Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

• Published date: 22 April 2019
• Citation: 84 FR 16651
• Record Number: 2019-08023
• Section: Notices
• Court: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 77 (Monday, April 22, 2019)

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 77 (Monday, April 22, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 16651-16652]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-08023]
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                DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                RIN 0648-XG981
                Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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 Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
                Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary
                determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the New
                England Aquarium contains all the required information and warrants
                further consideration. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
                Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries
                Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notice to
                provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications
                for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.
                DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 7, 2019.
                ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
                methods:
                 Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
                ``Comments on NEAQ Ropless Fishing EFP.''
                 Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
                Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
                Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on
                NEAQ Ropeless Fishing EFP.''
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management
                Specialist, (978) 281-9225.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The New England Aquarium (NEAQ) submitted a
                complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on March 25,
                2019, to conduct fishing activities that the regulations would
                otherwise restrict. NEAQ is requesting an exemption from Federal
                lobster regulations that would authorize two federally-permitted
                commercial lobster vessels to participate in a ropeless lobster gear
                study. NEAQ is requesting an exemption from the following regulation:
                 1. Gear marking requirements to allow for the use of a single buoy
                marker on a trawl of more than three traps (50 CFR 697.21(b)(2)).
                 The purpose of this study is to test a prototype ropeless fishing
                system as a potential technique to prevent entanglements of protected
                species, primarily North Atlantic right whales. This study is funded
                through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (NA18NMF4720279).
                 The EFP would authorize two participating vessels to deploy two
                experimental trawls consisting of five or more traps. Experimental
                trawls would have a rope spool, fitted with an acoustic release,
                deployed on one end of the trawl, with a buoy line attached to the
                other. Soak time would be between 2-5 days, but may be modified
                depending on what each fisherman decides is appropriate for fishing.
                Sampling would occur from May to September, 2019 in Lobster
                Conservation Management Area 3. Initial deployments would be overseen
                by a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute engineering team, but later
                would be observed by NEAQ personnel. There would be a total of 42
                deployments of experimental trawls.
                 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
                [[Page 16652]]
                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. The EFP would prohibit
                any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted
                fishing activities.
                 Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
                 Dated: April 16, 2019.
                Alan D. Risenhoover,
                Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
                Service.
                [FR Doc. 2019-08023 Filed 4-19-19; 8:45 am]
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