[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 171 (Friday, September 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60675-60676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21196]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE853


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has completed a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to 
consider the potential impacts of authorizing an exempted fishing 
permit (EFP) for longline vessels to fish within the U.S. West Coast 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: Written comments on the draft EA must be submitted by October 3, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the draft EA should be submitted to the 
Sustainable Fisheries Division, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, 
Long Beach, CA 90802. Comments may also be submitted by email to 
[email protected].
    The EA is available for review upon written request or by 
appointment in the following office: The Sustainable Fisheries 
Division, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802; 
or on NMFS' West Coast Region Web site: http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/migratory_species/highly_migratory_species_rules_req.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Rhodes (ph: 562-980-3231; email: 
[email protected]) or Chris Fanning (ph: 562-980-4198; email: 
[email protected]), Long Beach, CA.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Draft EA was completed to consider 
potential impacts of issuing an EFP authorizing the applicants to fish 
with longline gear

[[Page 60676]]

in the U.S. West Coast EEZ, under specific terms and conditions. 
According to regulations, a NMFS Regional Administrator may authorize 
``for limited testing, public display, data collection, exploratory, 
health and safety, environmental cleanup, and/or hazard removal 
purposes, the target or incidental harvest of species managed under an 
FMP [fishery management plan] or fishery regulations that would 
otherwise be prohibited'' (50 CFR 600.745(b)). Issuance of an EFP, 
which is the proposed action analyzed in this EA, would provide such 
authorization as fishing with longline gear in the U.S. West Coast EEZ 
is currently prohibited under the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West 
Coast Highly Migratory Species Fisheries and Federal regulation at 550 
CFR 660.712(a). The original application for the EFP was discussed 
during the March 2015 Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting and 
published on the Council's Web site at: http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/H3a_Att1_Dupuy_etal_MAR2015BB.pdf. A revised 
application for the EFP and the Council's additional recommendations 
regarding EFP issuance were published in the Federal Register on May 
22, 2015 (80 FR 29662).

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

    Dated: August 30, 2016.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-21196 Filed 9-1-16; 8:45 am]
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