Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

Published date21 June 2019
Citation84 FR 29174
Record Number2019-13214
SectionNotices
CourtNational Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 29174-29175]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-13214]
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                DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                RIN 0648-XW001
                Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
                Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; 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 Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made
                a preliminary determination that an application for an Exempted Fishing
                Permit warrants further consideration. The application, submitted by
                the California Wetfish Producers Association, requests an exemption
                from the expected prohibition of primary directed fishing for Pacific
                sardine for the 2019-2020 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as
                part of an industry-based scientific survey. NMFS requests public
                comment on the application.
                DATES: Comments must be received by July 8, 2019.
                ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
                NOAA-NMFS-2019-0057, by any of the following methods:
                 Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
                comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
                www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0057, click the
                ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
                attach your comments. The EFP application will be available under
                Relevant Documents through the same link.
                 Mail: Submit written comments to Lynn Massey, West Coast
                Region, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4250.
                 Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the
                above methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and
                considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other
                address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
                may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public
                record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
                www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
                information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the
                sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business
                information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will
                accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you
                wish to remain anonymous).
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Massey, West Coast Region, NMFS,
                (562) 436-2462, [email protected].
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 28, 2019, NMFS published a proposed
                rule (84 FR 24459) to implement Pacific sardine harvest specifications
                for the
                [[Page 29175]]
                2019-2020 fishing year off the U.S. West Coast, which begins on July 1.
                This proposed rule included a 4,514 metric ton (mt) annual catch limit
                (ACL) and a prohibition on directed commercial fishing for Pacific
                sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (except
                for small directed catch and catch of live bait). At the April 2019
                Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting, the Council voted
                in support of the California Wetfish Producer Association's (CWPA)
                exempted fishing permit (EFP) application as well as one other
                application that NMFS is evaluating separately, which both requested an
                exemption from the prohibition on directed fishing for Pacific sardine.
                The Council therefore structured the 2019-2020 Pacific sardine harvest
                specifications so that up to 405 mt (the combined total of the
                anticipated harvests under the two EFP proposals the Council reviewed)
                of the ACL could be harvested under EFPs. The CWPA requested to
                directly harvest up to 400 mt of Pacific sardine for its Coastal
                Pelagic Species Near-shore Cooperative Survey (CPS-NCS).
                 Since 2012 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in
                partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting aerial surveys to
                estimate the biomass and distribution of sardine and certain other CPS
                species in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight, and in
                the Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. Currently,
                there is uncertainty in the biomass estimates from aerial spotter
                pilots. The CPS-NCS survey associated with the proposed EFP is part of
                research to quantify that level of uncertainty by capturing CPS schools
                identified by aerial spotter pilots and validating the biomass and
                species composition of the schools. A portion of each point set (i.e.,
                an individual haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) will be
                retained for biological sampling, and the remainder will be sold by the
                participating fishermen and processors to offset research costs and
                avoid unnecessary discard. This research contributes to broader efforts
                to understand CPS biomass in shallow, nearshore areas that NOAA's CPS
                offshore acoustic trawl survey is unable to access.
                 If NMFS issues this EFP, the CPS-NCS will survey nearshore waters
                of the Southern California Bight for 7-10 days between July 1, 2019 and
                June 30, 2020. Any harvest under this EFP would count against the ACL
                for Pacific sardine. If NMFS does not issue this EFP, then this 400 mt-
                portion of the ACL would be available for harvest by other permissible
                fishing activities.
                 Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
                Jennifer M. Wallace,
                Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
                Fisheries Service.
                [FR Doc. 2019-13214 Filed 6-20-19; 8:45 am]
                 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
                

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