[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 119 (Friday, June 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 37072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13214]



[[Page 37072]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XX060]


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 
University of Connecticut contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would 
allow participating vessels to collect undersized and egg-bearing 
lobsters to conduct an endocrine disruption study. 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 July 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on UConn Lobster Study.'' If you are unable to submit your 
comment through [email protected], please contact Laura Hansen, 
Fishery Mangagement Specialist, [email protected].

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The University of Connecticut submitted a 
complete exempted fishing permit (EFP) application on April 21, 2020. 
This project would collect egg bearing lobsters to examine the impact 
of endocrine disrupting chemicals on larvae development.
    If the EFP is approved, this study would take place from June 
through September 2020. The EFP would authorize participating vessels 
to collect up to 18 undersized and 20 egg-bearing lobsters from Lobster 
Conservation Management Areas 2 and 3. The lobsters collected for this 
study would range in weight from 1.5-4.5 lb (0.68-2.41 kg). Fishermen 
would send the lobsters to a researcher at the Marine Biological 
Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The researcher would transfer the 
lobsters to a holding tank to conduct further analysis of blood samples 
for the presence of endocrine disruptors and monitor larval 
development. The researcher will return surviving lobsters to the ocean 
following the experiments.
    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: June 15, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-13214 Filed 6-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P