[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 81 (Friday, April 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 22341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9047]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG85


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 the Gulf of Maine Research Institute 
(GMRI) 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 11 
commercial fishing vessels to conduct compensation fishing operations 
that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the 
fisheries of the Northeastern United States. This EFP, which would 
enable vessels to harvest monkfish granted through the Monkfish 
Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, would grant exemptions from the 
monkfish days-at-sea (DAS) possession limits in the Southern Fishery 
Management Area.
    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 12, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on GMRI Monkfish 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 GMRI monkfish EFP, DA8-081.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Bryant, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9244.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted by 
GMRI on March 21, 2008, for a project funded under the New England and 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils' Monkfish RSA Program. The 
project itself will evaluate the discard of monkfish caught as bycatch 
on Northeast (NE) multispecies DAS and directed monkfish trips. 
Research trips will be covered under a separate EFP. This EFP would 
grant an exemption from monkfish possession limits to 11 vessels for 
the purpose of harvesting RSA to fund this research project (i.e. 
compensation fishing). Funds generated by the compensation fishing will 
be used to pay for vessel charters, technical and sampling equipment, 
as well as salaries and stipends for principal investigators and 
industry collaborators.
    The research portion of this project will occur over the course of 
1 year and will utilize boat- and port-based data collection programs 
to estimate and compare monkfish discards between boats trawling for NE 
multispecies in the DAS program and directed monkfish trips in the Gulf 
of Maine. The boat-based program will utilize the Study Fleet 
electronic logbook and independent at-sea sampling, and will be 
complemented with port-based sampling of retained and otherwise 
discarded monkfish. The research would be covered under the 
programmatic Study Fleet EFP. More information regarding the exemptions 
requested for this EFP can be found in the Federal Register notice that 
published on March 25, 2008 (73 FR 15739).
    Compensation fishing for this research will occur from May 2008 
through April 2009. The 11 fishing industry collaborators will have 
access to 139 Monkfish DAS that will be awarded to the project through 
the Monkfish RSA Program. These vessels must be able to land at least 
2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of whole monkfish (730 lb (331 kg) tail weight) per 
trip to achieve the goal of $3,000 per RSA DAS. In order to achieve 
this target catch, these fishing activities would require an exemption 
from monkfish DAS possession limits at Sec.  648.94(b)(2). This 
exemption would provide these 11 vessels with the flexibility they need 
to generate sufficient income to meet projected costs, while minimizing 
operating expenses, of the research activity. Based on the awarded 139 
DAS, this would require a total catch of 347,500 lb (157,623 kg) of 
whole monkfish (104,669 lb (47,477 kg) tail weight). Operating under 
this total landings cap, compensation fishing would continue until the 
required goal of 347,500 lb (157,623 kg) of whole monkfish is met, or 
until the awarded DAS have been fully utilized, which ever occurs 
first. Aside from this exemption, fishing activity will be conducted 
under normal commercial practices.
    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. If the research project 
is terminated for any reason prior to completion, any unused funds 
collected from catch sold to pay for research expenses may be refunded 
to NOAA.

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

    Dated: April 22, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-9047 Filed 4-24-08; 8:45 am]
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