[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 55 (Friday, March 21, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 13891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6849]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[ID. 031103A]


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western 
Pacific;Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; Renewal of Exempted Fishing 
Permit

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

ACTION: Renewal of Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) for monitoring 
incidental catch of salmon and groundfish in the Washington-Oregon-
California (WOC) shore-based Pacific whiting fishery.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application, and NMFS' intent 
to renew EFPs for vessels participating in an observation program to 
monitor the incidental take of salmon and groundfish in the shore-based 
component of the Pacific whiting fishery. The EFPs are necessary to 
allow trawl vessels fishing for Pacific whiting to delay sorting their 
catch, and thus to retain prohibited species and groundfish in excess 
of cumulative trip limits until the point of offloading. These 
activities are otherwise prohibited by Federal regulations.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 7, 2003. The EFPs will be 
effective no earlier than April 1, 2003, and would expire no later than 
May 31, 2004, but could be terminated earlier under terms and 
conditions of the EFPs and other applicable laws.

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 or Carrie Nordeen 
(206)526-6140.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act provisions at 50 CFR 
600.745 which state that EFPs may be used to authorize fishing 
activities that would otherwise be prohibited. The information gathered 
through these EFPs may lead to future rulemakings.
    NMFS received an application requesting renewal of these EFPs from 
the States of Washington, Oregon, and California at the November 2002 
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting in San Francisco, 
CA. An opportunity for public testimony was provided during the Council 
meeting. The Council recommended that NMFS issue the EFPs, as requested 
by the States.
    Renewal of these EFPs, to about 40 vessels, would continue an 
ongoing program to collect information on the incidental catch of 
salmon and groundfish in whiting harvests delivered to shoreside 
processing facilities by domestic trawl vessels operating off WOC. 
Because whiting deteriorates rapidly, it must be handled quickly and 
immediately chilled to maintain the quality. As a result, many vessels 
dump catch directly or near directly into the hold and are unable to 
effectively sort their catch.
    The issuance of EFPs will allow vessels to delay sorting of 
groundfish catch in excess of cumulative trip limits and prohibited 
species until offloading. Delaying sorting until offloading will allow 
state biologists and industry-hired samplers to collect incidental 
catch data for total catch estimates and will enable whiting quality to 
be maintained. Without an EFP, groundfish regulations at 50 CFR 
660.306(b) require vessels to sort their prohibited species catch and 
return them to sea as soon as practicable with minimum injury. To allow 
state biologists and industry-hired samplers to sample unsorted 
whiting, it is also necessary to include provisions for potential 
overages of groundfish trip limits which are prohibited by regulations 
at 50 CFR 660.306(h).

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

    Dated: March 18, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-6849 Filed 3-20-03; 8:45 am]
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