[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27684-27685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7272]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 050806D]


Magnuson-Stevens 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 (EFP) application from the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's 
Association (CCCHFA) for exemptions from the Georges Bank Closed Areas 
(CA) I and II, Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) Closure Area, Cashes Ledge 
(Cashes) Closure Area, and Rolling Closure Areas III and IV, as well as 
the GB hook gear restrictions, for the purposes of tagging haddock, 
contains all of 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 issue an EFP that would allow 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 30, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice may be submitted by e-mail. The 
mailbox address for providing e-mail comments is [email protected]. 
Include in the subject line of the e-mail comment the following 
document identifier: ``Comments on CCCHFA EFP Proposal for Haddock 
Tagging Study (DA6-093).'' 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 CCCHFA EFP Proposal for Haddock Tagging Study (DA6-
093).'' Comments may also be sent via facsimile (fax) to (978) 281-
9135. Copies of the Environmental Assessment (EA) are available from 
the NE Regional Office at the same address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Moira Kelly, Fishery Management 
Specialist, phone: 978-281-9218, fax: 978-281-9135.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted by 
CCCHFA, in collaboration with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and 
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), on March 14, 2006. The 
EFP would exempt 24 federally permitted commercial fishing vessels for 
no more than 36 trips, from the following requirements of the FMP: NE 
multispecies closed area restrictions specified at Sec.  648.81(a), 
(b), (d), (e), and (f)(i)(iii) and (iv) for the purpose of providing 
access to haddock stocks within GB CA I, GB CA II, Cashes, the WGOM 
Closure Area, and Rolling Closure Areas III and IV, respectively; and 
the NE multispecies GOM hook gear restrictions specified at Sec.  
648.80(a)(3)(v) and GB hook gear restrictions specified at Sec.  
648.80(a)(4)(v), in order to allow fishing for the purposes of tagging 
viable fish without hook gear restrictions.
    Researchers request that the study would be conducted from May 2006 
through April 2007. This is the second year of the project. Fishing 
would take place aboard a maximum of 24 different fishing vessels and 
would not exceed 36 trips, fishing under NE multispecies A DAS. The 
vessels participating in this study are members of the GB Cod Hook 
Sector (Sector), as well as non-Sector members. Per Sector rules, all 
cod caught by Sector vessels under this EFP would be attributed to the 
overall Sector cod total allowable catch (TAC), and Sector vessels 
would only be able to participate at study sites within the approved 
Sector area. All research conducted outside of the Sector Area would be 
completed by non-Sector participants. The CCCHFA Program Coordinator, 
NEFSC scientists, or trained fishermen ``technicians'' would be aboard 
tagging vessels for 100 percent of dedicated tagging trips. Only the 
most vigorous haddock caught would be tagged and released to maximize 
their chance of survival. It is estimated that 250 haddock would be 
tagged and released each trip. All legal

[[Page 27685]]

catch not tagged would be landed and sold, consistent with the current 
daily and trip possession landing limits. The EFP would not provide 
exemptions from the Eastern U.S./Canada Management Area closures, 
should this area or portions of this area be closed due to attainment 
of the U.S./Canada TACs of GB cod, GB haddock, or GB yellowtail 
flounder. Undersized fish would be returned to the sea as quickly as 
possible. The participating vessels would be required to report all 
landings in their Vessel Trip Reports.
    The goal of this study is to assess haddock movement between stock 
areas and across closure area boundaries. The proposed project would 
test existing assumptions about haddock movement rates between the GOM 
and GB, haddock movement rates between the eastern and western GB 
regulated areas, and haddock movement rates in and out of the closure 
areas. Researchers propose to use benthic longline gear consisting of 
hooks with fabricated baits (Norbait or Trident) that target haddock 
and reduce cod bycatch. An estimated total of 10,500 Hallmark T-bar 
tags would be deployed in the closure areas as follows: CA I (38 
percent of tags); CA II (9.5 percent of tags); WGOM Closure Area (19 
percent of tags); and Cashes (5 percent of tags). The remaining tags 
would be deployed in open areas of GB (19 percent of tags) and the GOM 
(9.5 percent of tags). Researchers under this tagging study would be 
allowed to catch a maximum of 104,052 lb (47,198 kg) of haddock and 
3,625 lb (1,645 kg) of cod within the closure areas. Catch limits would 
reflect tagging effort in closure areas, on GB (62,980 lb (28,567 kg) 
of haddock, 1,575 lb (715 kg) of cod) and within the GOM (41,072 lb 
(18,630 kg) haddock, 1,420 lb (644 kg) cod). A total of 35 percent of 
haddock caught is estimated to be viable for tagging. Thus, vessels 
would not be allowed to land more 65 percent of their overall haddock 
catch from the GB (40,937 lb (18,569 kg)) and GOM (26,697 lb (12,110 
kg)) closure areas. If any of the maximum limits (haddock caught, 
haddock landed, or cod caught) is reached within GB or the GOM, vessels 
would not be allowed to continue fishing in the corresponding closure 
areas.
    The target fishery is the groundfish mixed-species fishery. The 
main species expected to be caught under this EFP are haddock and 
Atlantic cod. Other commercially important fish commonly found in the 
groundfish fishery are expected to be caught incidentally. In the 
previous study conducted in 2005, the incidental catch that was kept 
was comprised primarily of cusk and redfish. The incidental catch that 
was discarded consisted primarily of skates and spiny dogfish. Other 
species that were encountered were red hake, monkfish, pollock, and 
wolffish. Of the groundfish stocks of concern, no yellowtail flounder, 
winter flounder, or witch flounder were caught during year 1 of the 
study, and minimal amounts of American plaice (approximately 8 lb (4 
kg)) and white hake (approximately 38 lb (17 kg)) were caught and 
landed.
    The applicant may make requests to NMFS for minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and 
extensions may be granted by NMFS without further notice if they are 
deemed essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and 
result in only a minimal change in the scope or impact of the initially 
approved EFP request. The applicant has prepared a draft Environmental 
Assessment (EA) that analyzes the impacts of the proposed experimental 
fishery on the human environment. The draft EA examines whether the 
proposed activities are consistent with the goals and objectives of the 
FMP, whether they would be detrimental to the well-being of any stocks 
of fish harvested, and whether they would have any significant 
environmental impacts. The draft EA also examines whether the proposed 
experimental fishery would be detrimental to essential fish habitat, 
marine mammals, or protected species. After publication of this 
document in the Federal Register, the EFP, if approved, may become 
effective following a 15-day public comment period.

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

    Dated: May 9, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-7272 Filed 5-11-06; 8:45 am]
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