[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9508]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[I.D. 032601C]


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 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 received a proposal to conduct 
experimental fishing and has made a preliminary determination that the 
subject EFP application contains all the required information and 
warrants further consideration. The Regional Administrator has also 
made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under 
the EFP would be consistent with the goals and objectives of the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, further 
review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination 
is made to issue EFPs. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Regional 
Administrator is considering whether to issue an EFP that would allow a 
single vessel to conduct fishing operations otherwise restricted by 
regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. 
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) submitted an 
application for an EFP that warrants further consideration. The 
experimental fishery to be conducted under the EFP would target various 
species of flatfish in order to investigate the cod bycatch of two 
designs of flatfish trawl nets. The goal of the research is to further 
the development of flatfish trawl net design in order to reduce cod 
bycatch by 75 to 90 percent. This notification is intended to provide 
interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed 
experimental fishery.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Patricia Kurkul, Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark on the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
Proposed Experimental Fishery.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Warren, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations that govern exempted 
experimental fishing, at 50 CFR 600.745, allow the Regional 
Administrator to authorize for certain purposes the targeting or 
incidental harvest of managed species that would otherwise be 
prohibited. An EFP to authorize such activity may be issued, provided 
there is adequate opportunity for the public to comment on the EFP 
application, and the conservation goals and objectives of the FMP are 
not compromised.
    The MDMF submitted to NMFS on February 7, 2001, an application for 
an EFP to conduct gear research in the groundfish fishery in the Gulf 
of Maine. The research would target flatfish in statistical areas 123 
and 124 during the months of April and May, with the objective of 
comparing two designs of modified flatfish trawl nets to a traditional 
flatfish net. The goal of the research is to further the design of a 
flatfish trawl net that could result in significant reductions in the 
bycatch of cod in the flatfish fishery.
    A single vessel would conduct a maximum of four, 3-hr tows on each 
of 16 days during April and May 2001. A tow using a traditional 
flatfish net would be alternated with a tow using a modified flatfish 
net in the same geographic area. Yellowtail flounder is expected to be 
the predominant species of flatfish caught. The vessel would utilize 
Days-at-Sea and fish in compliance with the pertinent mesh size, fish 
size, and trip limit regulations. Legal catch would be kept and 
marketed in order to defray the costs of the research.
    An EFP would be required to exempt the vessel from the restrictions 
of the Gulf of Maine Rolling Closures. The primary justification the 
applicant provided for conducting the experiment in Rolling Closure 
Areas I and II (statistical areas 123 and 124) is that historical data 
indicate the presence of adequate numbers of cod and flatfish in this 
area (during April and May) to statistically validate the study 
results.

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

    Dated: April 11, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-9508 Filed 4-16-01; 8:45 am]
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