[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 200 (Tuesday, October 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52207-52208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22485]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG548


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit renewal application from 
the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. This permit 
would facilitate research on the abundance and distribution of juvenile 
American lobster and Jonah crab along the northwest Atlantic coast. 
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 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFRF Lobster Study Fleet 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 
CFRF Lobster Study Fleet EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, NOAA Affiliate, 978-281-
9225, [email protected].

[[Page 52208]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation 
(CFRF) submitted a complete application to renew an existing Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP) on September 20, 2018, to conduct fishing 
activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would 
authorize 17 vessels to continue a study using ventless lobster traps 
to survey the abundance and distribution of juvenile American lobster 
and Jonah crab in regions and times of year not covered by traditional 
surveys. Overall, this EFP proposes to use 54 ventless lobster traps 
throughout Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMA) 2, 3, 4, and 5; 
covering statistical areas 514, 515, 521, 522, 525, 526, 533, 534, 537, 
538, 539, 541, 542, 543, 561, 562, 613, 615, 616, 622, 623, 624, 626, 
627, 628, 629, 632, 633, 634, 636, 637, 638, and 640. Maps depicting 
these areas are available on request. The study is designed to aid and 
inform management by addressing the questions of changing reproduction 
and recruitment dynamics of lobster, and developing a foundation of 
knowledge for data poor Jonah crab fishery.
    Funding for this study has been awarded through the Campbell 
Foundation and the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program (Grant # 
NA17NMF4270208). For this research, CFRF is requesting exemptions from 
the following Federal lobster regulations:
    1. Gear specification requirements in 50 CFR 697.21(c) to allow for 
closed escape vents and smaller trap mesh and entrance heads;
    2. Trap limit requirements, as listed in Sec.  697.19, for LCMA 2, 
3, 4 and 5, to be exceeded by 3 additional traps per fishing vessel for 
a total of 54 additional traps;
    3. Trap tag requirements, as specified in Sec.  697.19(j), to allow 
for the use of untagged traps (though each experimental trap will have 
the participating fisherman's identification attached); and
    4. Possession restrictions in Sec. Sec. Sec.  697.20(a), 697.20(d), 
and 697.20(g) to allow for temporary possession of juvenile, v-notched, 
and egg-bearing lobsters for onboard biological sampling.
    If the EFP is approved, this research would take place during the 
regular fishing activity of the participating vessels: 6 ``inshore'' 
vessels in LCMA 2 and 11 ``offshore'' vessels in LCMAs 3, 4, and 5. 
Experimental traps will be attached to a standard, Atlantic Large 
Whale-compliant trap trawl. Modifications to conventional lobster traps 
used in this study include a closed escape vents, single parlors, and 
smaller mesh sizes and entrance heads, all to allow for the capture of 
juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs. Sampling would occur weekly in LCMA 
2, and every 10 days in the other areas.
    All lobster and Jonah crabs caught in the experimental traps will 
be counted, sexed, and measured. Biological information including shell 
hardness and presence of eggs will also be recorded. All species 
captured in study traps will be returned promptly to the sea after 
sampling. All data collected will be made available to state and 
Federal management agencies to improve and enhance the available data 
for these two crustacean species.
    Currently, there are no Federal regulations for Jonah crab. We are 
preparing a proposed rule to establish Federal regulations for the 
Jonah crab fishery. We anticipate that the final rulemaking will occur 
during the proposed study period. To ensure that there is no disruption 
to research activities, we would modify the exemptions granted to this 
study, should they be approved, to include exemption from the 
possession of undersized and egg-bearing Jonah crabs. We would solicit 
comment on this expansion in the rulemaking being developed to propose 
and implement the Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan.
    If approved, the applicant 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: October 11, 2018.
Margo B. Schulze-Haugen,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-22485 Filed 10-15-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P