[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 71 (Friday, April 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14914-14915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07280]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG915


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.

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

SUMMARY: The Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an exempted fishing permit application submitted by 
the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. This exempted 
fishing permit would require participants to use electronic monitoring 
systems on 100 percent of sector trips for catch accounting in the 
Northeast multispecies fishery; additionally, vessels would be 
authorized to access portions of Northeast multispecies closed areas. 
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 29, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``100 PERCENT EM 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 ``100 PERCENT EM 
EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Northeast multispecies (groundfish) sectors 
are required to implement and fund an at-sea monitoring (ASM) program. 
Sectors may use electronic monitoring (EM) to satisfy this monitoring 
requirement, provided that NMFS deems the technology sufficient for 
catch monitoring. NMFS has yet to approve EM as a suitable alternative 
to ASM. However, NMFS is working with industry and other stakeholders 
to test the operational feasibility of EM and resolve outstanding 
barriers to implementation. Project partners include the Cape Cod 
Commercial Fishermen's Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, the Maine 
Coast Fishermen's Association, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 
and fishermen.
    In fishing year 2017, NMFS issued an exempted fishing permit (EFP) 
to these project partners to develop an audit-model EM program for the 
groundfish

[[Page 14915]]

fishery. The EFP required vessels to use EM systems on 100 percent of 
groundfish sector trips to verify regulated groundfish discards. EM was 
used in lieu of human observers to meet their sector ASM requirements. 
Thirteen vessels using a variety of gear types (e.g., hook, benthic 
longline, sink gillnet, bottom trawl) participated in the project. A 
total of 81 trips were completed in fishing year 2017. The EFP was 
renewed in fishing year 2018, adding exemptions to allow participating 
vessels to fish in closed areas during certain times of the year. A 
total of 258 trips suitable for quota monitoring were completed during 
fishing year 2018.
    The project partners have submitted a renewal request for fishing 
year 2019. The proposed participant list includes 18 vessels, 16 of 
which participated in this EFP in fishing year 2018. Together, these 
vessels are expected to take an estimated 425 trips. The project 
partners expect that additional vessels may join the project in fishing 
year 2019.
    Vessels participating in this EFP would be exempt from the 
regulations requiring them to adhere to their sector's ASM program, and 
instead would be required to use EM on 100 percent of groundfish trips. 
Camera systems would be used in lieu of human at-sea monitors, and in 
addition to Northeast Fishery Observer Program (NEFOP) observers. 
Vessels would adhere to a vessel-specific monitoring plan detailing at-
sea catch handling protocols. Vessels would submit haul-level 
electronic vessel trip reports (eVTR) with count and weight estimates 
for all groundfish discards. Vessels would not be exempt from any other 
standard reporting and monitoring regulations.
    The discard estimates provided in the eVTR would be used for catch 
accounting, and all catch of allocated groundfish would be deducted 
from the appropriate sector's allocation. The EM service provider would 
review the video footage and produce an EM summary report identifying, 
counting, and generating weight estimates for all groundfish discards. 
The provider would submit this report to NMFS. NMFS would compare the 
eVTR and EM summary file to ensure the submissions match within an 
established tolerance. If the trips do not match, the eVTR would not be 
used for catch accounting for that trip. For trips that carry a NEFOP 
observer, the NEFOP data would be used for catch accounting.
    In previous years, the EM service provider reviewed 100 percent of 
the video footage at the outset of the fishing year with the option to 
reduce this percentage mid-year as part of audit-model testing, with 
our approval. This option was never used. In fishing year 2019, based 
on statistical analysis of EFP trips from 2017 and 2018, the EM service 
provider would use a 50 percent audit target as part of audit model 
testing. Audit percentage may fluctuate as part of this testing, with 
our approval. Following the EM service provider's review, the Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center would conduct a secondary review of the EM 
summary reports for a subset of trips.
    Because participating vessels would be fully monitored, project 
partners requested exemptions to access to closed areas, to incentivize 
participation and create additional fishing opportunities for healthy 
stocks. Vessels would be allowed to use hook gear and sink gillnets in 
Closed Area II from May 1 through February 15, hook gear in Western 
Gulf of Maine Closure Area, and jig gear in Cashes Ledge Closure Area.
    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. 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: April 9, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-07280 Filed 4-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P