[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 239 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73883-73884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29189]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD650


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, has made a preliminary determination 
that an exempted fishing permit application contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. This Exempted 
Fishing Permit would exempt a commercial fishing vessel from mesh size 
requirements and butterfish possession limits to test experimental 
codend mesh configurations as a means to reduce juvenile butterfish 
bycatch in the directed butterfish fishery. Cornell University 
Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, NY, will be conducting this 
research. 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 December 29, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CCE Butterfish Selectivity 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 CCE Butterfish Selectivity 
EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-282-8456, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on October 3, 2014, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would exempt one vessel 
from the minimum mesh size and butterfish possession limit restrictions 
in the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management 
Plan. The possession limit exemptions are necessary because the project 
is using a 3-inch (7.62-cm) mesh control codend used in the targeted 
longfin squid fishery, which triggers a butterfish possession limit of 
less than 2500 lb (1134 kg). They are using this as the control in 
order to retain smaller size butterfish to more effectively determine 
the ability of the two experimental codends to reduce the catch of 
small butterfish. Further, due to the number of replicates needed to 
test the experimental gear, CCE wants to be able to retain butterfish 
catch and avoid wasteful discarding.
    CCE received funding from the Commercial Fisheries Research 
Foundation to conduct a study that would compare butterfish catch in 
otter trawls with different codend mesh configurations in an attempt to 
reduce the catch of juvenile butterfish. The net used in the study will 
be a 420 X 16-cm, 4 seam trawl with a 114-ft (34.75-m) cookie sweep 
suited for vessels with horsepower in the range of 700 hp to 755 hp. 
The codends will be compared using a trouser trawl configuration. One 
leg of the trawl will have a control 6-cm diamond mesh codend typical 
of the longfin squid fishery, and the other leg will have either an 8-
cm square mesh codend, or an 8-cm diamond mesh turned 90 degrees (T-
90). One vessel contracted by CCE will conduct five days of fishing, 
which is representative of normal commercial fishing trips for 
butterfish. Tow length would be limited to 30 min per tow, and 
researchers plan on conducting eight tows per day, with additional tows 
if time permits, with a minimum total of 40 tows (20 tows per 
experimental mesh). Within each day the sides of the codend will be 
switched to randomize sampling across both legs of the trouser trawl. 
Catch for each codend will be kept separate on deck and will be 
processed following standard NMFS survey methods. Total butterfish 
actual weight and a minimum of 200 random lengths will be recorded per 
codend per tow. Total weight of all species in each codend per tow will 
be obtained by either actual weight or sub-sampling. Researchers 
propose to conduct the trip during the period December 2014 through 
March 2015.

[[Page 73884]]

The participating vessel would fish under the EFP along the continental 
shelf from east of Hydrographers Canyon west to Toms Canyon, including 
Atlantic, Block, and Hudson Canyons along the 60 fathom shoal (all 
research to be done in statistical areas 616, 537, and 526). Exact 
locations will be determined by the captain based on knowledge of 
fishery and reported butterfish locations.
    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: December 9, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-29189 Filed 12-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P