[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51001-51002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20516]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XY05


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper and Grouper 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries 
Foundation, Inc. If granted, the EFP will authorize the applicants, 
with certain conditions, to collect limited numbers of fish and 
invertebrates where possession and retention is restricted or 
prohibited by regulations in South Atlantic Federal waters. This study 
is intended to characterize catch and discard mortality within the 
South Atlantic commercial hook-and-line snapper-grouper fishery.

DATES:  Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern time, 
on September 17, 2010.

ADDRESSES:  You may submit comments on the application by any of the 
following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier: 
``FND--EFP''.
     Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
     Fax: 727-824-5308.
    The application and related documents are available for review upon 
written request to any of the above addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Steve Branstetter, 727-824-5305; fax: 
727-824-5308; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 
fishing.
    The described research is part of the Cooperative Research Program. 
The Cooperative Research Program is a means of involving commercial and 
recreational fishermen in the collection of fundamental fisheries 
information. Resource collection efforts support the development and 
evaluation of fisheries management and regulatory options.
    The proposed collection for scientific research involves activities 
otherwise prohibited by regulations at 50 CFR 622 implementing the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 
Atlantic Region. The applicant requires authorization to collect 
limited numbers of snapper and grouper and other marine resources, 
where possession and retention is otherwise restricted or prohibited by 
regulations, for scientific research activities for a 24-month period 
beginning September 2010. Specimens would be collected from Federal 
waters off the east coast of Florida and Federal waters off the coasts 
of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Sampling would occur 
during normal fishing operations of the commercial snapper-grouper 
vertical hook-and-line fishery. Sampling would occur year-round, 
collecting as many as 500 fish during the course of the sampling. Data 
collections for this study would support improved information about the 
catch, bycatch, discards, and discard mortality for species in the 
snapper-grouper complex. These data would provide insight on a stock's 
resilience to fishing, and would help refine estimates of long-term 
biological productivity of the stocks. Currently, these data are 
unavailable, and it is anticipated that project results would yield 
valuable data within this fishery.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based 
on a preliminary review, NMFS intends to issue an EFP. The limited 
sampling program and associated sampling methodology listed in the EFP 
is not expected to impact the fishery stocks; the estimated 500 fish to 
be retained in the 2-year period represents a small fraction of the 
average annual landings. Similarly, the sampling program is not 
expected to have an impact on marine mammals or threatened or 
endangered species or their critical habitat in any manner that has not 
been considered in the 2006 biological opinion, the 2007 consultation 
regarding Acropora, and the 2008 listing of Acropora critical habitat, 
in regard to the existing fishery management plan. The biological 
opinion specifically addresses the impacts associated with EFPs. It 
considers fishing activities authorized under an EFP within the scope 
of the opinion, if those activities do not significantly increase the 
overall fishing effort within the fishery, and fishing is conducted by 
commercial or research vessels, using similar or identical

[[Page 51002]]

fishing methods to those employed in the fishery.
    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 marine protected areas, 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. The applicant's field personnel are 
considered designated agents of NMFS while conducting work under a 
NMFS-funded research grant. They are authorized to handle sea turtles 
encountered during the course of this study. A final decision on 
issuance of the EFP will depend upon a NMFS review of public comments 
received on the application, consultations with the affected states, 
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: August 13, 2010.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-20516 Filed 8-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S