[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27465-27467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4414]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration

[I.D. 050806C]


Magnuson-Stenves Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit

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 (EEP) application contains all the required information and 
warrants further consideration. The EEP, which would enable researchers 
to investigate the feasibility of using a raised footnote trawl to 
catch haddock and pollock while limiting cod and flounder by catch, 
would allow for exemptions from the FMP as follows: Gulf of Maine (GOM) 
Rolling Closure Areas II and IV; and the minimum mesh size for trawl 
gear. 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 determinations is made to 
issue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional 
Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP is issued that would 
allow two commercial fishing vessels to conduct fishing operations that 
are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of 
the Northeastern United States.
    Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management 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 May 26, 2006.

[[Page 27466]]


ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patrick A. Kurkul, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn 
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope 
``Comments on the GOM High Opening Raised Footrope Trawl for Haddock 
and Pollock.'' Comments may also be sent via fax to (978) 281-9135, or 
be submitted via e-mail to the following address: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Grant, Fishery Management 
Specialist, phone 978-281-9273.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A complete application for an EFP was 
submitted on April 11, 206, by Dr. Pingguo He of the University of New 
Hampshire (UNH) for a Northeast Consortium contract project. The 
primary goal of the research is to design and test a high opening 
haddock raised footrope trawl for potential use in the Regulator B 
Days-at-Sea (DAS) program in the GOM.
    The proposed work is the second year of a two-year project. Year 
one included flume tank tails and at-sea trails by one vessel to test 
net configurations. During the second year of the project, two vessels, 
the F/V North Star (Federal permit number 270699) and the F/V 
Persistence (Federal permit number 230290), would be involved in the 
at-sea research. During the first year, researches were unable to 
complete all 10 days of the at-sea trails authorized by a previous EFP. 
For this year's EFP, the researchers have requested that one vessel be 
exempted from Rolling Closure Areas III and IV, and the minimum mesh 
size requirements for the GOM RMA under this EFP for up to seven DAS 
during the 2006 fishing year in order to complete those trails. 
Subsequent to these trails, two vessels would engage in side-by-side 
trawling using 12 DAS each. One vessel would use the experimental net 
and the other would use a regulation commercial net as a control. All 
trails would occur in the area north of 42[deg]50' N. lat., and wet of 
69[deg]00'W. long. in inshore waters of the GOM, excluding the Western 
GOM Closure Area. Researchers have asked for an exemption to the 
regulations at Sec.  648.81(f)(1)(iii) and (iv), establishing GOM 
Rolling Closure Areas III and IV, for both vessels because they believe 
that an optimum mixture of haddock, pollock, cod, and flounder will be 
present in the waters of the Western GOM during May and June to test 
the experimental gear. Because the aim of the project is to develop 
gear that could separate haddock and pollock from cod and flounder 
before the fish are brought onboard, an exemption from GOM Rolling 
Closures III and IV is important to the success of the study. 
Researchers have also requested an exemption from the minimum mesh size 
requirement for the GOM Regulated Mesh Area (RMS) at Sec.  
648.809(a)(3)(i) for seven DAS. During these seven DAS, net 
configuration trails will be conducted. Use of a small mesh cod end, or 
liner, is necessary to collect fish released from the trawl in order to 
quantify the effect o the separator trawl and make effective 
comparisons of the net configurations tested.
    Net configuration trails would consist of a maximum of four 1-hour 
tows per DAS. Side-by-side trawling trails would consist of a maximum 
of four 2-hour tows by each vessel per DAS. Additionally, researchers 
would use remote underwater video observation and acoustic gear 
geometry monitoring to assess the success of the net during the at-sea 
trials. The design of the net would consist of long drop-chains hanging 
between the fishing ling and the sweep (raised footrope), creating a 
space for cod, flounders, and other benthic animals to escape or fall 
under the fishing line while the vessel targets primarily haddock and 
pollock. The trawl would incorporate large meshes in the wings and 
belly, and kites in the square near the headline. Kites may also be 
used near the ends of the wings to expand the trawl.
    The weight of all haddock, pollock, cod, and flounder will be 
determined for each control and experimental tow. If available, 70 of 
each major groundfish species, both legal and sub-legal sizes, would be 
measured from alternating control and experimental tows. The overall 
fishing mortality for the experimental net is estimated to be 30 
percent of the average commercial fishing mortality on a DAS due to 
both the species-selective design of the net and the reduced amount of 
time spent towing each day. The overall fishing mortality for the 
commercial net is estimated to be 50 percent of the average commercial 
fishing mortality on a DAS due to the reduced amount of time spent 
towing each day. The researcher anticipates that a total of 18,978 lb 
(8,608 kg) of fish, including 6,612 lb (2,999 kg) of cod, would be 
sacrificed throughout the course of the study (see Tables 1 and 2 
below). All research would be conducted using A DAS, even though daily 
fishing mortality is estimated to be less than 50 percent of commercial 
fishing mortality.

         Table 1.--Net Configuration Testing Mortality Estimates
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                                                   Experimental trawl
                    Species                    -------------------------
                                                     lb           kg
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Cod...........................................        1,812          822
Haddock.......................................           22           10
Dab...........................................          175           79
Yellowtail....................................           55           25
Blackback.....................................           32           15
Grey sole.....................................          985          447
Hake..........................................           90           41
Pollock.......................................            6            3
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                               Table 2.--Side-by-Side Trawling Mortality Estimates
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                                                                 Experimental trawl         Commercial trawl
                           Species                           ---------------------------------------------------
                                                                   lb           kg           lb           kg
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Cod.........................................................        1,200          544        3,600        1,633
Haddock.....................................................        2,400        1,089        1,200          544
Dab.........................................................           60           27          600          272
Yellowtail..................................................           60           27          600          272
Blackback...................................................           60           27          600          272
Grey sole...................................................           60           27          600          272
Hake........................................................          200           91          200           91
Pollock.....................................................        2,400        1,089        1,200          544
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[[Page 27467]]

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

    Dated: May 8, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06-4414 Filed 5-10-06; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-M