Fishery conservation and management: Stevens Act provisions— Domestic fisheries; exempted fishing permits to conduct experimental fishing; applications,

[Federal Register: August 28, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 167)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 45993]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr28au98-42]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 600 and 648

[I.D. 081998C]

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Applications for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) to Conduct Experimental Fishing

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of Two Proposals for EFPs; request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notification to announce that the Regional Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator) is considering approval of two experimental fishing proposals that would permit vessels to conduct operations otherwise restricted by regulations governing the Fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The experimental fisheries would involve fishing for, retention, and landing of silver hake (whiting) with small mesh in the Gulf of Maine/ Georges Bank (GOM/GB) Regulated Mesh Area. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson- Stevens Act) provisions require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed experimental fisheries.

DATES: Comments must be received by September 14, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Jon Rittgers, Acting Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. The envelope should be clearly marked ``Comments on Proposed Experimental Fisheries.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Christopher, Fishery Management Specialist, 978-281-9288.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maine Department of Marine Resources (MEDMR) submitted an application on July 1, 1998, to conduct the testing of modified trawl gears to supplement an existing experimental fishery. While the current experimental fishery is designed to determine the effectiveness of a bycatch reduction device, or separator grate, in a GOM whiting small mesh trawl fishery, MEDMR's proposal would allow the testing of modifications to the separator grate and the trawl. Proposed modifications of the current gear include various bar spacing on the separator grate, various codend mesh size, and a raised footrope configuration on the otter trawl.

On July 14, 1998, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MADMF) requested the re-authorization of an experimental fishery for whiting for the 1998 fishing season. The re-authorization of the experiment would allow the MADMF to determine whether or not the modified gear known as the ``raised footrope trawl'' is an appropriate small mesh gear for various areas in the GOM/GB Regulated Mesh Area that have not been completely analyzed. In addition it would allow MADMF and NMFS to consider additional data on the bycatch of regulated multispecies in the experimental fishery.

EFPs would be issued to the participating vessels in both projects to exempt them from possession limit, mesh size, and days-at-sea restrictions of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: August 21, 1998. Gary C. Matlock, Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98-23182Filed8-27-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F