[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16058-16059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07742]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG134


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 from the 
Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and Rhode Island Department of 
Environmental Management contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing

[[Page 16059]]

Permit would allow seven commercial fishing vessels and one party/
charter vessel to collect black sea bass catch data while on routine 
fishing trips. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notice to 
provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications 
for proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 30, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line ``BSB Research Fleet EFP.''
     Mail to: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
BSB Research Fleet EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, NOAA Affiliate, (978) 
281-9225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation 
(CFRF) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on March 20, 2018, to collect fishery-dependent information on black 
sea bass from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019. The EFP would authorize 
seven commercial fishing vessels and one party/charter vessel to 
collect and retain black sea bass for onboard sampling. This EFP would 
exempt the participating vessels from the following Federal 
regulations:
    1. Recreational fishery closure periods specified at 50 CFR 
648.146;
    2. Commercial and party/charter minimum size limits for black sea 
bass specified at 50 CFR 648.147(a) and (b).
    The research fleet consists of vessels fishing with gear types 
including, trawls, lobster pots, gillnets, and hook and line. All gear 
deployments will be typical of the routine fishing practices associated 
with the fishery being targeted. There will be no increase in fishing 
effort associated with this project.
    Each vessel will be randomly selected to conduct sampling events 
during three trips per month in the black sea bass stock area. Up to 50 
black sea bass would be temporarily held onboard to record their length 
and sex during each sampling event. All black sea bass collected in 
Federal waters will be returned to the water after being sampled. 
Vessels will also be issued the appropriate state exemptions to all 
applicable state regulations. Vessels fishing under this research 
permit would be exempt from the recreational closure periods and the 
commercial and party/charter minimum size limits for black sea bass, to 
allow temporary retention of both adult and undersized juvenile black 
sea bass.
    If approved, CFRF and RI DEM 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: April 10, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-07742 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P