[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28513-28514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2491]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 051305A]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

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

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator) 
has made a preliminary determination that the subject Exempted Fishing 
Permit (EFP) application contains all the required information and 
warrants further consideration. The Assistant 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 (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). However, further review and consultation may be necessary before 
a final determination is made to issue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS 
announces that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to 
recommend that an EFP be issued that would allow one commercial fishing 
vessel to conduct fishing operations that are otherwise restricted by 
the regulations governing the fisheries of the Northeastern United 
States. The EFP, which would enable researchers to investigate the 
feasibility of using low profile gillnets to catch flounders while 
limiting cod bycatch, would allow for exemptions from the FMP as 
follows: Gulf of Maine (GOM) Rolling Closure Areas III, IV, and V.
    Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) require publication of this 
notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment 
on applications for proposed EFPs.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 2, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patricia A. Kurkul, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn 
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope 
``Comments on the GOM Low Profile Gillnet Study.'' Comments may also be 
sent via fax to (978) 281-9135, or submitted via e-mail to the 
following address: [email protected].

[[Page 28514]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Tasker, Fishery Management 
Specialist, phone (978) 281-9273.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted on 
April 15, 2005, by Dr. Pingguo He of the University of New Hampshire 
(UNH) for a Northeast Consortium funded project. The primary goal of 
this joint project with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 
is to test lower vertical profile flounder gillnets to reduce the catch 
of cod while retaining flounders, such as winter flounder, in inshore 
western GOM waters. Researchers anticipate that, if the experimental 
net is successful, data gathered during this study may be useful in the 
establishment of a Special Access Program for the use of B days-at-sea 
(DAS) in a future action.
    The project, which is anticipated to be 11 months in duration and 
would be conducted between May 2005 and April 2006, would include flume 
tank trials and 20 days of at-sea trials. Two types of low profile 
gillnets, each 8 meshes deep with variations in flotation and hanging 
ratio, would be compared with three commercial cod and flounder 
gillnets, each 25 meshes deep. The participating vessel would fish the 
nets in fleets of 10 nets, two nets per type, alternately rigged so 
that two experimental nets can be compared with the three control nets. 
Forty nets would be fished per day and the nets would be soaked for 24 
hours before hauling.
    All specimens caught would be sampled and measured. All undersized 
fish would be returned to the sea as quickly as practical after 
measurement and examination. The researcher anticipates that a total of 
13,409 lb (6,082 kg) of fish, including 4,918 lb (2,230 kg) of cod, 
1,639 lb (743 kg) of flounders, 1,246 lb (565 kg) of monkfish, and 
4,590 lb (2,082 kg) of dogfish, would be harvested and/or discarded 
throughout the course of the study. Other species that are anticipated 
to be caught are haddock, white hake, lobster, and skate. All legal-
sized fish, within the possession limit, would be sold, with the 
proceeds returned to the project for the purpose of enhancing future 
research.
    All at-sea research would be conducted from one fishing vessel 
fishing in an area west of west of 70[deg]15' W. long. and between from 
42[deg]40' N. lat. and 43[deg]10' N. lat., excluding the Western GOM 
Closure Area. Researchers have asked for an exemption to the 
regulations establishing the GOM Rolling Closure Areas III, IV, and V 
because they believe that an optimum mixture of flounders and cod for 
testing the experimental gear will be present in the waters of the GOM. 
Therefore, because the aim of the project is to separate flounders and 
cod before the fish are brought onboard, an exemption from the GOM 
Rolling Closure Areas III, IV, and V is important to the success of the 
study. All research will be conducted using DAS.
    The applicant may request minor modifications and extensions to the 
EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and extensions may be 
granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to 
facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts 
that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP 
request.

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

    Dated: May 13, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-2491 Filed 5-17-05; 8:45 am]
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