[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49258-49259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19607]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC791


Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem 
Fishing Permit

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing 
Permit that would authorize Kampachi Farms, LLC, to culture and harvest 
a coral reef ecosystem management unit fish species in a floating pen 
moored about 5.5 nm off the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in about 
6,000 ft of water. This notice informs the public that NMFS prepared a 
draft environmental assessment (EA) of the potential impacts of the 
proposed activity.

DATES: Comments on the draft EA must be received by September 3, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, by either of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous), and will accept attachments to electronic comments in 
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
    NMFS prepared a draft EA that describe the potential impacts on the 
human environment that would result from the proposed activity. The 
draft EA is available from www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phyllis Ha, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS PIR, tel 808-944-2265.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef 
Ecosystem Fishing Permit to Kampachi Farms, LLC, consistent with 
Federal regulations for Hawaii fisheries at 50 CFR 665.224, pertaining 
to management of coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and in accordance with 
the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago (FEP). NMFS would 
authorize Kampachi Farms to culture and harvest the native coral reef 
ecosystem management unit fish species kampachi (Seriola rivoliana, 
marketed as Kona Kampachi[supreg]) using a 132 m[supcaret]3 
(approximately 21 feet in diameter) brass-link mesh aquapod (CuPod) 
tethered to a moored, 28-ft feed vessel. The feed vessel would be 
connected to a single-point mooring established at around 6,000 feet 
deep approximately 5.5 nm west of Keauhou Bay, Hawaii. The Velella 
array (the name for the combined CuPod and vessel) would be located in 
Federal waters with the exact position depending on wind and currents. 
It would not be closer than 3 nm to shore.
    A special permit is required because the gear proposed for 
harvesting a coral reef ecosystem management unit species is not 
currently identified as an approved gear type under the FEP and fishing 
regulations. If NMFS permits the activity, the applicant would use the 
Velella array to grow and harvest 2,000 kampachi fingerlings and 
juveniles. The stock would be first generation offspring of fish 
obtained from a local hatchery. If approved, NMFS would authorize the 
activity for one year.
    In this draft EA, information indicates that the low rearing 
density of fishes, established procedures for application of feed, 
passive flushing and near constant movement in offshore waters are 
expected to minimize impacts on water quality. The strong brass mesh 
net

[[Page 49259]]

material is resistant to biofouling and leaching and the CuPod design 
includes mesh entry panels that prevent fish escapes.
    The array's CuPod and vessel would each have a GPS navigation unit 
to provide location information in the unlikely case of separation from 
the mooring. In addition to the applicant's monitoring of the array and 
surrounding waters, the conditions of the NMFS permit would include 
requirements for avoiding and reporting protected resources 
interactions, preventing fish escapes and methods of discarding of dead 
fish, filing harvest and transshipment reports, and accommodating an 
observer upon request. These operational features, together with the 
limited scale and duration of the project, resulted in a preliminary 
determination that the project would have a very limited impact on the 
environment.
    NMFS expects that the array will aggregate pelagic fish. Fishermen 
would be able to fish around the array. The small size of the array is 
not expected to have a large adverse impact on catches by other 
fishermen in the ocean in west Hawaii.
    Kampachi Farms must also obtain a Department of the Army permit 
from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the proposed mooring. NMFS 
prepared this draft EA with input and review by the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers. When finalized, the EA will serve as the basis for NMFS to 
determine whether or not the activity would be a major federal action 
with the potential for significant environmental impacts. If determined 
to have major impacts, NMFS would need to prepare an environmental 
impact statement. The EA will also inform NMFS in its decision about 
whether to issue the special permit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
will use this EA to inform the preparation of its own environmental 
evaluation in accordance with its internal procedures.

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

    Dated: August 8, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-19607 Filed 8-12-13; 8:45 am]
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