[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 39 (Tuesday, February 27, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12451-12452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4692]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

 50 CFR Part 600

[I.D. 021501A]


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

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

ACTION: Notification of a proposal for EFPs to conduct experimental 
fishing; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination to issue 
an EFP that would allow one vessel to conduct fishing operations 
otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the 
Northeastern United States. The Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory 
submitted a complete application for the issuance of an EFP to one 
commercial fishing vessel. The EFP would allow one federally permitted 
vessel to conduct side-by-side tows with the R/V Albatross using a 6-cm 
codend mesh. No species will be targeted by the study, since the vessel 
will be following the random survey protocol used by the R/V Albatross. 
However, the nets will be fished to maximize the catch of summer 
flounder, scup and black sea bass on Leg I, and silver hake on Leg II. 
The purpose of this study is to provide information on the relative 
catchability of the two platforms and gears fished during the NMFS 
Spring Trawl Survey. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act require publication of this 
notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment 
on applications for proposed EFPs.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received at the appropriate 
address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) on or before March 14, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patricia Kurkul, Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
EFP Proposal.'' Comments may also be sent via facsimile (fax) to (978) 
281-9135. Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or 
Internet.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Ferreira, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory 
submitted an industry cooperative proposal on February 2, 2001, for one 
EFP to conduct side-by-side tows between the R/V ALBATROSS and a 
fishing vessel during the NMFS Spring Trawl Survey. The study addresses 
the concern that the spring survey may not adequately assess the 
proportion of large fish in the population.
    The study will occur on Legs I and II of the NMFS Spring Trawl 
Survey. Leg I of the spring survey is scheduled to begin on February 
26, 2001. The study will take place during the first 4 to 5 days of the 
cruise when the R/V Albatross will occupy about 34 stations on the 
outer shelf and the shelf edge from Hudson Canyon to just north of Cape 
Hatteras. Some of these stations may occur inside the Southern Gear 
Restricted Area (GRA). Leg II is scheduled to begin on March 15, 2001. 
On this Leg, the study will take place when the R/V Albatross occupies 
stations south of Long Island and Massachusetts, on the outer half of 
the shelf. This part of the study will occupy 19 stations and last 
about 3 days. Because the spring survey is conducted 24 hours a day, 
the industry vessel will have a minimum of four science personnel 
working two 12-hour shifts of two individuals each.
    This study involves Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, with 
funding provided by the NFI Scientific Monitoring Committee. The 
objective of the study is to conduct side-by-side tows between an 
industry vessel and the R/V Albatross to provide information on the 
relative catchability of the two platforms and gears fished during the 
spring survey. The potential outcomes of the study include: (1) An 
improved assessment of the population size frequency for many 
commercial species, (2) a boundary condition on the value used as an 
estimation of catchability in fisheries models, (3) improved estimates 
of the size-dependency of catchability for the survey gear, (4) 
improved estimates of spawning stock biomass (SSB) from understanding 
the bias in catchablity in the survey, (5) an increased number of 
samples for length-weight and length-at-age studies for key species, 
and (6) potential groundwork for using industry vessels to increase the 
number of stations occupied in the survey for those species presently 
sampled with inadequate intensity.
    In order to accomplish the objectives of this study, a trawl with a 
6-cm codend mesh will be towed in unison and parallel to the survey 
trawls being conducted by the R/V Albatross. In areas where there is a 
large depth gradient, the industry vessel will tow aft of the R/V 
Albatross. To keep the survey program on schedule, tow times, not tow 
distances, will remain the same between the two vessels, since it is 
likely that the towing speed for the R/V 
Albatross will exceed that of the industry vessel.
    Since the primary objective of the study is to improve size 
frequency information, the project aims to take length measurements of 
all fish caught using standard observer protocols. However, species 
will be measured in order of importance (i.e., summer flounder, scup, 
squid, black sea bass, and whiting), or subsampled by size, if the 
limited number of crews are unable to measure all fish. Individual 
weight measurements and samples for aging will not be taken, but NMFS 
may establish certain target species for which weight measurements and 
aging samples should be taken. These fish will be segregated and 
transferred to the 
R/V Albatross, when appropriate.

[[Page 12452]]

    Any fish below the minimum size limits or in excess of a quota will 
not be retained, except for scientific purposes. However, the applicant 
intends to retain for sale those fish meeting the minimum size and 
quota requirements. In addition, the applicant wants to land and sell 
fish caught in excess of any applicable landing limit, although it is 
believed that landings limits will likely not be exceeded due to the 
short duration of the tows.
    An EFP would be issued to one participating federally permitted 
vessel to exempt it from minimum mesh-size requirements, GRA 
restrictions, landing limits, and possession limits. This EFP would 
also authorize the vessel to land and sell any fish that conform with 
minimum-size and quota restrictions.

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

    Dated: February 20, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-4692 Filed 2-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S