[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 139 (Thursday, July 19, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 37634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18105]



[[Page 37634]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[I.D. 070901B]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS 
(Regional Administrator), has determined that an application for EFPs 
contains all of 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), and the cumulative impacts would be 
within the scope of earlier analyses on the 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 proposes to issue EFPs in response to the application 
that would allow up to 20 vessels to conduct fishing operations 
otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the 
northeastern United States. Such fishing operations would continue the 
collection of data on bycatch of regulated multispecies and would 
provide information to NMFS and the New England Fishery Management 
Council regarding whether or not the fishery may be made an exempted 
fishery under the Northeast Multispecies regulations. The Massachusetts 
Division of Marine Fisheries (MADMF) has submitted an application for 
EFPs for commercial otter trawl vessels using the raised footrope 
trawl. The EFPs would allow the federally permitted vessels to fish 
with the modified otter trawl with mesh less than the minimum mesh size 
within a portion of the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Area. 
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 notification must be received at the 
appropriate address or fax number (see ADDRESSES) on or before August 
3, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patricia Kurkul, Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
Raised Footrope Trawl EFP Proposal.'' Comments may also be sent via 
facsimile (fax) to (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter W. Christopher, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9288.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MADMF submitted a proposal on May 18, 2001, 
for EFPs for up to 20 vessels to fish with a modified small-mesh otter 
trawl for silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis) in a portion of the Gulf 
of Maine/Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Area. The proposed experiment is a 
continuation of an experimental fishery conducted in 1999 and 2000 to 
gather information on bycatch retained by the modified otter trawl in 
the requested area. The experiment proposes to continue the collection 
of data to determine whether or not the fishery has a level of bycatch 
of regulated multispecies that would enable the fishery to be 
determined an exempted fishery under the criteria set forth in the FMP. 
Based on the outcome of this EFP, this action may lead to future 
rulemaking.
    The study would occur from September 1 through December 30, 2001, 
and take place east of Cape Cod in an area defined by the following 
coordinates:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Area Point                   N. Latitude    W. Longitude
------------------------------------------------------------------------
RFT1                                       42 deg.14.05'   70 deg.08.80'
RFT2                                       42 deg.09.20'   69 deg.47.80'
RFT3                                       41 deg.54.85'   69 deg.35.20'
RFT4                                       41 deg.41.50'   69 deg.32.85'
RFT5                                       41 deg.39.00'   69 deg.44.30'
RFT6                                       41 deg.45.60'   69 deg.51.80'
RFT7                                       41 deg.52.30'   69 deg.52.55'
RFT8                                       41 deg.55.50'   69 deg.53.45'
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The maximum number of vessels participating in the experiment at a 
given time would be 20 with an estimated total number of trips at 
approximately 200. The gear to be used during the experiment is a 
modified small-mesh otter trawl called the ``raised footrope trawl.'' 
The gear uses modifications of the float configuration, headrope, 
footrope, and sweep to keep the mouth of the net from fishing on the 
bottom and retaining bottom-dwelling species such as flounders, 
monkfish, skates, lobster, and crabs. Participating vessels would also 
be subject to a minimum mesh size of 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) in the codend 
and would be allowed to retain a maximum of 7,500 lb (3,402 kg) of 
silver hake and offshore hake (Merluccius albidus) with nets of mesh 
size between 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) and 3 inches (7.62 cm), and a maximum 
of 30,000 lb (13,608 kg) of silver hake and offshore hake with nets of 
mesh size 3 inches (7.62 cm) and above. The possession limits are to 
ensure that the conservation goals for whiting are preserved. Vessels 
may be required to carry onboard observers as requested by MADMF and/or 
NMFS. Onboard observers will be trained in the protocols of the 
experiment by MADMF and/or NMFS.

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

    Dated: July 13, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-18105 Filed 7-18-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S