[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 72615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-6897]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 120105B]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper, Coastal Pelagics, and Spiny Lobster Fisheries Off the 
Southern Atlantic States

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

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

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from Lindsey Parker on behalf of the University of 
Georgia's Marine Extension Service. If granted, the EFP would authorize 
the applicant, with certain conditions, to collect up to 200 juvenile 
(undersized) snapper/grouper, 20 adult snapper/grouper, and 10 non-
berried spiny lobster from the date of issuance through March 14, 2007. 
Specimens would be collected from Federal waters off the coast of 
Georgia during 2005, 2006, and 2007, and utilized by the University of 
Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium, located on Skidaway 
Island near Savannah, Georgia, for display and public education.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern time, on 
December 21, 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 
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Comments may be submitted 
by e-mail to: [email protected]. Include the following text in the 
subject line of the e-mail: ``Comment on MECA EFP Application.'' The 
application and related documents are available for review upon written 
request to the address above or by e-mail to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie A. Weeder, 727-551-5753; fax 
727-824-5308; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested 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.
    According to the applicant, The University of Georgia's Marine 
Education Center and Aquarium is the education branch of the 
University's Marine Extension Service in the School of Marine Programs. 
Its purpose is to serve as a resource for students, teachers, and the 
general public in matters related to Georgia's coastal marine 
environments. The facility provides a variety of education programs, 
including short academic classes and summer science camps for school 
children, classes for college students and teachers, and programs for 
visiting adult groups. It is free to school groups and is open to the 
public for a small admission charge.
    The proposed collection for public display involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management 
Plans (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper and Spiny Lobster Fisheries of the 
South Atlantic Region.
    The applicant requires authorization to harvest and possess the 
following numbers of fishes over the permit period, to be collected 
over multiple trips: 200 juvenile (undersized) snapper/grouper, 20 
adult snapper/grouper, and 10 spiny lobster. Collections would occur in 
Federal waters off the coast of Georgia from the date of issuance 
through March 14, 2007. The applicant wishes to make four collection 
trips over the permit period, each of 2-day duration.
    Specimens would be captured with fish trawls (up to 50 foot 
headrope length, mesh size from 2 1/4 inches to 4 inches, codend mesh 
size as small as 1 5/8 inches), sea bass traps, hook-and-line, dip 
nets, and fry nets. The applicant requests exemption from the 
requirement to use a turtle excluder device (TED) on the trawl, because 
many of the specimens to be collected would be too large to fit through 
the TED grid and would be excluded from the sample. The applicant 
suggests limiting tow times to 30 minutes to address concerns over 
incidental capture of turtles and plans to trawl in areas the applicant 
states are well offshore of areas of known turtle abundance.
    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 granted, include 
but are not limited to: Reduction in the number of fish to be 
collected; restrictions on the placement of traps and/or location of 
trawls; restrictions on the size of fish to be collected; prohibition 
of the harvest of any fish with visible external tags; specification of 
locations, dates and/or seasons allowed for collection of particular 
fish species; and the requirement to carry and follow standard handling 
and resuscitation guidelines for sea turtles. 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 the affected states, the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

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

    Dated: December 1, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-6897 Filed 12-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S