[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 98 (Friday, May 21, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27749-27750]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12887]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 600 and 648

[I.D. 050599A]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Applications for Experimental 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 two 
experimental fishing proposals. EFPs would allow vessels to conduct 
operations otherwise restricted by regulations governing the Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery, and would exempt vessels from days at sea (DAS), 
mesh sizes, and other gear restrictions. The first experimental fishery 
proposal would involve fishing for, retention and landing of silver 
hake (whiting), spiny dogfish, and red hake with small mesh in the Gulf 
of Maine/Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Area. This experiment was 
previously approved during the 1998 fishing season and is referred to 
as the Raised Footrope Whiting Trawl Experimental Fishery (Raised 
Footrope Trawl Experiment). The requested time period of the Raised 
Footrope Trawl Experiment would be modified this year taking place from 
June through August, instead of September through December. The second 
experimental fishery request is for a supplemental gear testing 
experiment to support the goals and objectives of the Raised Footrope 
Trawl Experiment. Regulations implementing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act provisions require publication of this 
notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment 
on the proposed experimental fisheries.

DATES: Comments on this notification must be received by June 7, 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 Van Pelt, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9244.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Massachusetts Division of Marine 
Fisheries (MADMF) submitted an application on March 31, 1999, to refine 
the investigations of a previously approved small mesh experimental 
fishery with these two proposals. The first proposal would require the 
use of modified trawls (raised footrope) in six distinct areas 
including all of Cape Cod Bay, areas outside Cape Cod Bay, lower 
Massachusetts Bay, and southern and western edges of Stellwagen. This 
would be the third full year that the experimental fishery has operated 
(1995 and 1996 were pilot studies); whereby, October and November have 
traditionally been the most active months of participation according to 
sea sampling data and logbook reporting.
    This experiment is designed to assess the effectiveness of a raised 
footrope small mesh otter trawl in reducing bycatch of regulated 
multispecies--primarily flatfish and other bottom dwelling species--in 
the silver hake (whiting) fishery. The experimental area in Cape Cod 
Bay was identified by the MADMF as an important area for whiting 
fishing by vessels primarily fishing out of Provincetown, Gloucester, 
and Chatham, Massachusetts. The experiment has experienced sporadic 
changes in bycatch which appear to be temporal and site-specific in 
nature. The proposed experimental fishery would allow MADMF and NMFS to 
consider new data on the bycatch of regulated multispecies at times not 
previously sampled, as well as additional information on those areas 
and times sampled in years past.
    The second proposal submitted by MADMF would provide for a 
supplemental gear testing experiment to support the objectives of the 
Raised Footrope Trawl Experiment by continuing last year's 
investigation of various different refinements to the ``sweep-less'' 
trawl gear. These gear trials will only slightly modify the standard 
raised footrope design and it is expected that the ``sweepless'' trawl 
design will mitigate impacts to the habitat and further reduce bycatch 
of bottom dwelling species.

[[Page 27750]]

    MADMF expects that 40 vessels will participate in the experimental 
fishery (4-6 vessels in the supplemental gear experiment), and that 
enrollment will be established similar to last year; historical 
participation and previous experience with the raised footope trawl 
gear operation played a role in the selection process. Further 
limitations on participation may be necessary depending on logbook 
compliance or enforcement issues identified through the NMFS review 
process.
    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 
during the specified seasons.

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

    Dated: May 14, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-12887 Filed 5-20-99; 8:45 am]
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