[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31575-31576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13468]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD979


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, Greater Atlantic 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 allow four commercial fishing vessels to 
fish outside of the limited access sea scallop regulations in support 
of bycatch reduction 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 June 18, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``DA15-036 CFF Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction Study 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 '' DA15-036 CFF 
Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction Study EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fisheries Management 
Specialist, 978-282-8456.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA awarded the Coonamesset Farm Foundation 
(CFF) a grant through the 2015 Atlantic sea scallop research set-aside 
program, in support of a project titled, ``Determination of the Impacts 
of Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction and Scallop Selectivity.''
    CFF submitted a complete application for an EFP on March 30, 2015. 
The project would look at how high towing speeds using the Turtle 
Deflector Dredge (TDD) impact scallop catch per unit of

[[Page 31576]]

effort, scallop size selectivity, and fish bycatch. The study was 
funded in response to feedback from the fishing industry that the TDD 
must be towed at relatively high speeds to perform effectively.
    CFF is requesting exemptions that would allow four commercial 
fishing vessels be exempt from the Atlantic sea scallop days-at-sea 
(DAS) allocations at 50 CFR 648.53(b); crew size restriction at Sec.  
648.51(c); Closed Area I Closed Area at Sec.  648.58(a), Closed Area II 
Closed Area at Sec.  648.58(b); and Nantucket Lightship Closed Area at 
Sec.  648.58(c). It would also exempt the from possession limits and 
minimum size requirements specified in 50 CFR part 648, subparts B and 
D through O, for sampling purposes only. Any fishing activity conducted 
outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
    Four vessels would conduct scallop dredging in June-September 2015, 
on a total of four 7-day trips, for a total of 28 DAS. Each trip would 
complete approximately 15 tows per day for an overall total of 420 tows 
for the project. All trips would take place in the open areas of 
Southern New England and Georges Bank as well as in Georges Bank 
scallop closed areas. Trips would be centralized around areas with high 
yellowtail and winter flounder bycatch and in areas that contain a wide 
range of scallop sizes to examine changes in size selectivity due to 
tow speed.
    All tows would be conducted with two tandem 15-foot (4.57-meter) 
TDD dredges for a duration of 60 minutes with a tow speed range of 4-
5.5 knots. One dredge would be rigged with a 7-row apron and twine top 
hanging ratio of 2:1, while the other dredge would be rigged with a 5-
row ring apron and 1.5:1 twine top hanging ratio. Both dredge aprons 
would use 4-inch (10.16-cm) rings. Each tow pair would be conducted in 
a straight line varying between higher and lower speeds with dredge 
positions in an AB-BA alternating pattern with a wire scope of three to 
one plus ten fathoms.
    For all tows the sea scallop catch would be counted into baskets 
and weighed. One basket from each dredge would be randomly selected and 
the scallops would be measured in 5-mm increments to determine size 
selectivity. Finfish catch would be sorted by species and then counted, 
weighed and measured in 1-mm increments. Depending on the volume of 
scallops and finfish captured, the catch would be subsampled as 
necessary. No catch would be retained for longer than needed to conduct 
sampling and no catch would be landed for sale.

                                             Project Catch Estimates
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                                                       SNE                                   GB
               Species               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             lbs                 mt                lbs                 mt
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Scallops............................             52,300              23.72             22,700              10.30
Yellowtail..........................              1,100               0.50              2,200               1.00
Winter Flounder.....................                400               0.18              1,300               0.59
Windowpane Flounder.................              2,800               1.27              3,000               1.36
Monkfish............................              3,100               1.41              9,400               4.26
Other Fish..........................              1,800               0.82              2,200               1.00
Barndoor Skate......................                300               0.14              4,300               1.95
NE Skate Complex....................             84,000              38.10             60,900              27.62
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    CFF has requested these exemptions to allow them to conduct 
experimental dredge towing without being charged DAS, as well as deploy 
gear in access areas that are currently closed to scallop fishing. 
Participating vessels would need crew size waivers to accommodate 
science personnel and possession waivers would enable them to conduct 
finfish sampling activities.
    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 29, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-13468 Filed 6-2-15; 8:45 am]
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