[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49786-49787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF791


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 (Assistant Regional 
Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an exempted 
fishing permit application contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. This permit would allow Coonamessett 
Farm Foundation to test the selectivity of alternate gillnet 
configurations for targeting haddock on Georges Bank while reducing 
catch of other groundfish species. Up to five commercial fishing 
vessels would target haddock using alternate gillnet gears on Georges 
Bank, including Closed Area I, and 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 November 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing Gillnets on Target 
and Non-Target Species in the Northeast Haddock Fishery.''
     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 
Testing Selectivity of Alternative Gillnet Configurations in the 
Northeast Haddock Fishery.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle Molton, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9236, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted 
a complete application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) on August 
16, 2017, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations 
would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize five vessels to use 
test alternate gillnet configurations in Closed Area I and to 
temporarily retain undersized catch for measurement and data 
collection. The exemptions are necessary because vessels on commercial 
groundfish trips are prohibited from fishing in Closed Area I, using 
gillnets with mesh size less than 6.5 inches (16.51 cm), and from 
retaining undersized groundfish. The applicant is requesting access to 
Closed Area I in order to access high densities of haddock, which would 
result in a greater likelihood of achieving statistically significant 
results.
    The project, titled ``Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing 
Gillnets on Target and Non-Target Species in the Northeast Haddock 
Fishery'' would be conducted by CFF in cooperation with five commercial 
fishing vessels. The study would take place on Georges Bank, including 
in Closed Area I, from December 2017 through January 2019, with five 
vessels planning to fish no more than 24 trips total. Vessels would

[[Page 49787]]

fish a maximum of thirty-two 50-fathom (91.44-m) gillnets in strings 
made up of 4 nets each. Two of the nets in each four-net string would 
be standard 6.5-inch (16.51-cm) mesh and two would be 6.0-inch (15.24-
cm) mesh. One net of each mesh size (6.5-inch [16.51-cm] and 6.0-inch 
[15.24-cm]) in each string would be rigged with a 30-inch (76.2-cm) 
raised webbing section along the bottom. Two to three hauls of the nets 
are expected during each day at sea with an average soak time of 6 
hours for each set.
    A CFF researcher or technician would accompany all trips that occur 
under this EFP to identify all fish caught, as well as measure and 
weigh catch. Undersized fish would be discarded as quickly as possible 
after sampling. All Northeast multispecies of legal size would be 
landed, and all catch and estimated discards would be attributed to the 
vessel's sector annual catch entitlement, consistent with standard 
catch accounting procedures.
    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.

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

    Dated: October 24, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-23441 Filed 10-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P