door. The modified traps would adhere to the standard coastwide survey
gear for lobster and Jonah crab set by the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and would be fished with standard Atlantic
Large Whale Take Reduction Plan-compliant trawls.
The study would take place during regular fishing activity of the
participating vessels but catch from the modified traps would remain
separate from that of standard gear. Operators would collect data on
size, sex, presence of eggs, and shell hardness for lobsters and Jonah
crabs, and v-notch and shell disease for lobsters. Operators would
return all specimens from modified gear to the ocean once sampling is
complete.
All data collected by the participants using the CFRF data
collection app would be sent to ME DMR for processing. ME DMR would
then share final datasets with CFRF, to further share with the Atlantic
Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program, the Northeast Fisheries Science
Center, and the ASMFC.
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: October 19, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-21522 Filed 10-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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