[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 13 (Monday, January 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2652-2653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-768]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 011607B]


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 an Exempted Fishing Permit 
(EFP) application submitted by Bradford Bowen contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. The Assistant 
Regional Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the 
activities authorized under this EFP would be consistent with the goals 
and objectives of the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, 
further review and consultation may be necessary before a final 
determination is made to issue an 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 
would enable researchers to determine selectivity curves and catch 
rates for monkfish in large mesh gillnets by granting exemption from 
possession and landing restrictions of the FMP.
    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 February 6, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on monkfish gillnet EFP.''
     Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE 
Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the 
outside of the envelope ``Comments on monkfish gillnet EFP, DA6-386.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted on 
December 26, 2006, by Bradford Bowen of the F/V Jessica Marie and 
Michael Pol of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, for a 
project funded under the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Councils' Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The 
primary goal of this study is to provide information on the selectivity 
of large mesh gillnets that can be used to enhance the management of 
this species.
    The EFP would exempt one vessel from monkfish trip limits while 
conducting research trips using extra large mesh gillnets. This project 
was awarded 80 monkfish days-at-sea (DAS) through the 2007 Monkfish RSA 
Program under project 07-MONK-003. These DAS would be used to conduct 
the research, as well as to provide funds to support the research 
through the sale of fish from these trips.
    Trips are proposed to occur May 1 through June 30, 2007, and then 
again from November 1, 2007, through April 30, 2008. Nets would be set 
south of Cape Cod and would follow the expected movements of the 
monkfish, starting at a depth of 50 fm in May and gradually moving to 
20 fm by the end of June. In November, trips would begin in 15-20 fm 
and gradually move

[[Page 2653]]

offshore to a depth of 80-100 fm by the end of April 2008. No trips 
would be conducted July 1-October 31, 2007, because of warm water 
temperatures and a typical absence of fish.
    Research trips would be conducted aboard the F/V Jessica Marie 
(permit  146901, hull  MA9252KR), owned by Mr. Bowen. 
Each net panel for this study would be 300 ft (91.4 m) long and made of 
30 gauge webbing. Seven nets each of 10-inch (25.4-cm), 12-inch (30.5-
cm), and 14-inch (35.6-cm) mesh would be combined into a single 21-net 
``string.'' Net height for the different mesh panels would be 
coordinated to be within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each other. Two such 
strings would be used, for a total of 42 nets. Each string would be 
fitted with 85-lb (38.5-kg) lead line, 3/8-inch (0.95-cm) polypropylene 
float line with floats every 8 ft (2.4 m), and tied down to stand 30 
inches (76 cm) above the bottom. The strings would also be fitted with 
temperature loggers, 1,100-lb (498.9-kg) breakaway links, and 
``pingers'' to help minimize effects on marine mammals.
    This gear configuration is expected to be much less efficient than 
the current regulatory limit of up to 150 300-ft (91.4-m) nets of 10-
inch (25.4-cm) mesh. It is expected that most trips would result in 
catches well below the trip limit. Specific trips could occur when the 
trip limit would be reached or exceeded after hauling only one of the 
two strings. To prevent excess discards and to ensure that all of the 
experimental gear can be hauled during each trip, the applicant has 
requested the exemption outlined above.
    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. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the 
exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.

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

    Dated: January 17, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-768 Filed 1-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S