[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29743-29744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12022]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD266


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: NOAA Fisheries has made a preliminary determination that an 
exempted fishing permit application contains all of the required 
information and warrants further consideration. This request was 
submitted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and would allow 
commercial fishing vessels to evaluate if whiting can be caught in 
commercially viable quantities with minimal bycatch in the Gulf of 
Maine Grate Raised Footrope Trawl Exemption Area using a small-mesh 
trawl that has a standard cookie sweep, prior to the start of the 
current season that begins July 1. The exempted fishing permit would 
exempt the vessels from the Northeast multispecies minimum mesh size 
and seasonal restrictions at 50 CFR 648.80(a)(3) and 648.80 (a)(16).
    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 exempted fishing permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 9, 2014.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Berthiaume, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9177, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) 
has submitted an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) to 
conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations would 
otherwise restrict. The EFP would exempt three federally permitted 
commercial fishing vessels from the minimum mesh size requirements for 
the purpose of testing a small-mesh trawl fitted with an excluder grate 
for harvesting silver hake. The applicant states that there has been 
poor performance of the raised footrope trawl in this area due to the 
rocky habitat, and that removing the raised footrope could allow for 
increased catch rates while maintaining low bycatch rates. In addition, 
the applicant has requested authorization to test the trawl prior to 
the July 1-November 30 season in the Gulf of Maine Grate Raised 
Footrope Trawl Exemption Area.
    The applicant would evaluate the performance of a small-mesh trawl 
that has a regulation compliant excluder grate and is fitted with a 
cookie sweep. The trawl would not have a raised footrope as required by 
the Gulf of Maine Grate Raised Footrope Trawl regulations. 
Participating vessels would complete up to 25 days of experimental 
fishing with five 1-hour tows per day with a target whiting catch of 
5,000 lb (2,268 kg) per day. A research technician would accompany all 
trips under the EFP, and sort and weigh all

[[Page 29744]]

catch by species. Catch rates would be calculated for target and 
bycatch species and compared with historical and current catch rates. 
If it is determined that whiting catch rates are commercially viable, 
with minimal bycatch rates, GMRI would work on developing and obtaining 
funding to conduct more robust research in the future.
    Whiting catch would be landed and sold and all catch of stocks 
allocated to Northeast multispecies sectors will be deducted from the 
sector's annual catch entitlement for each stock. Discards would be 
identified, weighed, measured, and returned to the sea as quickly as 
possible. The participating vessels would be required to comply with 
all other applicable requirements and restrictions specified at 50 CFR 
part 648, unless specifically exempted in this EFP.
    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.

    Dated: May 20, 2014.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-12022 Filed 5-22-14; 8:45 am]
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