[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 117 (Friday, June 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35409-35410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15162]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA457


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

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries 
Foundation, Inc. (Foundation). If granted, the EFP would authorize the 
applicant, with certain conditions, to collect and retain limited 
numbers of specimens that would otherwise be prohibited from possession 
and retention. This study, to be conducted in the exclusive economic 
zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and South Atlantic, is intended 
to characterize catch and bycatch within the shrimp fisheries of the 
Gulf and South Atlantic.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern time, on 
July 15, 2011.

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.
    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; 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 applicant proposes research as part of the Cooperative Research 
Program, which is intended to involve commercial fishermen in the 
collection of fundamental fisheries information. The described research 
is part of three ongoing Cooperative Agreements (No. NA08NMF4330406, 
No. NA09NMF4540135, and No. NA10NMF4540108), plus two pending 
Cooperative Research Program projects. 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 part 622, as they pertain 
to fish and invertebrates managed by the Gulf of Mexico and South 
Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils) specific to the shrimp 
fisheries of the Gulf and South Atlantic. The applicant requires 
authorization through the EFP to collect these Council-managed species 
that may be taken in association with the commercial shrimp fisheries 
of the southeast United States. This proposed collection would include 
reef fish, red drum, coastal migratory pelagics, stone crab, and 
lobsters in the Gulf, and snapper-grouper, coastal migratory pelagics, 
dolphin and wahoo, and lobsters in the South Atlantic.
    The EFP exempts personnel from the Foundation from bag limits, size 
limits, quotas, seasonal restrictions, and gear authorizations, when 
possessing Council-managed species as part of scientific research 
activities from August 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013. Specimens 
would be collected from Federal waters of the Gulf and South Atlantic, 
and sampling would occur during normal fishing operations of the trawl 
gear component of the penaeid shrimp commercial sector. Sampling would 
occur year-round, collecting as many as 500 fish during the course of 
the study. These species would be retained only in the event of the 
need for subsequent shore-side identification or as documentation of 
quality assurance in the data collection process. Data collection for 
this study would support improved information about the catch, bycatch, 
discards, and the ability to reduce bycatch for species taken by the 
shrimp fisheries of the Gulf and South Atlantic. These data would 
provide insight on a stock's resilience to fishing, and would help 
improve estimates of long-term biological productivity of the stocks. 
Currently, these data are unavailable, and it is anticipated that 
project results will yield valuable data within these fisheries.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based 
on a preliminary review, NMFS intends to issue an EFP. The limited 
sampling program and associated methodology listed in the EFP is not 
expected to impact the fishery stocks; the estimated

[[Page 35410]]

500 fish to be retained through the duration of the EFP represents a 
small fraction of average annual landings.
    Conditions the agency will 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 
will 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. All Foundation-associated personnel who conduct onboard sampling 
activities have undergone formal sea turtle handling training through 
NMFS, and are considered NMFS-designated agents while conducting work 
under the identified Cooperative Agreements.
    A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on a NMFS 
review of public comments received on the application, consultations 
with the affected states, the Councils, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a 
determination that the EFP is consistent with all applicable laws.

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

    Dated: June 13, 2011.
Margo Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-15162 Filed 6-16-11; 8:45 am]
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