[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 90 (Thursday, May 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26604-26605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9046]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA11


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
South Atlantic Exempted Fishing Permit

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

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

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from Rachel Kalisperis on behalf of the South 
Carolina Aquarium. If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicant, 
with certain conditions, to collect limited numbers of groupers (not 
including goliath grouper), snappers, tilefishes, sea basses, jacks, 
spadefish, grunts, porgies, mackerel, cero, cobia, dolphin fish, spiny 
lobster, little tunny, triggerfishes, golden crab, hogfish, porkfish, 
puddingwife, red drum, scup, sheepshead, shrimp, wahoo, and wreckfish. 
Specimens would be collected from Federal waters off the coast of South 
Carolina from 2007 to 2012 and displayed at the South Carolina 
Aquarium, located in Charleston, South Carolina.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern standard 
time, on May 25, 2007.

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 also 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 document the following text: Comment on South Carolina Aquarium 
EFP Application. The application and related documents are available 
for review upon written request to the address above or the e-mail 
address below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 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 South Carolina Aquarium is a 
public, non-profit institution located in Charleston, South Carolina. 
Its mission is to provide entertainment and education and to support 
conservation through aquatic exhibits displaying animals from South 
Carolina.
    The proposed collection for public display involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management 
Plans (FMPs) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic 
Region, Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region, Spiny Lobster 
Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, Dolphin and Wahoo 
Fishery off the Atlantic States, and Coastal Migratory Pelagics 
Resources.
    The applicant requires authorization to harvest and possess up to 
the following numbers of fishes during each 12-month period from June 
20, 2007, to June 19, 2012: 50 Atlantic spadefish, 15 blueline 
tilefish, 12 cero, 6 cobia, 50 dolphin fish, 5 golden crab, 15 golden 
tilefish, 40 groupers of the genus Epinephelus (not including goliath 
grouper), 50 groupers of the genus Mycteroperca, 150 grunts, 6 hogfish, 
100 jacks of the genus Caranx, 50 jacks of the genus Seriola, 15 king 
mackerel, 25 little tunny, 3 ocean triggerfish, 65 porgies, 15 
porkfish, 2 puddingwife, 2 queen snapper, 12 red drum, 25 red porgy, 13 
sand tilefish, 40 scup, 40 sea basses, 15 sheepshead, 375 shrimp, 75 
snappers, 15 Spanish mackerel, 25 spiny lobster, 12 triggerfishes, 50 
vermilion snapper, 5 wahoo, 10 wreckfish, and 15 yellowtail snapper. 
Specimens would be collected from Federal waters off the coast of South 
Carolina from June 20, 2007, to June 19, 2012.
    Fishes would be captured in some areas using hand nets in 
conjunction with scuba, dip nets deployed from a boat, hook and line, 
black sea bass pots, spiny lobster traps, golden crab traps, ``bait 
fish'' traps, ``habitat'' traps, and ``octopus'' traps. Black sea bass 
pots, spiny lobster traps, and golden crab traps will meet the 
construction requirements of 50 CFR 622.40. ``Bait

[[Page 26605]]

fish'' traps are commercially available designs made of 0.25-inch (0.6-
cm) or 1-inch (2.5-cm) galvanized wire mesh. ``Habitat'' traps, which 
are designed to target benthic fishes, are made of 4-inch (10.2-cm) 
high sections of 20-inch (50.8-cm) diameter PVC pipe which is sealed 
off at both ends. Each trap has one 3-inch (7.6-cm) diameter hole in 
one side. The traps are weighted using approximately 3.5-lb (1.6-kg) of 
cement, and deployed on longlines or hand placed by divers. The second 
trap type is designed to target octopus. These traps are made of 18-
inch (45.7-cm) lengths of 4-inch (10.2-cm) diameter black corrugated 
drainage pipe. Cement is used to seal one end to a depth of 
approximately 2.5-inches (6.4-cm). ``Habitat'' and ``octopus'' traps 
have unblocked openings and no internal compartments, so animals may 
come and go at will. Sea bass pots, spiny lobster traps, and golden 
crab traps will be deployed for no more than 5 hours at a time. No more 
than five traps or pots of each type will be deployed at one time. 
These traps or pots will be set on individual lines. ``Bait fish'' 
traps will only be deployed during scuba dives for a maximum of 5 hours 
and will be retrieved when divers exit the water. ``Habitat'' and 
``octopus'' traps will be deployed on a 500-ft (152-m) longline with an 
anchor and buoy at each end. ``Habitat'' traps may also be hand placed 
by divers. ``Habitat'' and ``octopus'' trap sets will not exceed 14 
days.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based 
on a preliminary review, NMFS 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 or 
species of fish to be collected; restrictions on the placement of 
traps, especially with respect to fragile habitat; 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 particular fish species. A final 
decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on a NMFS review of public 
comments received on the application, consultations with the affected 
states, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the U.S. 
Coast Guard, and a determination that it is consistent with all 
applicable laws. The applicant requests a 5-year (60-month) effective 
period for the EFP.

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

    Dated: May 7, 2007.
James P. Burgess
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-9046 Filed 5-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S