[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14096-14097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05823]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE407


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: We have made a preliminary determination that an Exempted 
Fishing Permit application contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. This EFP would allow two commercial 
fishing vessels to trawl for summer flounder using an experimental 
Turtle Excluder Device to test target species catch retention rates, 
and exempt the vessels from minimum size requirements and possession 
limits found at 50 CFR part 648 in order to sample the catch for 
scientific purposes.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
requires publication of this notice to provide the public an 
opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permit.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 31, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFF Fluke Cable TED EFP.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, 
MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on CFF Fluke 
Cable TED EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Scheimer, Fisheries 
Management Specialist, 978-281-9236, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on December 15, 2015, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize two 
vessels to temporarily retain undersized and prohibited catch for 
biological sampling during experimental Turtle Excluder Device (TED) 
testing in the summer flounder fishery.
    Currently approved TEDs have been shown to reduce summer flounder 
targeted catch at a level that is of concern to the industry, and the 
objective of this research is to find TED gear configurations that 
exclude sea turtles while maintaining target catch. The CFF would test 
an experimental TED made of flexible cable instead of aluminum or steel 
pipe in bottom trawl gear directed on summer flounder. The TED was 
already tested in 2015 for its ability to exclude sea turtles, but is 
not yet certified, and this research will quantify catch retention. 
This TED would be attached in a 3-inch mesh TED

[[Page 14097]]

extension which meets applicable gear requirements. All fishing would 
occur north of the Summer Flounder Fishery Sea Turtle Exemption Area 
(37[deg]05' N latitude), in waters where approved TEDs are not 
required, and no Endangered Species Act (ESA) research permit would be 
required.
    Eighty tows would be conducted between March and October 2016, in 
southern New England and mid-Atlantic waters. A trawl net with the 
modified TED would be compared against a control net of the vessels' 
standard bottom trawl gear. Paired tows would be conducted across 
multiple strata with trawl times of 60-90 minutes. Data collected on 
total catch would include total weight and length measurements on all 
summer flounder. Other landed species will be sampled if conditions 
permit, or a representative subsample will be taken. Underwater camera 
equipment would be installed in the net to investigate the performance 
of the cable TED, the fishing gear, and any potential problems in the 
rigging of the TED. All participating vessels would have permits and 
quota to target summer flounder, which would be kept and sold 
consistent with applicable regulations. All bycatch would be returned 
to the sea as soon as practicable following data collection.
    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: March 10, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-05823 Filed 3-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P