[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20562-20563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08906]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF392


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 two Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications 
contain all of the required information and warrant further 
consideration. These EFPs would allow commercial fishing vessels to 
land Atlantic halibut under the minimum size limit and in excess of the 
possession limit for studies by the University of Massachusetts, 
Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology, and The Nature 
Conservancy.
    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 EFPs.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 18, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on SMAST and TNC Atlantic halibut EFPs.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``SMAST and TNC Atlantic 
Halibut EFPs.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9232, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, 
School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the Nature 
Conservancy submitted complete applications for two EFPs on March 17, 
2017, and March 27, 2017, to conduct commercial fishing activities that 
regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFPs would authorize 
commercial fishing vessels to land Atlantic halibut in excess of the 
possession limit and that are smaller than the legal size limit.
    The two EFPs would support a project studying Atlantic halibut 
stock structure, seasonal movement, behavior, and life history being 
conducted with funding from the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program. The 
goal of the project is to address identified information gaps to 
improve future Atlantic halibut stock assessments. The project consists 
of two components: Tagging, and biological sampling. Project 
Investigators have requested two EFPs and a scientific Letter of 
Acknowledgement (LOA) for the project. The LOA was issued on March 31, 
2017, for research trips to conduct at-sea tagging during summer 2017.
    The SMAST EFP would support the tagging component of the research 
project. The EFP would allow one vessel to land Atlantic halibut in 
excess of the possession limit as described in 50 CFR 648.86(c) and 
below the minimum size limit as described in Sec.  648.83(a)(1). Up to 
10 Atlantic halibut would be landed under the tagging component of the 
project. Once these fish have been landed, no additional Atlantic 
halibut above the possession limit or below the minimum size limit 
would be landed. These fish would be held by SMAST to test preliminary 
tagging techniques prior to field tagging that will be conducted under 
the LOA this summer. Fish would be caught during regular fishing 
operations by the exempted vessel. This testing is necessary to ensure 
that tagging conducted in the course of the main project is effective. 
The exemption from the minimum size limit is necessary to ensure 
testing is completed on all size ranges of halibut expected to be 
tagged during the course of the main project.
    Fishing under the SMAST tagging EFP would occur from April 2017 
through July 2017. On average, the fishing vessel would conduct three 
to five tows per day on seven day trips, with each tow lasting three to 
five hours. Fishing would occur east of Cape

[[Page 20563]]

Cod, only in statistical area 521. While fishing under the tagging EFP, 
the vessel would be using a groundfish otter trawl with a 7-inch (17.8 
cm) mesh codend.
    For biological sampling component, TNC requested exemptions from 
the Atlantic halibut possession limit as described in Sec.  648.86(c) 
and the Atlantic halibut minimum size limit as described in Sec.  
648.83(a)(1). The EFP would be issued to 21 commercial fishing vessels, 
and fish would be caught during regular fishing operations by the 
exempted vessels. A maximum of two halibut may be biologically sampled 
per trip. Atlantic halibut under the minimum size limit may be landed 
and transferred to SMAST researchers. Fish above the minimum size limit 
would be sampled at sea and landed for commercial sale. A total of 250 
halibut would be sampled under this EFP, and approximately 165 fish 
would be under the minimum size limit. Sampling would include recording 
of fish length and weight, as well as removal of gonads, otoliths, and 
genetic material. The exemption from the minimum size limit would allow 
for researchers to acquire data from all sizes of halibut, which is 
necessary to ensure that results of the project are accurate and 
reflective of the halibut population. The exemption from the possession 
limit is necessary to ensure that the researchers are able to obtain 
sufficient biological samples to conduct their research. No halibut 
above the possession limit or below the minimum size limit could be 
landed for sale.
    Fishing under the biological sampling EFP would occur during the 
2017 fishing years, from May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018. Multiple 
gear types, including handline/jig, longline, sink gillnet,and otter 
trawl would be used by vessels fishing under the EFP. Fishing under the 
biological sampling EFP would occur throughout both the Gulf of Maine 
and the Georges Bank Regulated Mesh Areas. Statistical areas 514, 521, 
522, 525, and 526 would be most commonly fished by vessels 
participating in the biological sampling EFP.
    If approved, the applicants may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFPs 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 27, 2017.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-08906 Filed 5-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P