[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 19526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9814]



[[Page 19526]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO82


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 University of Rhode Island/Rhode 
Island Sea Grant (URI/RISG) 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 Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Fishery 
Management Plans (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 two 
commercial fishing vessels to conduct fishing operations that are 
otherwise restricted by the regulations governing the fisheries of the 
Northeastern United States.
    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 14, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on URI/RISG Loligo fishery EFP.''
     Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE 
Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark 
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on URI/RISG Loligo fishery EFP, 
DA9-088.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aja Peters-Mason, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9195.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An application for an EFP was submitted on 
March 23, 2009, by David Beutel, the Fishery Extension Specialist at 
URI/RISG. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the effects 
of an experimental trawl in reducing bycatch of butterfish and scup in 
the Loligo squid fishery. The results of this research could be 
submitted to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to provide 
information that could be used to enhance the management of the Loligo 
squid fishery.
    Two chartered fishing vessels will be used to conduct five one-day 
fishing trips during the spring (May/June 2009) and five one-day 
fishing trips in the fall (September/October 2009) in and around Block 
Island Sound and Rhode Island Sound. On each day of sampling, two 
vessels will tow side-by-side with one vessel towing the control net 
and the other the experimental net. Each fishing day will consist of 
six tows of 45 to 60 minutes duration. Each vessel will have one 
scientific observer on board.
    The researchers will conduct a bottom trawl catch characterization 
study aboard two commercial fishing vessels targeting Loligo squid 
using a ``side-by-side'' towing method comparing the control net with 
the experimental net. The control net is a 362 x 12 cm two seam 
polyethylene balloon net equipped with an 20-cm (8-inch) rockhopper 
sweep. The experimental net is identical to the control except for the 
addition of the eighteen foot long rope escape panel with the final two 
bellies repeated. The rope escape panel will be fitted over the 
circumference of the original bellies 35.5 meshes down from the wide 
end of the 8-cm lower belly. This will cause the original 8-cm bellies 
to act as a funnel. Small canvas flow diverters will be used to 
maintain the shape of the after bellies, the escape panel, and the 
funnel. Flow diverters also create small pockets of low pressure which 
may facilitate the butterfish and scup in finding the route of escape.
    For each tow, either all of the butterfish and scup or a subsample 
consisting of at least 10% of the catch will be weighed and measured 
for total length (to nearest cm). Total catch size will be determined 
prior to subsampling. Other expected bycatch includes summer flounder 
and Atlantic bluefish, which will be weighed and measured.
    In addition to harvesting the target species, Loligo squid, the 
applicant expects to incidentally catch butterfish, scup, summer 
flounder, and bluefish. Because the vessel would be temporarily 
retaining both target and non-target fish for data collection purposes 
that it otherwise should not, the vessel requires exemption from 
minimum fish size and possession restrictions found throughout 50 CFR 
part 648.
    All Loligo and other legally-sized fish caught during research 
would be landed as normal commercial harvest and sold to defray the 
costs of chartering the collaborating fishing vessels. All other 
organisms would be discarded as quickly and carefully as practicable 
following data collection to ensure maximum likelihood of survival.
    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: April 24, 2009.
Kristen C. Koch,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-9814 Filed 4-28-09; 8:45 am]
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