[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 162 (Monday, August 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51812-51813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1881]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 081304B]
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; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces receipt of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from the California Department of Fish and Game
(CDFG). This EFP application applies to limited entry groundfish
vessels that are used to fish for flatfish in Federal waters south of
40[deg]10' N. lat. If awarded, this EFP would allow qualifying vessels
to use a flatfish-selective small footrope trawl net to catch and
retain groundfish in the trawl rockfish conservation area (RCA) and to
retain groundfish species in excess of cumulative trip limits.
Participating vessels would be required to use and carry state-
sponsored samplers. This EFP proposal is intended to promote the
objectives of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) by providing data that can be used to enhance management of the
groundfish fishery.
DATES: Comments must be received by September 7, 2004.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ``I.D. 081304B'' by
any of the following methods:
[bul] E-mail: [email protected]. Include the I.D.
number above in the subject line of the message.
[bul] Fax: 206-526-6736, Attn: Becky Renko.
[bul] Mail: D. Robert Lohn, Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS,
7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-0070, Attn: Becky Renko.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Renko (206) 526-6140 or Carrie
Nordeen at (206) 526-6144.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by the FMP and
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.745.
The purpose of this exempted fishing activity would be to collect
data on the rate at which unintended species, particularly overfished
shelf rockfish such bocaccio and canary rockfish, are
[[Page 51813]]
taken in commercial catches when an experimental flatfish-selective
trawl net is used. If awarded, this EFP would allow six vessels to use
the flatfish-selective trawl nets to fish for flatfish in the Trawl RCA
south of 40[deg]10' N. latitude and to retain groundfish species in
excess of cumulative trip limits. Participating vessels will be
required to carry state-sponsored samplers to monitor fishing
activities and collect data that are otherwise not available shoreside.
Shelf flatfish species are abundant and commercially important off
California, however, the harvest of these species is constrained by
efforts to rebuild overfished shelf rockfish species, particularly
bocaccio and canary rockfish. In 2001 and 2002, the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) chartered commercial fishing vessels to
develop and test flatfish-selective trawl nets. Testing was conducted
to compare the new trawl net configurations with those that are
typically used in the groundfish fishery. During the initial testing, a
gear configuration similar to the design that is proposed for use under
this EFP had significant reductions in the catch of overfished rockfish
species relative to the catch of flatfish species. An EFP was issued to
ODFW in 2003 to evaluate the performance of the experimental trawl net
in the commercial flatfish fishery. This trawl net has since been
referred to as ``selective flatfish trawl gear.''
Because this gear design meets the requirements of small footrope
bottom trawl gear, as defined by regulations at 50 CFR 660, it is
currently legal to use for fishing and it could become an effective way
for fishery participants to reduce rockfish bycatch in the flatfish
fishery south of 40[deg]10'' N. lat. Vessels participating under this
EFP must submit a net plan and only gear that is consistent with the
specified requirements may be used for EFP fishing. Fishing under this
EFP will be restricted to areas outside of 3 nautical miles. The
proposed EFP fishing period is from September 1 through December 31,
2004.
Data collected during this project are expected to benefit the
management of the groundfish fishery by: (1) Providing catch rates by
fishing location of species incidentally caught with the experimental
flatfish-selective net, (2) allowing for the collection of biological
data that is otherwise not available from landed catch, and (3)
providing data that can be used to evaluate the full retention of
rockfish as a management approach. The information gathered through
this EFP may lead to future rulemaking.
The flatfish limits for limited entry trawl gear south of
40[deg]10' N. lat., as currently published in the Federal Register,
will be available to EFP participants. Vessels used to fish under the
EFP may fish for these limits within the Trawl RCA as well as in areas
not within the Trawl RCA. If the limits are lowered later in the year
through an inseason adjustment, the current limits will continue to be
allowed under the EFP. The total amount (discard plus retained) of
flatfish allowed to be taken under this EFP is not expected to exceed
653 metric tons (mt) and the total amount (discard plus retained) of
petrale sole is not expected to exceed 109 mt. The EFP fishing will be
constrained by the following EFP limits for overfished species:
bocaccio rockfish, 10.0 mt; cowcod, 0.5 mt; yelloweye rockfish, 0.5 mt;
canary 0.5 mt; lingcod, 20.0 mt. If the total catch of any one of these
overfished species reaches the EFP limit, the EFP will be terminated
for the remainder of the 2004 fishing year. All harvests are expected
to be within set asides for 2004 EFP harvests and, therefore, no
optimum yield is expected to be exceeded.
In accordance with regulations, NMFS determined that CDFG's
proposal warranted further consideration and, therefore, consulted with
the Council. The Council considered the EFP application during its
April 2003 meeting and recommended that NMFS issue the EFP. Contingent
on review of public comments, NMFS intends to approve the EFP fishing.
A copy of the application is available for review from NMFS (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 18, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-1881 Filed 8-20-04; 8:45 am]
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