[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26777-26779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10449]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE601


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 eight commercial fishing vessels to 
fish outside of the limited access sea scallop regulations in support 
of a study on seasonal bycatch distribution and optimal scallop meat 
yield on Georges Bank.

[[Page 26778]]

    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 May 19, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``DA16-024 CFF Georges Bank Optimization 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 ``DA16-024 CFF 
Georges Bank Optimization Study EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamesset Farm Foundation (CFF) has 
submitted a proposal titled ``Optimizing the Georges Bank Scallop 
Fishery by Maximizing Meat Yield and Minimizing Bycatch,'' that has 
been favorably reviewed and is pending final approval by NOAA's Grants 
Management Division under the 2016 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-
Aside (RSA) Program.
    CFF submitted a complete application for an exempted fishing permit 
(EFP) on March 7, 2016. The project would look primarily at seasonal 
distribution of bycatch on the northern part of Georges Bank in 
relation to sea scallop meat weight yield while minimizing impacts to 
other stocks. Additional objectives include continued testing of a 
modified scallop dredge bag design to reduce flatfish bycatch and 
collecting biological samples to examine scallop meat quality and 
yellowtail flounder liver disease. Project investigators working on 
this project would also work in cooperation with New Hampshire Fish and 
Game (NHFG) and the Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association (AOLA) 
to tag lobsters. CFF is requesting exemptions that would exempt eight 
commercial fishing vessels from the Atlantic sea scallop days-at-sea 
(DAS) allocations at 50 CFR 648.53(b); crew size restrictions at Sec.  
648.51(c); observer program requirements at Sec.  648.11(g); Closed 
Area II (CAII) scallop gear restrictions specified at 648.81(b); and 
access area program requirements at Sec.  648.60(a)(4). It would also 
exempt vessels from possession limits and minimum size requirements 
specified in 50 CFR part 648, subsections B and D through O, and 50 CFR 
697.20 for sampling and tagging purposes only.
    Vessels would conduct scallop dredging in a year-round seasonal 
study on a total of eight 7-day trips, for a total of 56 DAS. Each trip 
would complete approximately 70 paired tows per trip for an overall 
total of 520 tows for the project. Closed Area II tows would take place 
in the central portion situated below the Closed Area II Habitat 
Closure Area, including the northern portion of Atlantic Sea Scallop 
Closed Area II Rotational Closed Area. Open area tows would be 
conducted on the northern half of Georges Bank, west of the boundary of 
Closed Area II. Although the proposed project included tow locations 
inside the Closed Area II Habitat Closure Area, we will not be 
authorizing tows in that area, consistent with previous requests by CFF 
to conduct dredging in this area. We will not grant access to the 
Habitat Closure Area for this project until a final outcome from the 
Omnibus Habitat Amendment II is determined.
    There is a potential for gear conflict with lobster gear in the 
central portion of Closed Area II. In an effort to help mitigate gear 
interactions, the project coordinator would distribute the time and 
location of stations to the lobster industry, work only during daylight 
hours, post an extra lookout to avoid gear, and conduct fishing 
operations in a way that avoids tangling in stationary gear. We do not 
expect the DAS, crew size, possession limits, or minimum size 
exemptions to generate any controversy or concern about the potential 
catch of egg-bearing female lobsters in this area during the months of 
June-October. The project would work in cooperation with NHFG and AOLA 
to tag lobsters with the primary goal of documenting their movement on 
and off Georges Bank. CFF would like to use data from the tagging 
project to provide data on the discard mortality of lobsters in the 
scallop fishery.
    All tows would be conducted with two tandem 15-foot (4.6-m) turtle 
deflector dredges for a duration of 30 minutes using an average tow 
speed of 4.8 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 apron and 1.5:1 twine top hanging ratio. Both dredge 
frames would be rigged with identical rock and tickler chain 
configurations, 10-inch (25.4-cm) twine top, and 4-inch (10.2-cm) ring 
bag.
    For all tows the entire 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-milimeter increments 
to determine size selectivity. All finfish catch would be sorted by 
species and then counted and measured. Weight, sex, and reproductive 
state would be determined for a random subsample (n = 10) of 
yellowtail, winter, and windowpane flounders. Lobsters would be 
measured, sexed, and evaluated for damage and shell disease. With the 
exception of samples retained for further processing, no catch would be 
retained for longer than needed to conduct sampling and no catch would 
be landed for sale. All catch estimates for the project are listed in 
the table below.

                         Project Catch Estimates
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                 Species                        lb              kg
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Scallops................................           7,500           3,402
Yellowtail Flounder.....................           1,600             726
Winter Flounder.........................           2,500           1,134
Windowpane Flounder.....................           6,300           2,858
Summer Flounder.........................           2,800           1,270
Fourspot Flounder.......................             400             181
American Plaice Flounder................              50              23
Witch Flounder..........................             100              45
Haddock.................................             100              45
Atlantic Cod............................             100              45
Monkfish................................           9,600           4,354
Spiny Dogfish...........................             300             136
Barndoor Skate..........................           2,800           1,270

[[Page 26779]]

 
Northeast Skate Complex.................         140,000          63,503
American Lobster........................            900*  ..............
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* American lobster value is number of individuals.

    CFF needs these exemptions to allow them to conduct experimental 
dredge towing without being charged DAS, as well as deploy gear in 
areas that are currently closed to scallop fishing. Participating 
vessels need crew size waivers to accommodate science personnel. 
Possession waivers would enable researchers to sample finfish and 
lobster catch that exceeds possession limits or prohibitions. The 
project would be exempt from the sea scallop observer program 
requirements because activities conducted on the trip are not 
consistent with normal fishing operations.
    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: April 28, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-10449 Filed 5-3-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P