[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 45 (Friday, March 6, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 13142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04616]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XX031]


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; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: At the request of the public, NMFS is reopening the comment 
period for an Exempted Fishing Permit application. The Exempted Fishing 
Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to use dredge fishing 
gear with a forward facing camera within the Great South Channel 
Habitat Management Area to characterize habitat substrate types where 
dredge fishing occurs, and conduct compensation fishing that would 
support research conducted by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation. 
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 March 23, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``CFF Great South Channel HMA Clam 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 
CFF Great South Channel HMA EFP.''

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 27, 2020, we published a notice 
soliciting public comment on an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
application (85 FR 4638) and received requests from the public to 
extend the comment period. At the request of the public, we are 
reopening the comment period for 15 days. A full description of the 
requested exemptions and research plan are available in the original 
notice and are not repeated here.
    In an effort to address some of the New England Fishery Management 
Council's research priorities for the Great South Channel Habitat 
Management Area (GSC HMA), Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) developed 
a multi-phase research project that would attempt to:
    1. Characterize substrate types where surfclam and mussel fishing 
occurs within the GSC HMA;
    2. Track spatiotemporal habitat change and benthic macrofauna 
distribution in an active fishing ground; and
    3. Determine spatiotemporal occurrence of Atlantic cod and other 
species within the HMA that are subjected or adjacent to commercial 
clam and mussel dredging activities.
    CFF submitted a complete application for an EFP on November 8, 
2019, to enable research in support of the objective 1, above. The 
exemptions would authorize participating vessels to fish with dredge 
gear in portions of the GSC HMA in order to characterize substrate 
types where surfclam and mussel fishing occurs, and to enable 
compensation fishing, which would fund research associated with 
objectives 2 and 3.
    We received 27 comments on the original notification and discussed 
the EFP request at the January 2020 New England Fishery Management 
Council meeting. Based on that discussion and comments received, we are 
reopening the comment period for an additional 15 days.

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

    Dated: March 3, 2020.
Karyl K. Brewster-Geisz,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-04616 Filed 3-5-20; 8:45 am]
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