[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17354-17355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8691]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 032702B]


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Application for an Exempted Fishing 
Permit

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an exempted fishing 
permit (EFP); request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces receipt of an application for an EFP from the 
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. If awarded, the EFP 
would allow vessels with valid Washington state delivery permits that 
have historically fished for yellowtail rockfish to land certain 
federally managed groundfish species in excess of cumulative trip 
limits and sell yellowtail rockfish for profit, providing the vessel 
carries a state sponsored observer while conducting EFP fishing. State 
observers would collect total catch and effort data, and retain 
specimens that are otherwise not available shoreside. This EFP proposal 
is intended to promote the objectives of the Pacific Coast Groundfish 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) by providing much-needed data on total 
catch and incidental catch rates, along with a pilot program for the 
retention of rockfish overages.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 30, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP application are available from Becky 
Renko, Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 1, 
Seattle, WA 98115-0070.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Renko (206) 526-6110.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by the FMP and 
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.745 and 50 CFR 660.350.
    The purpose of this exempted fishing activity would be to measure 
bycatch rates for widow and other rockfish associated with fishing 
strat egies currently used in the mid-water yellowtail rockfish fishery 
off Washington.
    Fishing for yellowtail rockfish, which is an abundant and 
commercially important species off Washington, is constrained by 
efforts to rebuild widow and canary rockfish, both overfished species. 
Fishers who have historically targeted yellowtail rockfish believe that 
the mid-water yellowtail fishery can be prosecuted with a much lower 
bycatch rate of widow and canary rockfish than is currently assumed.
    If issued, this EFP would allow certain vessels with valid 
Washington state delivery permits to retain and sell yellowtail 
rockfish in excess of cumulative trip limits. Other rockfish species, 
caught in excess of current trip limits and retained under the EFP, 
would be forfeited to the State. This EFP would also provide for a 
state run observer program where observers collect and retain specimens 
of otherwise prohibited fish caught by the vessel. Observers would 
collect much-needed data, to estimate incidental catch rates and total 
catch of various species. In addition to providing bycatch information, 
this EFP would be a pilot program for the retention of rockfish 
overages. Without an EFP, groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 660.306(f) 
would continue to restrict vessels from landing groundfish species or 
species groups in excess of trip limits.
    Data collected during this project is expected to have a broad 
significance to the management of the groundfish fishery by providing 
much needed information on: (1) rockfish catch in the mid-water 
yellowtail rockfish fishery; (2) catch rates of incidentally caught 
rockfish species, including widow rockfish and canary rockfish by 
fishing location; and (3) age structure data that is otherwise not 
available from landed catch. To the extent possible, data provided by 
the state observers will be compatible with that collected by the NMFS 
coastwide observer program. However, the scope of sampling will be 
narrower to reflect the specific purpose of this EFP. The information 
gathered

[[Page 17355]]

through this EFP may lead to future rulemaking. If the EFP is issued, 
approximately nine vessels are expected to fish under the EFP from May 
1 through June 30, 2002.
    NMFS initially received this EFP request from the State of 
Washington at the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting on October 
31, 2001. The completed application was received on February 20,2002. 
In accordance with regulations, NMFS has determined that the proposal 
warrants further consideration and has consulted with the Council. The 
Council urged NMFS to issue the EFP during its October/November 2001, 
meeting in Millbrae, CA. The applicants appeared in support of the 
application at that meeting. A copy of the application is available for 
review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES).

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

    Dated: April 3, 2002.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-8691 Filed 4-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S