[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 240 (Friday, December 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75677-75678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-29441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XM08


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Adjustment to 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 an amendment to an Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP) application submitted by the University of 
Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) contains all of the required information 
and warrants further consideration. The Assistant Regional 
Administrator has made a preliminary determination that the adjusted 
activities authorized under this amended EFP would be consistent with 
the goals and objectives of the Northeast (NE) Multispecies and 
Monkfish Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). However, further review and 
consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to 
reissue the EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Assistant Regional 
Administrator proposes to recommend that an EFP be reissued 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. This EFP, which would continue to 
enable researchers to study the effects of climate on the distribution 
and catch rates of monkfish, would adjust the exemptions from the NE 
multispecies regulations as follows: Gulf of Maine (GOM) Rolling 
Closure Area (RCA) I, rather than RCA III. The exemption from NE 
multispecies effort control measures will remain the same as with the 
original EFP. 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 December 29, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Revised UMES 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 UMES monkfish EFP, DA8-272.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP amendment was 
submitted on October 15, 2008, by Andrea K. Johnson, Ph.D., Research 
Assistant Professor at UMES, 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 investigate 
the influence of temperature on monkfish distribution and abundance, as 
well as determine age and growth patterns, spawning frequency, feeding 
rates, and cannibalism. This information will provide information on 
the biology of monkfish that could be used to enhance the management of 
this species.
    The original EFP granted an exemption for one vessel to fish for 
monkfish using gillnets inside the GOM RCA III during May 2008. The 
vessel originally issued the EFP later decided not to participate in 
this project and a new vessel was issued the EFP on October 14, 2008. 
With this change to a new vessel, the research area was revised to 
reflect the new vessel owner's familiarity with monkfish fishing 
grounds. This EFP revision would grant an exemption for the new vessel 
to fish in 30-minute square number 122, rather than 137, inside the GOM 
RCA I during

[[Page 75678]]

March 2009. Fishing activity is currently taking place through December 
2008 and researchers would like to continue in March 2009, but will 
need this revised exemption to do so. It is expected that this 
location, within the RCA, would provide access to large monkfish and 
would avoid gear interactions between the research gillnet gear and 
trawl gear. The need to switch RCA exemptions is due to the change in 
location and vessel from the original research proposal. Allowing an 
exemption in RCA I rather than RCA III will provide consistency with 
the rest of the research that is being conducted in that area and will 
avoid further delays in the project.
    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: December 5, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-29441 Filed 12-11-08; 8:45 am]
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