[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24465-24466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-9816]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC005


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. This EFP would allow commercial fishing vessels 
to temporarily possess and scientifically sample fish caught during 
normal commercial fishing operations that would otherwise be required 
to be immediately discarded for the purpose of characterizing the 
bycatch of the Southern New England sea scallop fishery.
    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 9, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Fisheries Specialists 2012 Scallop RSA EFP.''
     Mail: Daniel S. Morris, Acting Regional Administrator, 
NMFS, NE Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Fisheries 
Specialists EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Biegel, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9112, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fisheries Specialists, a fisheries research 
company, submitted a complete application for an EFP on March 5, 2012, 
to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations would 
otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize four vessels to temporarily 
possess and scientifically sample fish caught during commercial fishing 
operations that would otherwise be required to be immediately 
discarded.
    The requested exemptions from size and possession limits are in 
support of a project that proposes to characterize bycatch in the 
Southern New England scallop fishery. This project is titled ``Bycatch 
Characterization in the Southern New England Sea Scallop Fishery,'' and 
has been selected to be funded under the 2012 scallop research set-
aside (RSA) program. Because catch sampling of bycatch will occur 
during commercial fishing operations, Fisheries Specialists requested 
temporary exemptions from size and possession limits of potential 
bycatch species. Aside from these exemptions, fishing activity would be 
conducted under normal commercial fishing practices and the associated 
Federal regulations. The exemptions would not include species protected 
under the Endangered Species Act. Limited Access General Category 
(LAGC) vessels will land catch in accordance with the conditions of the 
Federal permits held by the individual vessel and any prohibited catch 
will be discarded after sampling.
    Fisheries Specialists will be placing trained scientific observers 
aboard LAGC vessels to collect bycatch data during the course of normal 
commercial fishing operations. The observers will conduct four days of 
sampling each month for 12 months for a total of 48 sampling days 
between April 2012 and May 2012, in open areas offshore of 
Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic 
(SNE/MA) management area, with a focus on statistical area 539.
    If approved, 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.


[[Page 24466]]


    Dated: April 19, 2012.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-9816 Filed 4-23-12; 8:45 am]
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