[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23774-23775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10658]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF380


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 exempt a commercial fishing vessel from 
Atlantic sea scallop regulations in support of research conducted by 
the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. 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 June 8, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``DA17-042 CFF Resource Enhancement 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 ``Comments on 
DA17-042 CFF Resource Enhancement Study EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CFF submitted an application for an EFP on 
April 17, 2017, to complete work on a 2016 scallop RSA seeding and 
enhancement project on Georges Bank titled ``Drivers of Dispersal and 
Retention in Recently Seeded Sea Scallops.'' The project has been 
delayed due to personnel changes and changes in the original approach 
of the project from using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to 
instead deploying underwater cameras on stands. Previously, the project 
focused on transporting, seeding, and monitoring aspects of a seeding 
program with longer-term monitoring, along with investigating short-
term retention of seeded scallops, with an emphasis on the drivers of 
dispersal and their effects on the different size classes of scallops. 
The goal of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a seeding 
program to enhance and stabilize scallop recruitment on Georges Bank 
while documenting the factors that affect seed survival.
    To conduct this experiment, vessels would require exemptions from 
the following regulations: Atlantic sea scallop crew size restrictions 
at 50 CFR 648.51(c); Atlantic sea scallop observer program requirements 
at Sec.  648.11(g); and closed area exemptions for Closed Area I at 
Sec.  648.60(c) and Nantucket Lightship at Sec.  648.60(f). It would 
also exempt participating vessels from the access area program 
requirements at Sec.  648.59(a)(4), which would allow them to transit 
in and out of the access areas from the open area, as well as from the 
50 bushel (17.6 hl) in-shell scallop possession limit outside of an 
access area found at Sec.  648.52(f). Finally, the EFP would exempt 
vessels from possession limits and minimum fish size requirements 
specified in 50 CFR part 648, subsections B and D through O, for 
biological sampling purposes and to retain any yellowtail flounder 
showing signs of disease for further shore side analysis.
    The project would transplant scallops from areas of high 
concentration to areas of lower concentration that were historically 
known to have high scallop densities, to demonstrate the feasibility of 
a reseeding program to enhance and stabilize scallop recruitment on 
Georges Bank. One dredging trip would collect and transplant roughly 
1,000 scallops utilizing a single vessel, June through July 2017. The 
juvenile scallops would be harvested from the southeast portion of 
Nantucket Lightship Access Area (NLAA) to suitable sites in an 
alternate area of NLAA. The projects define a suitable site as having 
currents less than 3 knots (~1 m/s) and large areas of coarse substrate 
preferred by scallops. An alternate site in Closed Area I Access Area 
may be chosen if needed.
    The vessel would tow two standard 15-foot (4.57-m) wide dredges 
with a 4-inch (10.16-cm) ring bag for up to 10 minutes at 4.5 knots 
(2.3 m/s). To harvest all of the scallops for transplant, the applicant 
estimates they would need to complete no more than 10 tows. Once the 
catch is on deck, the scallops would be sorted by size class, marked 
with reflective tape to enhance images in the

[[Page 23775]]

photographs, and stored in fish totes with a chilled seawater flow 
through system. When the vessel arrives at the transplant site the 
scallops would then be placed into a box that would be attached to a 
large steel camera stand with an image coverage of approximately 3 
square meters. The camera stand would then be deployed overboard, 
lowered to the ocean floor, and the scallops released. The cameras are 
equipped with batteries that would allow for 48 hours of continuous 
coverage. After 48 hours, the camera stands would be collected, 
refilled with scallops, and redeployed. Researchers will deploy two 
camera stands in this manner as many times as needed to release 1,000 
scallops. If researchers are unable to release all 1,000 scallops 
according to the project protocols, any remaining scallops will be 
released adjacent to the camera sites. Researchers conclude that tag 
returns over time from the fishery could potentially provide 
information for the project.
    One bushel from each tow would be measured for size frequency and 
15 individual scallops would be sampled for meat weights to determine 
shell height/meat weight ratios prior to transplanting. Any finfish 
caught in the dredge that show signs of abnormalities would be retained 
and brought back to shore for analysis. Researchers would like to 
continue gathering information on the prevalence of the disease 
Ichthyophonus seen locally in yellowtail flounder. Anticipated catch 
for the project is listed in the Table 1 below.

                                   Table 1--Anticipated Catch for the Project
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                     Species                         Min (lb)        Min (kg)        Max (lb)        Max (kg)
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Scallop.........................................           1,000           453.6           5,000         2,268.0
Yellowtail Flounder.............................               5             2.2              40            18.1
Winter Flounder.................................               5             2.2              50            22.7
Windowpane Flounder.............................              30            13.6             150            68.0
Monkfish........................................             150            68.0             800           362.9
Other Fish......................................             220            99.8             500           226.8
Barndoor Skate..................................              10             4.5             100            45.4
Northeast Skate Complex.........................           1,400           635.0           5,000         2,268.0
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    Exemptions are needed to deploy dredge gear in closed access areas 
and retain yellowtail flounder for scientific purposes. Participating 
vessels need crew size waivers to accommodate science personnel and 
possession waivers would enable them to conduct data collection 
activities. We would waive the observer program notification 
requirements because the research activity is not representative of 
standard fishing activity.
    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: May 19, 2017.
Margo B. Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-10658 Filed 5-23-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P