[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 232 (Friday, December 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 63723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-28992]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XT18


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 contains all of the required information and warrants 
further consideration and 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. This EFP would grant exemptions 
from the Monkfish Day-at-Sea (DAS) Program, as well as exempt vessels 
from the monkfish minimum size limits for onboard tagging purposes 
only.
    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 21, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on the GMRI Monkfish Tagging 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 the GMRI monkfish tagging 
EFP, DA9-229.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Macan, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9165.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), 
in response to a NMFS notice published in the Federal Register on June 
17, 2009 (50 CFR 28668), submitted a request to use 51 unallocated 2009 
Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) DAS as exempted DAS to conduct 
research activities associated with an ongoing study to investigate 
large-scale movements and habitat use of monkfish. These 51 exempted 
DAS would allow GRMI to resume research activities for a 2008 monkfish 
RSA project that had to be scaled back due to a budget shortfall 
resulting from the inability to use all of the 2008 monkfish RSA DAS 
allocated to the project.
    This EFP would allow up to 29 vessels to conduct tagging research 
in the Southern Fishery Management Area (SFMA) in conjunction with 
normal commercial fishing operations, using standard commercial 
gillnets. The goal of the project is to investigate large-scale 
movements of monkfish and to compare inferences about movement and 
habitat use from conventional and acrchival tags and otolith trace 
element analysis. Conventional tagging efforts would be conducted by 
trained captains or crew while under normal commercial fishing 
operations. Up to 25-50 monkfish per trip would be tagged, over the 
course of 51 fishing days. Data storage tags, up to 10 per trip, would 
only be deployed when GMRI staff is onboard.
    This EFP would exempt the participating vessels from the monkfish 
DAS requirements found at 50 CFR 648.92(b)(1)(i) for a total of 51 DAS. 
A DAS exemption would reduce the cost to participating vessels, by not 
requiring them to expend their DAS allocation to conduct the research. 
This EFP would also exempt participating vessels from the monkfish 
minimum size restrictions at Sec.  648.93 for the purpose of tagging 
monkfish during research activities. No fish below the minimum size 
would be landed for sale. Aside from these exemptions, fishing 
activities would 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.

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

    Dated: December 1, 2009.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-28992 Filed 12-3-09; 8:45 am]
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