[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 185 (Monday, September 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 48294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20711]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG488


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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 an Exempted Fishing Permit Application from the 
University of Maryland contains all the required information and 
warrants further consideration. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal 
Fisheries Cooperative 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 October 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on UMD Jonah crab EFP.''
     Mail: 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 
UMD Jonah Crab EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The University of Maryland (UMD) submitted a 
complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on September 
5, 2018, to conduct fishing activities that the regulations would 
otherwise restrict. This project is intended to gain a better 
understanding of Jonah crab male size at maturity. This study is funded 
through the NOAA Educational Partnership Program's Living Marine 
Resources Cooperative Science Center. UMD is requesting exemptions from 
the following Federal lobster regulation:
    1. Gear specification requirements in 50 CFR 697.21(c) to allow for 
closed escape vents;
    If the EFP is approved, this study would take place from November 
2018 through November 2019. The participating vessel would deploy no 
more than eight ventless traps at one time in Lobster Conservation 
Management Area (LCMA) 2. Maps depicting these areas are available on 
request. Researchers will deploy traps in trawls, compliant with the 
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. Modifications to a standard 
lobster trap would include a closed escape vent, a smaller wire mesh 
size, and a smaller entrance head. Each experimental trap will have the 
participating fisherman's identification attached. Investigators intend 
to collect up to 150 crabs. Jonah crab retrieved from the modified 
traps would be collected and sent to the UMD lab for analysis. The 
exemption is needed to ensure investigators obtain a broad size 
distribution of Jonah crabs.
    Currently, there are no Federal regulations for Jonah crab. We are 
preparing a proposed rule to establish Federal regulations for the 
Jonah crab fishery which will likely include a minimum size. We 
anticipate that final rulemaking will occur before this project is 
complete. To ensure that there is no disruption to research activities, 
we intend to modify the exemptions granted to this study to include 
exemption from the minimum size so that crabs smaller than the minimum 
size can be analyzed. We would solicit comment on this additional 
exemption in the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan.
    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. We may grant EFP 
modifications and extensions 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. The EFP would prohibit any fishing activity 
conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activities.

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

    Dated: September 19, 2018.
Margo B. Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-20711 Filed 9-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P