[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1067-1068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00720]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG717


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern 
United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Approved Monitoring 
Service Providers

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

ACTION: Notice of approved monitoring service providers.

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SUMMARY: NMFS has approved four companies to provide Northeast 
multispecies sector at-sea monitoring services in fishing years 2019 
and 2020. Regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan require at-sea monitoring companies to apply to, and be 
approved by, NMFS in order to be eligible to provide at-sea monitoring 
services to sectors. This action will allow sectors to contract at-sea 
monitoring services with any of the

[[Page 1068]]

approved providers for fishing years 2019 and 2020.

ADDRESSES: The list of NMFS-approved sector monitoring service 
providers is available at: http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/sustainable/species/multispecies/, or by sending a written request to: 55 Great Republic 
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, Attn: Kyle Molton.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle Molton, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 281-9236, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) includes a requirement for industry-funded 
monitoring of catch by sector vessels. Sectors must contract with 
independent third-party service providers to provide at-sea monitoring 
services to their vessels. In order to provide at-sea monitoring 
services to sectors, monitoring companies must apply to, and be 
approved by, NMFS. Once approved, service providers must meet specified 
performance requirements outlined in 50 CFR 648.87(b)(4), including 
required coverage levels, in order to maintain eligibility.

At-Sea Monitoring Service Provider Approval Process

    Applications approved this year will cover both fishing year 2019 
and fishing year 2020 (May 1, 2019, through April 30, 2021). There will 
be an opportunity in 2019 for additional monitoring companies to apply 
for approval to provide services in fishing year 2020.
    The regulations at Sec.  648.87(b)(4) describe the criteria for 
approval of at-sea monitoring service providers. We approve service 
providers based on: (1) Completeness and sufficiency of applications; 
and (2) determination of the applicant's ability to meet the 
performance requirements of a sector monitoring service provider. We 
must notify service providers, in writing, if approval is withdrawn for 
any reason.

Approved Monitoring Service Providers

    We received complete applications from four companies: A.I.S., 
Inc.; East West Technical Services, LLC; Fathom Research, LLC; and MRAG 
Americas, Inc. These four companies were previously approved for 
fishing years 2017 and 2018. In fishing year 2018, a number of sectors 
have realized at-sea monitoring coverage levels below the target 
coverage level. We are working with the approved providers and sectors 
to increase coverage levels, and we have scheduled additional at-sea 
monitor certification trainings to increase monitor staffing levels.
    We approved all four companies to provide at-sea monitoring 
services in fishing years 2019 and 2020 because they have met the 
application requirements, documented their ability to comply with 
service provider standards, and have a sufficient track record of 
providing at-sea monitoring services. We expect providers will have 
adequate staff and resources to fulfill performance requirements during 
the approval term. We will closely monitor the performance of approved 
providers, and we will be prepared to withdraw approval during the 
current approval term, or disapprove a provider in future fishing years 
if we determine performance standards are not being met.

                           Table 1--Approved Providers for Fishing Years 2019 and 2020
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             Provider                      Address              Phone            Fax              Website
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A.I.S., Inc.......................  14 Barnabas Rd., P.O.    508-990-9054    508-990-9055  www.aisobservers.com.
                                     Box 1009, Marion, MA
                                     02738.
East West Technical Services, LLC.  1415 Corona Ln., Vero    860-910-4957    860-223-6005  www.ewts.com.
                                     Beach, FL 32963.
Fathom Research, LLC..............  855 Aquidneck Ave.,      508-990-0997    508-991-7372  www.fathomresearchllc
                                     Unit 9, Middletown,                                    .com.
                                     RI 02842.
MRAG Americas, Inc................  8950 Martin Luther       978-768-3880    978-768-3878  www.mragamericas.com.
                                     King Jr. Street N.,
                                     Suite 202, Saint
                                     Petersburg, FL 33702.
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    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 29, 2019.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-00720 Filed 1-31-19; 8:45 am]
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