[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 150 (Friday, August 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45369-45370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4193]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080105A]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States and Coral and 
Coral Reefs Fishery in the South Atlantic; Exempted Fishing Permit

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

ACTION: Notice; receipt of exempted fishing permit application; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has determined that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP)is 
required for the proposed activities described by Paul Rudershausen of 
North Carolina State University on behalf of Alex Ng and Anthony Ng, 
commercial fishermen who have made arrangements for cooperative 
research with North Carolina State University. The application was 
originally received as a request for a Letter of Acknowledgment (LOA). 
NMFS is considering issuance of an EFP. If granted, the EFP would 
authorize the applicant, with certain conditions, to collect up to 900 
of each of the following species over the permit's effective period: 
red grouper, gag, red porgy, scamp, vermilion snapper, black sea bass, 
snowy grouper, and blueline tilefish. Specimens would be collected from 
Federal waters off the coast of North Carolina in Onslow Bay from 
September 1, 2005, through December 31, 2006.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern time, on 
August 22, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the application may be sent via fax to 727-824-
5308 or mailed to: Julie Weeder, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 
13\th\ Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Comments may be 
submitted by e-mail to: [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail document the following text: Comment on NC 
State EFP Application. The application and related documents are 
available for review upon written request to the NMFS address above or 
to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Weeder, 727-824-5305; fax: 727-
824-5308; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Regional Administrator issues EFPs 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 proposed collection involves activities otherwise prohibited by 
regulations implementing the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The applicants 
would be allowed to retain fish smaller than the minimum size limit and 
those collected during closed seasons, and would not be bound by 
applicable trip limits. Specimens would be collected using vertical 
hook and line and electric reels.
    The applicants need the fish described above for use in age and 
growth studies of reef fishes being carried out by NMFS scientists. 
Such studies require sub-legal specimens and those caught out of season 
to give the most complete estimate of reef fish status.
    NMFS finds that this application warrants further consideration, 
based on a preliminary review, and intends to issue an EFP. Possible 
conditions the agency may impose on this permit, if it is indeed 
granted, include but are not limited to: Reduction in the number of 
specimens of any or all species to be collected; restrictions on the 
size of fish to be collected; prohibition of the harvest of any fish 
with visible external tags; and specification of locations, dates, and/
or seasons allowed for collection of any or all species. A final 
decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on a NMFS review of public 
comments received on the application, conclusions of environmental 
analyses conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, 
and consultations with North Carolina, the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

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


[[Page 45370]]


    Dated: August 1, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-4193 Filed 8-4-05; 8:45 am]
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