[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44225-44226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17405]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XJ29


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States

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 Tom Burgess of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. 
If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicant, with certain 
conditions, to collect limited numbers of snapper and grouper using 
chevron traps, a prohibited gear type, and compare results from inside 
and outside a proposed marine protected area (MPA). Acoustic sonar 
would be utilized to collect catch-per unit-effort (CPUE) data. This 
study is intended to collect data to develop a model for estimating 
deep-water snapper-grouper abundance in South Atlantic Federal waters.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern time, on 
August 29, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application by any of the 
following methods:
     e-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
the following: ``Comment on Burgess EFP Application.''
     Fax: 727-824-5308, Attn: Kate Michie.
     Mail: Kate Michie, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    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: Kate Michie, 727-824-5305; fax 727-
824-5308; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of 
the

[[Page 44226]]

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C 1801 
et seq.), as amended in 2006, and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) 
concerning exempted fishing.
    The proposed collection for scientific research involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management 
Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The 
applicant requires authorization to harvest and possess snapper and 
grouper using a prohibited gear type for scientific research activities 
during the period May through December 2008. Specimens would be 
collected from Federal waters off the coast of North Carolina.
    The applicant's EFP application responds to a NMFS call for 
development of new, advanced technologies to assess fish stocks, and is 
the second phase of a two-pronged research endeavor funded by the 
Fishery Resource Grant Program. Phase one of the pilot survey included 
the collection of acoustic data using sonar, as well as CPUE (hook-and-
line) data within a proposed MPA known as the Snowy Wreck MPA off North 
Carolina. That data collection was completed October 16, 2007, and 
indicates the use of high-end sonar gear shows promise of being able to 
predict relative abundance of deepwater snapper-grouper species from a 
much larger number of fish aggregations where acoustic data were 
collected but the area was not fished.
    Phase two of the project (current proposal) proposes to use a novel 
census technique for deepwater snapper-grouper and lay the framework 
for a Before-After Control Impact (BACI) sampling design, by sampling 
inside the proposed Snowy Wreck MPA (experimental site), and two 
adjacent control sites, before NMFS establishes the MPA through the 
rulemaking process. It is expected that sampling within the 
experimental site and within the control site, before the MPA is 
implemented, will allow future comparisons of CPUE and acoustic 
backscatter once NMFS has implemented the MPA for some years. The 
overall intent of this project is to develop models to the extent that 
fishery managers may use acoustic data to reliably predict the 
abundance of important deepwater snapper-grouper species.
    Phase two of this project proposes to use acoustic sonar, along 
with chevron traps, to develop a predictive model to estimate abundance 
of deepwater snapper-grouper species. Hook-and-line data would be 
collected opportunistically and would be used to augment existing 
models created using hook-and-line data from phase one. Those models 
would be compared to models created using chevron trap data from phase 
two of the project. Any live fish collected will be tagged and 
released. Dead or non-viable fish will be provided to the NMFS Beaufort 
Lab for further study. Estimates of acoustic data collected in the 
proposed Snowy Wreck MPA would be compared to those collected at the 
adjacent control site.
    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, a prohibition of conducting 
research within other MPAs, marine sanctuaries, or special management 
zones, without additional authorization. Additionally, NMFS may 
prohibit the possession of Nassau or goliath grouper, and require any 
sea turtles taken incidentally during the course of fishing or 
scientific research activities to be handled with due care to prevent 
injury to live specimens, observed for activity, and returned to the 
water. A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NMFS 
review of public comments received on the application, consultations 
with the affected state, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 
and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a determination that it is consistent 
with all applicable laws.

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

    Dated: July 24, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-17405 Filed 7-29-08; 8:45 am]
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