[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 12595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06368]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG857


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 Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from the 
Coonamessett Farm Foundation contains all of the required information 
and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would 
allow a participating party/charter fishing vessel to temporarily 
possess undersized black sea bass for tagging and biological sampling 
purposes. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide 
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for 
proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 17, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFF Black Sea Bass Tagging EFP.''
     Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, 
MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on CFF Black Sea 
Bass Tagging EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9180, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on February 27, 2019, to conduct fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize a 
participating vessel to temporarily possess undersize black sea bass 
while conducting tagging procedures and biological sampling. This 
research is designed to tag and release black sea bass to study 
movement patterns, habitat usage, and migratory cycles for up to the 2-
year battery life of the telemetry tags.
    If approved, this research would be conducted over the course of 
four 3-day long sampling trips in April and August of 2019 and 2020, 
for a total of 12 research fishing days. All fishing would be conducted 
using rod and reel gear on a contracted charter vessel in state and 
Federal waters off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, and North 
Carolina. The exact fishing locations would be determined by the vessel 
captain, but would be recorded via GPS.
    All black sea bass caught on directed research trips under this EFP 
would be placed in a live well, and the length and sex of each 
individual would be recorded before tagging. Each black sea bass would 
then be tagged with an internal anchor spaghetti tag, allowed to 
recover from the procedure, assessed for barotrauma, and released back 
into the water using a pressure-activated recompression descending 
release device. All non-target species would be returned to the water 
as quickly as possible, and no catch would be retained for sale. CFF 
personnel would accompany all trips and oversee these research 
activities.
    In addition to the spaghetti tags, 92 black sea bass are expected 
to be tagged with additional specialty tags/equipment through this 
project, with the type of specialized tag used and data gathered 
depending on the size and vigor of each fish. A total of 48 fish will 
receive acoustic transmitters to record temperature, 40 slightly larger 
fish (greater than 25 cm) will receive an additional archival tag that 
records temperature, depth, and conductivity, and four of the largest 
fish (greater than 46 cm) will be affixed with satellite tags. The 
satellite tags measure temperature, depth, light level, and 
geolocation.
    CFF is requesting temporary exemptions from the recreational 
possession limit and minimum size possession restrictions in the Black 
Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan found at 50 CFR 648.145(a) and Sec.  
648.147(b) to sample and tag all black sea bass during these selected 
fishing trips. Funding for this research has been awarded under a NOAA 
Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research grant (NA18NMF4570257).
    If approved, CFF 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: March 28, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-06368 Filed 4-1-19; 8:45 am]
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