[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59616-59617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24120]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XX026]


Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management 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 renewal application from 
the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation contains all of the 
required information and warrants further consideration. This permit 
would facilitate research on the abundance and distribution of juvenile 
American lobster and Jonah crab along the northwest Atlantic coast.
    Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 
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 November 20, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFRF Lobster Study Fleet 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 
CFRF Lobster Study Fleet EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation 
(CFRF) submitted a complete application to renew an existing Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP) on October 1, 2019, to conduct fishing activities 
that the regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize 
20 vessels to continue a study using ventless lobster traps to survey 
the abundance and distribution of juvenile American lobster and Jonah 
crab in regions and times of year not covered by traditional surveys. 
This EFP proposes to use 60 ventless lobster traps throughout Lobster 
Conservation Management Areas (LCMA) 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Maps of these 
areas are available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/map/lobster-management-areas. The study would inform management by 
addressing questions of changing reproduction and recruitment dynamics 
of lobster, and developing a foundation of knowledge for the data poor 
Jonah crab fishery.
    Funding for this study is through the Campbell Foundation and the 
Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program (Grant # NA17NMF4270208). For this 
project, CFRF is requesting exemptions from the following Federal 
lobster regulations:
    1. Gear specification requirements in 50 CFR 697.21(c) to allow for 
closed

[[Page 59617]]

escape vents and smaller trap mesh and entrance heads;
    2. Trap limit requirements, as listed in Sec.  697.19, for LCMA 1, 
2, 3, 4 and 5, to be exceeded by 3 additional traps per fishing vessel 
for a total of 60 additional traps;
    3. Trap tag requirements, as specified in Sec.  697.19(j), to allow 
for the use of untagged traps (though each experimental trap will have 
the participating fisherman's identification attached); and
    4. Possession restrictions in Sec. Sec.  697.20(a), 697.20(d), and 
697.20(g) to allow for temporary possession of juvenile, v-notched, and 
egg-bearing lobsters for onboard biological sampling.
    If the EFP is approved, this research would take place during the 
regular fishing activity of the participating vessels: 6 ``inshore'' 
vessels in LCMA 2 and 14 ``offshore'' vessels in LCMAs 1, 3, 4, and 5. 
Experimental traps will be attached to a standard, Atlantic Large Whale 
Take Reduction Plan-compliant trap trawl. Modifications to conventional 
lobster traps include closed escape vents, single parlors, and smaller 
mesh sizes and entrance heads, to allow for the capture of juvenile 
lobsters and Jonah crabs. Sampling would occur weekly in LCMA 2, and 
every 10 days in the other areas.
    All lobster and Jonah crabs caught in the experimental traps would 
be counted, sexed, and measured. Biological information including shell 
hardness and presence of eggs would also be recorded. All species 
captured in study traps would be returned promptly to the sea after 
sampling. All data collected would be made available to state and 
Federal management agencies to improve and enhance the available data 
for these two crustacean species.
    We anticipate that the final rulemaking to implement Jonah crab 
Federal regulations will occur during the proposed study period. To 
ensure that there is no disruption to research activities, we would 
modify exemptions granted to this study, should they be approved, to 
include exemption from the possession of undersized and egg-bearing 
Jonah crabs. We have solicited comment on this expansion in the Jonah 
Crab Fishery Management Plan rulemaking process.
    If approved, the applicant 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: October 31, 2019.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-24120 Filed 11-4-19; 8:45 am]
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