[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51554-51555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20595]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD446


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper and Grouper Off the 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 
applicants, with certain conditions, to collect and retain limited 
numbers of specimens that would otherwise be prohibited from possession 
and retention in South Atlantic Federal waters. This study is intended 
to characterize catch and discard mortality within the South Atlantic 
commercial hook-and-line component of the snapper-grouper fishery.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 29, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application, identified by 
``RIN 0648-XD446'', by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line of the email 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; 
email: [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 Saltonstall-Kennedy 
Program, which is intended to benefit the U.S. fishing industry through 
the collection of fundamental fisheries information. 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 implementing the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 
Atlantic Region (FMP). The applicant requires authorization to collect 
limited numbers of snapper-grouper and other marine resources for 
scientific research activities during a 24-month period beginning 
October 2014, where harvest and possession is otherwise restricted or 
prohibited by regulations. The EFP would exempt Foundation personnel 
from fishery regulations such as bag limits, size limits, closures, and 
seasonal restrictions as specified in 50 CFR part 622, subparts A and 
I, for snapper-grouper in the South Atlantic. Specimens would be 
collected from Federal waters off the east coast of Florida and Federal 
waters off the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. 
Sampling would occur during normal fishing operations of the commercial 
hook-and-line component of the snapper-grouper fishery. Only vessels 
that possess a valid Federal commercial South Atlantic unlimited 
snapper-grouper permit would participate in the research. The EFP

[[Page 51555]]

would authorize Foundation observers aboard commercial hook-and-line 
snapper-grouper vessels to temporarily possess all necessary specimens 
from the catch for documentation and to permanently retain 
approximately 500 specimens of federally managed finfishes and 
invertebrates that would otherwise be prohibited from possession and 
retention through the duration of the EFP. All other fish collected 
will either be returned to the water or retained if they are able to be 
included as part of the legal commercial catch. Data collections for 
this study would support improved information about the catch, bycatch, 
discards, and discard mortality for species in the snapper-grouper 
complex. These data would provide insight on a stock's resilience to 
fishing, and would help provide improved estimates of long-term 
biological productivity of the stocks. Currently, these data are 
limited, and project results are anticipated to yield valuable data 
within this fishery.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. The 
limited sampling program and associated sampling methodology listed in 
the EFP is not expected to impact the fishery stocks; the estimated 500 
fish to be retained in the 24-month period represents a small fraction 
of the average annual landings. Possible conditions the agency may 
impose on this permit, if it is 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 South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, 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: August 26, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-20595 Filed 8-28-14; 8:45 am]
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