[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33923-33924]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15342]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG257


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 Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made 
a preliminary determination that an application for an Exempted Fishing 
Permit warrants further consideration. The application, submitted by 
the California Wetfish Producers Association, requests an exemption 
from the prohibition of primary directed fishing for Pacific sardine 
for the 2018-2019 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as part of an 
industry-based scientific survey. NMFS requests public comment on the 
application.

DATES: Comments must be received by August 2, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2018-0072, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2018-0072, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments. The EFP application will be available under 
Relevant Documents through the same link.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Joshua Lindsay, West 
Coast Region, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 4200, Long Beach, CA 
90802-4250.
     Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the 
above methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the 
sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business 
information, or

[[Page 33924]]

otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept 
anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to 
remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joshua Lindsay, West Coast Region, 
NMFS, (562) 980-4034, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 25, 2018, NMFS published a final 
rule (83 FR 29461) to implement Pacific sardine harvest specifications 
for the 2018-2019 fishing year off the U.S. West Coast, which began on 
July 1. This final rule imposed a 7,000 metric ton (mt) annual catch 
limit (ACL) and a prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific 
sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. This 
prohibition against ``primary directed fishing'' covers any targeting 
of Pacific sardine, except very small-scale artisanal harvests, live 
bait harvests, and harvests by the Quinault Indian Nation. At the April 
2018 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting, the Council 
voted in support of two exempted fishing permit (EFP) proposals 
requesting an exemption from the prohibition on primary directed 
fishing for Pacific sardine. The Council structured the 2018-2019 
Pacific sardine harvest specifications so that up to 610 mt (the 
combined total of the anticipated harvests under the two EFP proposals 
the Council reviewed) of the ACL could be harvested under EFPs. The 
California Wetfish Producers Association (CWPA) requested an EFP to 
directly harvest up to 600 mt of Pacific sardine for its Coastal 
Pelagic Species Near-shore Cooperative Survey (CPS-NCS).
    Since 2012 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in 
partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting aerial surveys to 
estimate the biomass and distribution of sardine and certain other CPS 
species in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight, and in 
the Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. Currently, 
there is uncertainty in the biomass estimates from aerial spotter 
pilots. The CPS-NCS survey under the proposed EFP is part of a research 
project designed to quantify that level of uncertainty by capturing CPS 
schools identified by aerial spotter pilots and validating the biomass 
and species composition of the schools. A portion of each point set 
(i.e. an individual haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) will 
be retained for biological sampling, and the remainder will be sold by 
the participating fishermen and processors to offset research costs and 
avoid unnecessary discard. This research is part of a broader effort to 
understand the biomass of CPS located in shallower, nearshore areas 
that NOAA's CPS offshore acoustic trawl survey is unable to access.
    If NMFS issues this EFP, the CPS-NCS will survey nearshore waters 
of the Southern California Bight for 7 days in late August 2018. Any 
harvest under this EFP would count against the ACL for Pacific sardine. 
If NMFS does not issue this EFP, then the 600 mt that might have been 
harvested under this EFP would still be available for harvest under the 
ACL.

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

    Dated: July 13, 2018.
Margo B. Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-15342 Filed 7-17-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P