[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14922-14923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6443]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA303


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.

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

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. In support of research conducted by the 
Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc. (CFFI), this EFP would grant 
exemptions from the limited access scallop days-at-sea (DAS) program to 
allow CFFI to conduct tests with its low profile excluder dredge (CFFI 
dredge). In addition, limited access and limited access general 
category (LAGC) vessels would be authorized to temporarily retain fish 
that would otherwise be restricted by commercial fishing regulations. 
Such regulations include minimum fish sizes; fish possession limits; 
species quota closures; prohibited fish species, not including species 
protected under the Endangered Species Act; and gear-specific fish 
possession restrictions. 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 
sea scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, further review and 
consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to 
issue an 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 April 4, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFFI flounder bycatch 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 CFFI flounder bycatch EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Biegel, Fisheries 
Management Specialist, 978-281-9112.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CFFI has been awarded a research grant 
through the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation titled, ``Testing 
of a Low Profile Excluder Dredge for Winter Flounder Bycatch 
Reduction.'' The goal of this research is to examine how modifications 
to the CFFI excluder dredge will impact the bycatch of winter flounder 
by commercial scallop vessels. The research will consist of three or 
four trips of 5 to 7 days each, for a total of 21 days, and deploy the 
CFFI dredge to document the impacts of dredge modifications on catch 
and bycatch rates. Over the course of the project, there will be 240 
tows of less than 30 minutes at 4.5 knots. The vessel is expected to 
catch the following: Scallops 45,000 lb (20,412 kg); winter flounder 
4,000 lb (1,815 kg); yellowtail flounder 300 lb (136 kg); monkfish 
2,000 lb (907 kg); and little skate 8,000 lb (3,629 kg). All catch will 
be discarded after standard species composition, size, and catch rate 
data have been collected. The gear testing would occur between April 
2011 and April 2012, in open areas of offshore of Massachusetts and 
Rhode Island at a depth of 15 to 30 fathoms (30-60 m), including Cape 
Cod Bay, South Channel, and Southern New England.
    CFFI submitted a complete EFP application on February 4, 2011, 
requesting exemption allowing commercial fishing vessels to fish

[[Page 14923]]

outside of the limited access Atlantic sea scallop DAS regulations at 
50 CFR 648.53(b) and to temporarily retain fish that would otherwise be 
restricted by commercial fishing regulations. Any fishing activity 
conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be 
prohibited.

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

    Dated: March 15, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-6443 Filed 3-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P