[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 99 (Thursday, May 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30948-30949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11017]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XX055]


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 application from the 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center contains all the required 
information and warrants further consideration. 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 June 5, 2020.

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

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC) submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit 
(EFP) on March 9, 2020, to conduct fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict. NEFSC is requesting an exemption 
from Federal lobster regulations that would authorize five federally 
permitted commercial lobster vessels to participate in a ropeless 
lobster gear study in Lobster Conservation Management Area 3. NEFSC is 
requesting an exemption from gear marking requirements at 50 CFR 
697.21(b)(2) to allow for the use of a single buoy marker on a trawl of 
more than three traps.
    The purpose of this study is to test a prototype ropeless fishing 
system as a potential technique to prevent entanglements of protected 
species, primarily North Atlantic right whales.
    The EFP would authorize five participating vessels to modify some 
of their existing trawls, consisting of 35-45 traps. Experimental 
trawls would either have a rope spool, a buoy and stowed rope system, 
or a lift bag system fitted with an acoustic release, deployed on one 
end of the trawl, with a buoy line attached to the other. Soak time 
would be between 4-8 days, but may be modified depending on what each 
fisherman decides is appropriate for fishing. Sampling would occur from 
May to October, 2020. Initial deployments would be overseen by an

[[Page 30949]]

engineering team. NEFSC estimated there would be approximately 96 
deployments of experimental trawls.
    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. We may grant 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. The EFP would prohibit 
any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted 
fishing activities.

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

    Dated: May 18, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-11017 Filed 5-20-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P