[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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