[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 37209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14756]



[[Page 37209]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC723


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit

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 submitted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
contains all of the required information and warrants further 
consideration. The EFP would allow participants of an Electronic 
Monitoring (EM) Study to retain all catch brought on board, including 
sub-legal groundfish, prohibited species (with some exceptions), and 
fish that would otherwise be discarded. All catch would be sampled at 
the dock by a dockside monitor.
    Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide 
interested parties the opportunity to comment on EFP applications.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 5, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on NEFSC Electronic Monitoring EFP.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE 
Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark 
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on NEFSC Electronic Monitoring 
EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Sullivan, Fisheries Management 
Specialist, 978-282-8493, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC) submitted a complete application for an EFP on June 4, 2013, to 
enable data collection activities that the regulations on commercial 
fishing would otherwise restrict. The EFP would exempt three federally 
permitted commercial fishing vessels from fishing regulations while 
participating in the EM study and operating under projects managed by 
the NEFSC. The EFP would exempt participating vessels from the 
following fish possession regulations: Minimum fish size restrictions; 
fish possession limits; prohibited fish species (unless otherwise 
noted), not including species protected under the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA); and gear-specific fish possession restrictions.
    The Fishery Sampling Branch (FSB) of the NEFSC is conducting a 
multi-year study in conjunction with Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd., 
to investigate the use of EM technology as a monitoring tool in the 
Northeast multispecies fishery. The technology would be tested on three 
volunteer vessels in the trawl, longline, and gillnet fisheries, 
representing a range of vessel sizes, to effectively assess the 
applicability of the technology in sector-based management. EM 
technology uses a combination of passive electronic systems, such as 
video cameras, motion sensors, locator devices, and computers to detect 
fishing events and capture catch handling practices. In this mock full-
retention program, the catch would be retained and EM technology would 
be used to monitor and document discard compliance. Any incidentally 
caught marine mammal; seabird; sea turtle; ESA-listed fish; large 
pelagic fish; American lobster; thorny, barndoor, or smooth skate; 
wolffish; or Atlantic halibut would be discarded at sea per normal 
fishing requirements at designated control points on the vessels, in 
full view of a monitoring camera. Vessel captains would have the 
discretion to discard at sea large portions of select catch (dogfish 
and skates) due to safety concerns; these discard events would be 
documented.
    These exemptions would only apply to declared multispecies trips 
that are conducted in coordination with FSB and would include a 
dockside monitor intercept. The three vessels involved in the EM Study 
participate in sectors. All catch of stocks allocated to sectors by 
vessels would be deducted from the sector's Annual Catch Entitlement 
(ACE) for each Northeast multispecies stock. Once a sector's ACE for a 
stock has been reached, vessels would no longer be allowed to fish in 
that stock area, unless they acquired additional ACE for the limiting 
stock.
    Dockside monitoring is a necessary component to this monitoring 
approach to verify catch and Vessel Trip Reporting (VTR) data. Dockside 
sampling would include collecting weights for fish that would be 
discarded during a normal fishing trip. Marketable fish would be 
accounted for by the dealer and VTR data. Non-marketable catch, 
including sub-legal sized groundfish, prohibited species, fish for 
which the vessel does not have a permit to sell, and fish below market 
quality would be identified, weighed, and sampled by FSB staff. FSB 
staff would retain any non-marketable catch, which could be used for 
training for observers, donation to food shelters, and donation to 
local fishermen for bait.
    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 impact 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: June 17, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-14756 Filed 6-19-13; 8:45 am]
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