[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 14, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18394-18395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9313]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 600 and 648

[I.D. 040599D]


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

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

ACTION: Notification of experimental fishery proposals; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Regional Administrator, Northeast 
Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), is considering approval of the 
Gulf of Maine Separator Trawl Whiting Fishery (Separator Trawl Fishery) 
and proposed supplemental gear testing experiment to enable vessels to 
conduct operations otherwise restricted by regulations governing the 
Northeastern Multispecies Fishery. The experimental fisheries would 
allow commercial vessels to fish for, retain, and land silver hake 
(whiting) with mesh smaller than currently allowed in a portion of the 
Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Area. These experiments would 
continue investigations designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a 
bycatch reduction device (separator grate) assembled on small-mesh 
silver hake (whiting) trawls. It is anticipated that participation 
level would be dictated by two interrelated factors: Market value of 
whiting at the dock and the availability of the whiting at sea. 
Approximately 60 vessels were authorized to participate in last year's 
experiment from July 1 - November 30, 1998, although enrollment periods 
fluctuated due to the factors identified here. Regulations implementing 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require 
publication of this notification to provide interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on the proposed experimental fisheries.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by April 29, 1999.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie VanPelt, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9244.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maine Department of Marine Resources 
(MEDMR) submitted an application to continue the experimental whiting 
separator trawl fishery (Separator Trawl Fishery) in the Small Mesh 
Northern Shrimp Area, a portion of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank 
Regulated Mesh Area. This will provide an additional opportunity to 
collect information on the effectiveness of the separator grate in an 
effort to show that the separator trawl fishery could be a low bycatch 
fishery. Although this would be the fifth consecutive year of the 
experiment, data from previous years are sparse and inclusive, due in 
part to the fact that the whiting failed to school in the experimental 
fishery areas and market value of whiting declined. As a result, there 
was limited activity in the experimental fishery in 1998. Therefore, in 
order to gather sufficient data on the separator grate's ability to 
reduce bycatch of regulated species consistent with the requirement of 
an exempted fishery, as well as to determine whether the fishery as a 
whole can reach its economic potential, a continuation of the 
experiment is necessary.
    Participants in the Separator Trawl Fishery will be required to 
elect either a food fishery or bait fishery component designation: Food 
fishery enrollment includes an allowance for landing whiting at the 
dock only, while bait fishery enrollment allows for at-sea utilization 
of whiting and transfer of whiting catch at sea under a special 
authorization. Program participants may designate only one fishery 
component at a time for a minimum enrollment of 7 days.
    A participants list will be compiled by the MEDMR based on a trends 
analysis of historical enrollment in recent years. Further limitations 
on participation may be necessary depending on consistency in reporting 
or logbook compliance issues identified through the NMFS review 
process.
    As part of the same request, the MEDMR also requested a 
supplemental gear testing experiment to support the objectives of the 
Separator Trawl Fishery. Proposed modifications of the current gear 
include two increased bar spacings on the separator grate and two 
increased codend mesh sizes along with the addition of a raised 
footrope configuration on the otter trawl. The gear testing experiment 
may reveal modifications in trawl gear and grate configuration that 
would be more effective in reducing bycatch and more

[[Page 18395]]

selective in catching the appropriate sized whiting in accordance with 
whiting resource management strategies.
    EFPs would be issued to the participating vessels in both 
experiments in accordance with the conditions stated therein, and will 
exempt vessels from the mesh size, days-at-sea, and other gear 
restrictions of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

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

    Dated: April 8, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-9313 Filed 4-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F