[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43745-43746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19925]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF657


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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 (EFP) renewal application 
from the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF) contains all 
of the required information and warrants further consideration. This 
permit would exempt participating commercial fishing vessels from 
Federal lobster escape vent, trap limit, and trap tag regulations, as 
well as restrictions on temporary possession of egg-bearing and v-
notched female and sublegal-sized juvenile lobsters, to facilitate 
research on the abundance and distribution of juvenile American lobster 
and Jonah crab along the northwest Atlantic coast. Regulations under 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the 
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 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 October 4, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFRF Lobster Study Fleet 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 
CFRF Lobster Study Fleet EFP.''
     Fax: (978) 281-9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Hanson, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9180, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation 
submitted a complete application to renew an existing Exempted Fishing 
Permit on August 10, 2017, to conduct fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize 18 
vessels to conduct a study using ventless traps to survey the abundance 
and distribution of juvenile American lobster and Jonah crab in regions 
and times of year not covered by traditional surveys. Overall, this EFP 
proposes to use a total of 54 ventless lobster traps throughout lobster 
management areas 2, 3, 4, and 5; covering statistical areas 514, 515, 
521, 522, 525, 526, 533, 534, 537, 538, 539, 541, 542, 543, 561, 562, 
613, 615, 616, 622, 623, 624, 626, 627, 628, 629, 632, 633, 634, 636, 
637, 638, and 640. Maps depicting these areas are available on request. 
The study is designed to aid and inform management by addressing the 
questions of changing reproduction and recruitment dynamics of lobster, 
and developing a foundation of knowledge for the emergent Jonah crab 
fishery.
    Funding for this study has been awarded through the Campbell 
Foundation and the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program (Grant 
#NA17NMF4270208). For this research, CFRF is requesting exemptions from 
the following Federal lobster regulations:
    1. Gear specification requirements in 50 CFR 697.21(c) to allow for 
closed escape vents and smaller trap mesh and entrance heads;
    2. Trap limit requirements, as listed in Sec.  697.19, for areas 2, 
3, 4 and 5, to be exceeded by 3 additional traps per fishing vessel for 
a total of 54 additional traps;
    3. Trap tag requirements, as specified in Sec.  697.19(j), to allow 
for the use of untagged traps (though each

[[Page 43746]]

experimental trap will have the participating fisherman's 
identification attached); and
    4. Possession restrictions in Sec. Sec.  697.20(a), 697.20(d), and 
697.20(g) to allow for temporary possession of juvenile, v-notched, and 
egg-bearing lobsters for onboard biological sampling.
    If the EFP is approved, this research would take place during the 
regular fishing activity of the participating 18 federally permitted 
commercial fishing vessels: 6 ``inshore'' vessels in lobster management 
area 2 and 12 ``offshore'' vessels in lobster management areas 3, 4, 
and 5. Each participating vessel would have up to three modified traps 
attached to a standard, Atlantic Large Whale-compliant trap trawl. No 
more than 54 total modified traps would be in the water at any time. 
Modifications to conventional lobster traps used in this study include 
a closed escape vents, single parlors, and smaller mesh sizes and 
entrance heads, all to allow for the capture of juvenile lobsters and 
Jonah crabs. Sampling would occur during regular fishing activity on 
each vessel weekly in area 2, and every 10 days in the other areas.
    During sampling, all lobsters and Jonah crabs will be counted, 
sexed, and measured. Other biological information will be recorded on 
both lobster and Jonah crab catch, including shell hardness and 
presence of eggs. The possession exemptions are required to temporarily 
hold catch onboard for biological sampling before animals are promptly 
returned to the sea. No catch of any species from experimental traps 
will be landed for sale. All data collected will be made available to 
state and Federal management agencies to improve and enhance the 
available data for these two crustacean species.
    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the study period. 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: September 14, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-19925 Filed 9-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P