[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 203 (Monday, October 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56181-56182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22854]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XX017]


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 application submitted by the Cape Cod Commercial 
Fishermen's Alliance for an exempted fishing permit contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. This exempted 
fishing permit would allow two commercial fishing vessels participating 
in an electronic monitoring program to fish in the Southern New England 
Regulated Mesh Area with a 6-inch (15.24 cm) diamond mesh codend. 
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 November 5, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``6-INCH MESH CODEND 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 ``6-INCH MESH 
CODEND EM EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 1, 2019, NMFS granted an exempted 
fishing permit (EFP) to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance, 
in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Maine Coast Fishermen's 
Association, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and fishermen to 
participate in an audit-model EM program for the groundfish fishery. 
Fifteen vessels using a variety of gear types (e.g., hook, benthic 
longline, sink gillnet, bottom trawl) are participating in the project.
    Vessels participating in this EFP are required to use EM on 100 
percent of groundfish trips. Camera systems are used in lieu of human 
at-sea monitors, and in addition to Northeast Fishery Observer Program 
(NEFOP) observers. Vessels must adhere to a vessel-specific monitoring 
plan detailing at-sea catch handling protocols. Vessels also submit 
haul-level electronic vessel trip reports (eVTR) with count and weight 
estimates for all groundfish discards.
    The Alliance subsequently requested an exemption from the 6.5-inch 
(15.24 cm) minimum mesh size. This exemption request was treated as a 
separate EFP application, rather than an amendment to the audit model 
EM EFP. The requested EFP would allow two trawl vessels participating 
in the EM program to outfit their commercial otter trawl nets with 6-
inch diamond mesh codends, in order to facilitate catch of haddock, 
reduce bycatch of flatfish species, and test the feasibility of EM 
programs as a data collection tool for research. There would be no 
other modifications to the trawl gear. This EFP would exempt vessels 
from the codend minimum mesh size restriction in the Southern New 
England Regulated Mesh Area found at 50 CFR 648.80(b)(2)(i). While 
fishing on this EFP the participating vessels would also be 
participating in the audit-model EM EFP. They would continue to be 
required to use EM systems on 100 percent of groundfish trips and 
adhere to vessel-specific monitoring plans. Existing catch accounting, 
video review, and other EM protocols would remain in effect for these 
operations.
    Participating vessels would conduct commercial fishing with the 
small mesh codend in Southern New England (SNE), specifically 
statistical areas 537, 539, 611, and 613. The application estimates 
that each of the two vessels participating with the exemption from 
minimum codend mesh size would take 35 day-trips during the project. 
The EFP would be active from January to April 2019. Of the 35 trips 
that each vessel plans to take during that time period, the number of 
trips taken with a 6-inch mesh codend under the proposed EFP would 
vary, based on the presence of haddock, the target species for the 
project. On EFP trips, four to five hauls would be made per day, with 
each tow length averaging 2 to 3 hours. While on these trips, vessels 
may switch back to a standard 6.5-inch mesh codend to retain 
operational flexibility.
    The applicant states that a switch from a 6.5-inch square mesh 
codend to the 6-inch diamond mesh codend would improve catch of 
haddock, a healthy stock, while reducing catch of several flounder 
species. Based on a codend mesh selectivity study which compared 
retention length and size selection range for 6.5- and 6-inch square 
and diamond mesh, the applicant additionally states that 6-inch diamond 
mesh is unlikely to retain undersized haddock.
    Additionally, the Alliance would compare the discard data collected 
from trips taken by vessels fishing with a 6-inch diamond mesh codend 
to trips with the standard 6.5-inch mesh codend. The Alliance states 
that this comparison would also demonstrate the usefulness of EM 
systems as tools for research.
    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

[[Page 56182]]

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: October 16, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-22854 Filed 10-18-19; 8:45 am]
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