[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22515-22516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09879]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF415


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 these Exempted Fishing Permit applications contain 
all of the required information and warrant further consideration. 
These Exempted Fishing Permits would authorize three commercial fishing 
vessels to conduct independent projects testing the economic viability 
of using hook gear to selectively target healthy pollock and haddock 
stocks in the Western Gulf of Maine and Cashes Ledge Closure Areas 
(excluding Cashes Ledge Habitat Closed Area), and to temporarily retain 
undersized catch for measurement and data collection.
    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 31, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Hook Gear Access to WGOM and Cashes Ledge Closure Areas 
EFP.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE 
Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark 
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on Hook Gear in WGOM and Cashes 
Ledge EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Claire Fitz-Gerald, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9255, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Three commercial fishermen submitted 
separate and complete applications requesting an Exempted Fishing 
Permit (EFP) to conduct commercial fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. In total, these EFPs would 
authorize three commercial fishing vessels to fish a combined total of 
200 trips in the Western Gulf of Maine (WGOM) and Cashes Ledge Closure 
Areas (excluding the Cashes Ledge Habitat Closed Area) with hook gear 
and to temporarily retain undersized catch for measurement and data 
collection.
    This EFP would authorize the applicants to use hook gear to 
selectively target pollock and haddock while maintaining minimal 
bycatch. In addition, the applicants propose to leverage these 
exemptions to explore and develop premium markets to increase the value 
of the catch. This study would be conducted in the WGOM and Cashes 
Ledge Closure Areas (excluding habitat closed areas); the applicants 
have requested access to these areas based on reports that there is a 
high concentration of the target species located in these areas. The 
exemptions are necessary to conduct this study because vessels on 
commercial groundfish trips are prohibited from fishing for groundfish 
in these closed areas and from retaining undersized groundfish. EFP 
trips would occur year-round (excluding seasonal closures), although 
the majority of trips would occur in the summer and fall months. 
Participating vessels would take a combined total of 200 trips to 
closed areas. Trips would be roughly 24 hours or less in length. 
Estimated average catch would be between 1,000 and 2,000 lb (453.5 to 
907.2 kg) of pollock and haddock, combined, per trip. Bycatch is 
expected to be minimal; applicants estimate 50 to 100 lb (22.7 to 45.4 
kg) of cod and 10 to 25 lb (4.5 to 11.3 kg) of redfish and cusk per 
trip. Participating vessels would use a combination of automated 
jigging machines and handlines to target pollock and haddock; one 
vessel would use two jigging machines and three rods; another would use 
four rods only; the final vessel would use three jigging machines only.
    Because these vessels would be fishing in closed areas, the agency 
would monitor their catch closely to ensure minimal interactions with 
Gulf of Maine cod. Cod catch would be restricted to 5 percent of the 
total expected catch, to be applied cumulatively across each project. 
In the event that an applicant exceeds the vessel's cap, that EFP 
authorization would end. One-hundred-percent monitoring would be 
required for this EFP. A vessel may carry a Northeast Fishery Observer 
Program (NEFOP) or At-Sea Monitoring (ASM) observer assigned to the 
trip through the Pre-Trip Notification System (PTNS). In the event of a 
waiver, the applicant must secure data collection services from a third 
party ASM provider, at the vessel's expense. All observers would record 
lengths of kept and discarded fish, gear characteristics, and fishing 
location. Undersized fish would be sampled and returned to the water as 
quickly as possible. All legal-sized Northeast multispecies would be 
landed, and all catch would be attributed to the vessel's sector annual 
catch entitlement in accordance with standard catch accounting 
procedures. All proceeds from the sale of catch would be retained by 
the vessel. The applicant would maintain a record of all ex-vessel 
price information to inform the questions about the ability this gear 
to establish a premium market for the target species.
    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.


[[Page 22516]]


    Dated: May 11, 2017.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-09879 Filed 5-15-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P