[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 136 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32843-32845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15074]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG304


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Exempted 
Fishing Permit

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an exempted fishing 
permit; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) from the NMFS Panama City, FL laboratory. If 
granted, the EFP would authorize NMFS or NMFS contracted commercial 
fishers aboard their commercial fishing vessels

[[Page 32844]]

to collect certain deep-water snapper species in waters of the U.S. 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Caribbean off Puerto Rico. The EFP 
would exempt this activity from complying with certain seasonal 
closures in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ. The purpose of the EFP is to gather 
information that could be used to define essential fish habitat (EFH) 
of deep-water snappers off the coast of Puerto Rico and to determine 
life history information for queen and blackfin snappers.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 15, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application by any of the 
following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line of the email comment the following document identifier: ``PR NOAA 
NMFS_EFP 2018''.
     Mail: Sarah Stephenson, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    The EFP application and related documents are available for review 
upon written request to any of the above addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Stephenson, 727-824-5305; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 
fishing.
    The applicant requests authorization to collect deep-water reef 
fish species in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ off the west, north, and south 
coasts of Puerto Rico. The applicant is seeking to gather information 
that could be used to define essential fish habitat for deep-water 
snapper species off the coast of Puerto Rico, and to obtain additional 
life history information about queen and blackfin snapper. Specimens 
would be collected by NMFS researchers and/or contractors and 
contracted commercial fishermen aboard three commercial fishing 
vessels. These activities may be conducted without NMFS staff aboard 
the contracted vessels. Each vessel's home port is located in Puerto 
Rico. This permit would exempt project participants from certain 
seasonal and area closure regulations at 50 CFR 622.435, as identified 
and described below. The EFP would be effective from the date of 
issuance through August 1, 2020.
    Activities would consist of harvesting reef fish during a total of 
450 fishing trips in the 2-year project period, of which 225 would be 
within the U.S. Caribbean EEZ off Puerto Rico. The remaining trips 
would be conducted in Puerto Rico territorial waters. Sampling sites 
would be randomly selected from locations with a high probability of 
containing habitat that could be considered essential for deep-water 
snappers as determined by bathymetric maps recently produced by NOAA's 
Marine Spatial Ecology Division. The target depth range for this 
project is 100 to 500 m, with sampling sites selected in each 50 m 
depth range throughout the overall depth range.
    Sampling would be conducted by hook-and-line drift fishing in deep-
water habitats, with underwater cameras attached to the fishing line. 
On each fishing trip, three to seven sites would be fished per day 
based on distance between the sampling sites and weather, with an 
average of five sites per day at sea and an average of 15 days at sea 
per vessel. At each site, one vertical fishing line would be deployed 
from the commercial fishing vessel with a surface float and bottom 
weight for a 30 minute soak time. Twelve #9 hooks would be attached to 
the bottom 2 m of the line and manual snapper reels would be used to 
retrieve the line. A GoPro camera encased in a light-weight pressure-
tested housing and a light would be attached to a small, neutrally 
buoyant fitting on the vertical line. This camera array would be 
attached to the fishing line at two separate points, approximately 3 m 
above the bottom weight.
    Project activities would be conducted from September 1, 2018, 
through August 1, 2020. The majority of sampling would occur each year 
in September and October. Sampling would occur at approximately 75 
sites at each of the following locations in the EEZ off Puerto Rico:
     Western region: From Isabela to Puerto Real, including 
Isla de Desecheo Marine Reserve, within 12 miles of any point of land 
in Puerto Rico, from depths of 100-500 m.
     Northeast region: From San Juan to Fajardo, extending out 
to Isla de Culebra, within 12 miles of any point of land in Puerto 
Rico, from depths of 100-500 m.
     Southeast region: From Patillas to Buena Vista, extending 
out to Isla de Vieques, within 12 miles of any point of land in Puerto 
Rico, from depths of 100-500 m.
    The applicant will target queen and blackfin snappers, but 
anticipates encountering other species. All queen and blackfin snappers 
caught during the EFP would be retained, and the gonads and otoliths 
would be extracted for subsequent analysis by NMFS, Puerto Rico's 
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the University 
of South Carolina. Length measurements would be recorded for all 
targeted and incidental species except for species for which harvest is 
prohibited under Federal law (i.e., goliath and Nassau groupers, and 
midnight, rainbow, and blue parrotfishes). These species would be 
returned immediately to the water with a minimum of harm. In order to 
minimize the negative biological effects of bringing these deep-water 
species to the surface, the commercial fishermen would have venting 
tools onboard their vessels to properly vent fish being released to 
facilitate their return to depth.
    Based on catch and effort information from the commercial sector in 
Puerto Rico, the applicant anticipates harvesting up to 100 specimens 
of both queen and blackfin snappers in each of the three sampling 
regions, each year. Under the EFP, the applicant would be allowed to 
fish for and possess blackfin snapper during the October 1 through 
December 31 seasonal closure in place for vermilion, black, silk, or 
blackfin snappers (50 CFR 622.435(a)(1)(iii)). In addition, under the 
EFP, the applicant would be allowed to fish for and possess queen and 
blackfin snappers in or from the Bajo de Sico closed area, which is 
located in the project's western area off Puerto Rico, during the 
October 1 to March 31 closure period (50 CFR 622.435(a)(2)(iv)). Based 
on the sampling plan, the applicant anticipates making a maximum of 10 
fishing trips over the 2 year period of the EFP to the Bajo de Sico 
closed area during the months of October through March.
    Based on catch and effort information from the commercial sector in 
Puerto Rico, the applicant also anticipates catching up to 100 fish of 
the following species from each of the three sampling regions each 
year, as incidental catch: Black, silk, vermilion, and wenchman 
snappers (Snapper Unit 1); coney, graysby, red hind, and rock hind 
groupers (Grouper Unit 3); black, red, tiger, and yellowfin groupers 
(Grouper Unit 4), and misty and yellowedge groupers (Grouper Unit 5). 
It is possible that the applicant may also incidentally catch cardinal 
snapper, which is in Snapper Unit 2 with queen snapper, as they are 
targeting queen snapper and these species are frequently caught 
together.
    Some of these incidental species (namely, red, black, tiger, 
yellowfin, yellowedge, and red hind groupers and vermilion, black, and 
silk snappers) are also subject to seasonal closures (50 CFR

[[Page 32845]]

622.435(a)(1)(i) & (ii) & (iii)). The applicant does not intend to 
retain any of these species caught during the respective seasonal 
closures. However, the EFP would allow the applicant to possess these 
species during those closure periods for sufficient time to collect and 
record length measurements, consistent with the goals of the EFP. If 
these species were caught outside of a closed season, the contracted 
commercial fishers would be able retain them, consistent with 
applicable law. These species also may be encountered in the Bajo de 
Sico closed area (50 CFR 622.435(a)(2)(iv)), and the EFP would allow 
the applicant to possess the species during the seasonal area closure 
for sufficient time to collect and record length measurements. No 
species caught as incidental catch during the seasonal or area closures 
would be retained during the EFP.
    NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration based on 
a preliminary review. Possible conditions the agency may impose on this 
permit, if it is granted, include but are not limited to, a prohibition 
on conducting sampling activities within marine protected areas, marine 
sanctuaries, or special management zones, without additional 
authorization, and requiring compliance with best practices in the 
event of interactions with any protected species. NMFS may also require 
annual reports summarizing the amount of reef fish species harvested 
during the seasonal and area closures, as well as during the period of 
effectiveness of any issued EFP. Additionally, NMFS would require any 
sea turtles taken incidentally during the course of the activities to 
be handled with due care to prevent injury to live specimens, observed 
for activity, and returned to the water.
    A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NMFS' review 
of public comments received on the application, consultations with the 
affected state(s), the Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a 
determination that it is consistent with all applicable laws.

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

    Dated: July 10, 2018.
Margo B. Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-15074 Filed 7-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P