[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 203 (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63747-63748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26767]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE262


Schedule for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: NMFS published a notice on September 10, 2015, announcing the 
dates and locations of three Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops to 
be held during October through December of 2015. Attendance at an 
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally 
permitted Atlantic shark dealers in order to meet certain regulatory 
requirements and to maintain valid permits. Based upon recent analysis 
indicating the need for an additional workshop in the New York and 
southern New England area to accommodate shark dealers who purchase 
smooth dogfish, this notice announces a free Atlantic Shark 
Identification Workshop that will be conducted during December of 2015 
in Bohemia, NY. Additional Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will 
be conducted during 2016 and will be announced in a future notice.

DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification workshop will be held on 
December 10, 2015. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for further details.

ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop will be held in 
Bohemia, NY. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for further details on the 
workshop location.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Pearson by phone: (727) 824-5399, 
or by fax: (727) 824-5398.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The complete workshop schedule, registration 
information, and a list of frequently asked questions regarding these 
workshops are posted on the Internet at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/workshops/.

[[Page 63748]]

Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops

    Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited 
from receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks 
unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on 
the premises of each business listed under the shark dealer permit that 
first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057; October 2, 2006). Dealers 
who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a 
certificate for each place of business that is permitted to receive 
sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Approximately 115 
free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops have been conducted since 
January 2007.
    Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark 
Identification workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the 
dealer must designate a proxy for each place of business covered by the 
dealer's permit which first receives Atlantic sharks. Only one 
certificate will be issued to each proxy. A proxy must be a person who 
is currently employed by a place of business covered by the dealer's 
permit; is a primary participant in the identification, weighing, and/
or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded from a vessel; and who 
fills out dealer reports. Atlantic shark dealers are prohibited from 
renewing a Federal shark dealer permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark 
Identification Workshop certificate for each business location that 
first receives Atlantic sharks has been submitted with the permit 
renewal application. Additionally, trucks or other conveyances that are 
extensions of a dealer's place of business must possess a copy of a 
valid dealer or proxy Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop 
certificate.
    Since 2010, as part of their 2008 Interstate Coastal Shark Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP), the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 
(ASMFC) has required all state dealers who purchase sharks to hold a 
Federal commercial shark dealer permit. A recent comparison of dealers 
who have reported purchasing smooth dogfish in 2015 with a current list 
of Federal shark dealer permit holders indicated that a number of state 
dealers in some Atlantic coastal states did not hold a Federal 
commercial shark dealer permit. On October 8, 2015, ASMFC notified all 
states from Maine through Florida of this issue, and reminded them of 
the requirement that all shark dealers must hold a Federal commercial 
shark dealer permit. In addition, NMFS is currently in final rulemaking 
for Amendment 9 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (August 7, 2014, 79 FR 
4627), which will establish an effective date for many of the smooth 
dogfish regulations that were finalized in Amendment 3 to the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP, including the requirement for vessel and dealer 
permits. Given ASMFC's recently discovered need to ensure that all 
state dealers purchasing smooth dogfish are federally permitted and in 
anticipation of the final rule for Amendment 9 and its requirements, 
NMFS has determined that an additional Atlantic Shark Identification 
Workshop is needed to accommodate shark dealers in the New York and 
southern New England area. Affected dealers may also attend the 
previously scheduled November 12, 2015, workshop in Mount Pleasant, SC, 
or the December 3, 2015, workshop in Largo, FL (80 FR 54533).

Date, Time, and Location of Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop

    December 10, 2015, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., LaQuinta Inn & Suites, 10 Aero 
Road, Bohemia, NY 11706.

Registration

    To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop, 
please contact Eric Sander at [email protected] or at (386) 852-
8588.

Registration Materials

    To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct 
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items 
to the workshop:
     All participants must bring proof of identification.
     Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that 
the attendee is an owner or agent of the business (such as articles of 
incorporation), a copy of the applicable permit, and proof of 
identification.
     Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation 
from the permitted dealer acknowledging that the proxy is attending the 
workshop on behalf of the permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a 
specific business location, a copy of the appropriate valid permit, and 
proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives

    The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce 
the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the 
dealer reporting form and increase the accuracy of species-specific 
dealer-reported information. Reducing the number of unknown and 
improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and the data 
used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer 
permit holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark 
carcasses.

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

    Dated: October 16, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-26767 Filed 10-20-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P