[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47351-47352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18152]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 040402C]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Spiny Lobster, Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources, and Snapper-Grouper 
Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Exempted Fishing Permit

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

ACTION: Issuance of an exempted fishing permit.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the issuance of an exempted fishing permit 
(EFP) for the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and 
Aquarium (MECA)(applicant), located on Skidaway Island, GA. The EFP 
authorizes the applicant, with certain conditions, to collect up to 200 
juvenile (undersized) individuals in the snapper-grouper fishery and 
coastal migratory pelagics fishery annually for public display 
purposes. Less than 10 non-egg-bearing spiny or slipper lobster also 
would be collected on each cruise. Two cruises will be made annually in 
Federal waters off Georgia. Specimens will be displayed at MECA, which 
is located on Skidaway Island, near Savannah, GA.

DATES: The newly issued EFP is effective July 1, 2002, through June 30, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP are available from Peter Eldridge, 
Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. 
Petersburg, FL 33702.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Eldridge, 727-570-5305; fax: 
727-570-5583; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is issued under the authority of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 
fishing.
    The EFP authorizes the applicant, with certain conditions, to 
collect up to 200 juvenile (undersized) individuals in the snapper-
grouper and coastal migratory pelagics fisheries annually for public 
display purposes. Less than 10 non-egg-bearing spiny or slipper lobster 
also would be collected on each cruise. Two cruises will be made 
annually in Federal waters off Georgia during the period July 1, 2002, 
through June 30, 2004.
    The applicant, MECA, located at Skidaway Island, is a public, non-
profit, educational institution established to promote an awareness, 
understanding, and appreciation of the diverse natural resources 
associated with Georgia's ocean, estuaries, rivers, streams, and other 
aquatic environments.
    MECA provides a variety of education programs--short academic 
classes and summer science camps for school children, classes for 
college students and teachers, and programs for visiting adult groups. 
The saltwater aquarium exhibits local marine fishes and invertebrates, 
and is used as an educational tool in these program.
    The proposed collection for public display involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fisheries of the South Atlantic 
Region, the FMP for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources 
(Mackerels), and the FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of 
Mexico

[[Page 47352]]

and South Atlantic. The applicant requires authorization to harvest and 
possess juvenile mackerels, snapper-grouper species, and spiny lobster 
taken from Federal waters off Georgia.
    The EFP has a number of conditions concerning the harvest of 
prohibited species and corals, the gear that can be employed, and 
bycatch restrictions. The EFP requires an annual report to NMFS that 
lists taken specimens.
    A notice of receipt of the application for this permit was 
published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2002 (67 FR 17673). The 
notice included a request for public comments. No public comments were 
received. Also, consistent with the requirements of 50 CFR 
600.745(b)(3)(i), NMFS provided copies of the EFP to the State of 
Georgia, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the U.S. 
Coast Guard along with information on the EFP's effect on target 
species. All of the consulted entities supported the issuance of the 
EFP.
    Failure of the permittee to comply with the terms and conditions of 
the EFP may be grounds for revocation, suspension, or modification of 
this permit, as well as civil or criminal sanctions.

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

    Dated: July 11, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-18152 Filed 7-17-02; 8:45 am]
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