[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16344-16345]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07870]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG129


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 Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that Exempted Fishing Permits, to facilitate the use of 
fishing year 2018 monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea, warrants 
further consideration. This notice provides interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 1, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on 2018 Monkfish RSA EFP.''
     Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, 
MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 2018 Monkfish 
RSA EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) that waive monkfish landing limits 
have been routinely approved since 2007 to increase operational 
efficiency and optimize research funds generated from the Monkfish 
Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. These EFPs would facilitate 
compensation fishing in support of the projects funded under the 2018 
monkfish RSA competition. Project proposals for this year are currently 
under review, with selection expected in late April, just prior to the 
May 1 start of the 2018 fishing year. Consistent with previous years of 
the monkfish RSA program, these RSA compensation fishing EFPs would 
authorize an exemption for participating vessels from days-at-sea (DAS) 
landing limit restrictions in the Monkfish Northern and Southern 
Fishery DAS would be allowed to harvest monkfish in excess of the usual 
landing limits associated with their Federal permits.
    The monkfish RSA program is allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS 
annually, as established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Councils in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish FMP (70 FR 21929; 
April 28, 2005). Each year, these monkfish RSA DAS may be divided 
between research award recipients and sold to fishermen to fund 
approved monkfish research projects. Award recipients receive an 
allocation of RSA DAS and a maximum amount that may be landed under 
available DAS. Projects are constrained to the total DAS, maximum 
available landing weight, or award timetable, whichever is reached 
first. To calculate a maximum weight allocation that is similar to the 
Councils' original intent to be harvested under the allocated 500 RSA 
DAS, NMFS uses twice the landing limit for Permit Category A and C 
monkfish vessel fishing in the Southern Fishery Management Area (4,074 
lb (2 mt) whole weight) for each RSA DAS. This means that annually, a 
maximum of 2,037,000 lb (924 mt) of whole weight may be harvested 
across all Monkfish RSA projects. Allowing vessels an exemption from 
monkfish landing limits provides an incentive for vessels to purchase 
and fish under RSA DAS to catch more monkfish per trip, while 
constraining each project to a maximum available harvest limit ensures 
that the overall monkfish RSA catch will not be an excessive burden on 
the fishery as a whole.
    If approved, the applicants 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 of the initially approved 
EFP request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of

[[Page 16345]]

the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.

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

    Dated: April 11, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-07870 Filed 4-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P