[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 73 (Tuesday, April 16, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15593-15594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07576]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG970


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 Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from Rutgers 
University contains all of the required information and warrants 
further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would allow four 
charter/party vessels to collect black sea bass. Regulations under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 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 May 1, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``BSB Size at Maturity 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 
BSB Size at Maturity EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Hansen, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Rutgers University submitted a complete 
application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) on March 21, 2019, to 
collect information on the effect of latitude and bottom temperature on 
black sea bass spawning body condition and size at maturity. The 
sampling is

[[Page 15594]]

designed around spawning activities and spatial/temporal energetic 
variability of black sea bass. The EFP would authorize four charter/
party vessels to collect and retain up to 240 black sea bass for lab 
analysis. This EFP would exempt the participating vessels from the 
following Federal regulations:
    1. Recreational black sea bass possession limits specified at 50 
CFR 648.145; and
    2. Commercial and party/charter minimum size limits for black sea 
bass specified at Sec.  648.147(a) and (b).
    Black sea bass would be captured using rod and reel gear. Sampling 
trips would occur every two weeks, 40-60 miles off the coast of 
Virginia. Black sea bass of both sexes, in the 190mm-400mm size range, 
would be sampled during each trip. Some of the collected fish will be 
under the recreational minimum size limit (12.5 in; 317.5 mm) for black 
sea bass. A blood sample would be collected from the sampled black sea 
bass, the fish would be euthanized, and transported to the Virginia 
Institute of Marine Sciences to be dissected. During dissection, tissue 
samples would be taken and preserved for later analysis at a Rutgers 
University lab. The researcher will be on board for all sampling trips 
and the exemptions would only apply to fish being collected for the 
Rutgers University study.
    If approved, Rutgers University 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: April 11, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-07576 Filed 4-15-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P