[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29174-29175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13214]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XW001


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; 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 Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made 
a preliminary determination that an application for an Exempted Fishing 
Permit warrants further consideration. The application, submitted by 
the California Wetfish Producers Association, requests an exemption 
from the expected prohibition of primary directed fishing for Pacific 
sardine for the 2019-2020 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as 
part of an industry-based scientific survey. NMFS requests public 
comment on the application.

DATES: Comments must be received by July 8, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0057, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019-0057, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments. The EFP application will be available under 
Relevant Documents through the same link.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Lynn Massey, West Coast 
Region, NMFS, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4250.
     Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the 
above methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the 
sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will 
accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you 
wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Massey, West Coast Region, NMFS, 
(562) 436-2462, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 28, 2019, NMFS published a proposed 
rule (84 FR 24459) to implement Pacific sardine harvest specifications 
for the

[[Page 29175]]

2019-2020 fishing year off the U.S. West Coast, which begins on July 1. 
This proposed rule included a 4,514 metric ton (mt) annual catch limit 
(ACL) and a prohibition on directed commercial fishing for Pacific 
sardine off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (except 
for small directed catch and catch of live bait). At the April 2019 
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting, the Council voted 
in support of the California Wetfish Producer Association's (CWPA) 
exempted fishing permit (EFP) application as well as one other 
application that NMFS is evaluating separately, which both requested an 
exemption from the prohibition on directed fishing for Pacific sardine. 
The Council therefore structured the 2019-2020 Pacific sardine harvest 
specifications so that up to 405 mt (the combined total of the 
anticipated harvests under the two EFP proposals the Council reviewed) 
of the ACL could be harvested under EFPs. The CWPA requested to 
directly harvest up to 400 mt of Pacific sardine for its Coastal 
Pelagic Species Near-shore Cooperative Survey (CPS-NCS).
    Since 2012 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in 
partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting aerial surveys to 
estimate the biomass and distribution of sardine and certain other CPS 
species in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight, and in 
the Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. Currently, 
there is uncertainty in the biomass estimates from aerial spotter 
pilots. The CPS-NCS survey associated with the proposed EFP is part of 
research to quantify that level of uncertainty by capturing CPS schools 
identified by aerial spotter pilots and validating the biomass and 
species composition of the schools. A portion of each point set (i.e., 
an individual haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) will be 
retained for biological sampling, and the remainder will be sold by the 
participating fishermen and processors to offset research costs and 
avoid unnecessary discard. This research contributes to broader efforts 
to understand CPS biomass in shallow, nearshore areas that NOAA's CPS 
offshore acoustic trawl survey is unable to access.
    If NMFS issues this EFP, the CPS-NCS will survey nearshore waters 
of the Southern California Bight for 7-10 days between July 1, 2019 and 
June 30, 2020. Any harvest under this EFP would count against the ACL 
for Pacific sardine. If NMFS does not issue this EFP, then this 400 mt-
portion of the ACL would be available for harvest by other permissible 
fishing activities.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-13214 Filed 6-20-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P