[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45596-45598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16385]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA253]


Schedules for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe 
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

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SUMMARY: Additional free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and 
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in 
August and September of 2020. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are 
required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to 
maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification 
Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark 
dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is 
mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, 
pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark 
or swordfish limited access permits. More free workshops will be 
conducted during 2020 and will be announced in a future notice.

DATES: The additional Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be 
held on August 20, 2020, August 28, 2020, and September 3, 2020. The 
additional Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be 
held on August 25, August 28, September 11, September 23, 2020, and 
September25, 2020. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for further details.

ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in 
Philadelphia, PA; Titusville, FL; and Boston, MA. The Safe Handling, 
Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in Philadelphia, PA; 
Gulfport, MS; Palm Coast, FL; and Charleston, SC. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for further details on workshop locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Pearson by email at 
[email protected], or by phone at (727) 824-5399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The workshop schedules, registration 
information, and a list of frequently asked questions regarding the 
Atlantic Shark Identification and Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification workshops are posted on the internet at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops. The workshops announced in this notice are in 
addition to the rescheduled workshops announced in a previous notice 
(85 FR 33631, June 2, 2020) and other workshops for July through 
September of 2020 announced in a previous notice (85 FR 36565, June 17, 
2020).

Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops

    Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited 
from receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks 
unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on 
the premises of each business listed under the shark dealer permit that 
first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057; October 2, 2006). Dealers 
who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a 
certificate for each place of business that is permitted to receive 
sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, certificates 
that were initially issued in 2017 will be expiring in 2020. 
Approximately 170 free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops have 
been conducted since July 2008.
    Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark 
Identification Workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the 
dealer must designate a proxy for each place of business covered by the 
dealer's permit that first receives Atlantic sharks. Only one 
certificate will be issued to each

[[Page 45597]]

proxy. A proxy must be a person who is currently employed by a place of 
business covered by the dealer's permit; is a primary participant in 
the identification, weighing, and/or first receipt of fish as they are 
offloaded from a vessel; and who fills out dealer reports. Atlantic 
shark dealers are prohibited from renewing a Federal shark dealer 
permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop 
certificate for each business location that first receives Atlantic 
sharks has been submitted with the permit renewal application. 
Additionally, trucks or other conveyances that are extensions of a 
dealer's place of business must possess a copy of a valid dealer or 
proxy Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate.

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations

    1. August 20, 2020, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Hampton Inn, 8600 Bartram 
Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153.
    2. August 28, 2020, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Hampton Inn, 4760 Helen Hauser 
Boulevard, Titusville, FL 32780.
    3. September 3, 2020, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Embassy Suites, 207 Porter 
Street, Boston, MA 02128.

Registration

    To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop, 
please contact Eric Sander at [email protected] or at (386) 
852-8588. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not required.

Registration Materials

    To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct 
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items 
to the workshop:
     Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that 
the attendee is an owner or agent of the business (such as articles of 
incorporation), a copy of the applicable permit, and proof of 
identification.
     Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation 
from the permitted dealer acknowledging that the proxy is attending the 
workshop on behalf of the permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a 
specific business location, a copy of the appropriate valid permit, and 
proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives

    The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce 
the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the 
dealer reporting form and increase the accuracy of species-specific 
dealer-reported information. Reducing the number of unknown and 
improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and the data 
used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer 
permit holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark 
carcasses.

Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops

    Since January 1, 2007, shark limited-access and swordfish limited-
access permit holders who fish with longline or gillnet gear have been 
required to submit a copy of their Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop certificate in order to renew either permit (71 
FR 58057; October 2, 2006). These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. 
Certificates issued in 2017 will be expiring in 2020. As such, vessel 
owners who have not already attended a workshop and received a NMFS 
certificate, or vessel owners whose certificate(s) will expire prior to 
the next permit renewal, must attend a workshop to fish with, or renew, 
their swordfish and shark limited-access permits. Additionally, new 
shark and swordfish limited-access permit applicants who intend to fish 
with longline or gillnet gear must attend a Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop and submit a copy of their workshop certificate 
before either of the permits will be issued. Approximately 350 free 
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops have been 
conducted since 2006.
    In addition to certifying vessel owners, at least one operator on 
board vessels issued a limited-access swordfish or shark permit that 
uses longline or gillnet gear is required to attend a Safe Handling, 
Release, and Identification Workshop and receive a certificate. Vessels 
that have been issued a limited-access swordfish or shark permit and 
that use longline or gillnet gear may not fish unless both the vessel 
owner and operator have valid workshop certificates onboard at all 
times. Vessel operators who have not already attended a workshop and 
received a NMFS certificate, or vessel operators whose certificate(s) 
will expire prior to their next fishing trip, must attend a workshop to 
operate a vessel with swordfish and shark limited-access permits that 
uses longline or gillnet gear.

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations

    1. August 25, 2020, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Embassy Suites, 9000 Bartram 
Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153.
    2. August 28, 2020, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 9515 Highway 49, 
Gulfport, MS 39503.
    3. September 11, 2020, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 55 Town 
Center Boulevard, Palm Coast, FL 32164.
    4. September 23, 2020, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Hampton Inn, 678 Citadel 
Haven Drive, Charleston, SC 29414.
    5. September 25, 2020, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 300 Woodbury 
Avenue, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

Registration

    To register for a scheduled Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop, please contact Angler Conservation Education 
at (386) 682-0158. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not 
required.

Registration Materials

    To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct 
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items 
with them to the workshop:
     Individual vessel owners must bring a copy of the 
appropriate swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy of the vessel 
registration or documentation, and proof of identification.
     Representatives of a business-owned or co-owned vessel 
must bring proof that the individual is an agent of the business (such 
as articles of incorporation), a copy of the applicable swordfish and/
or shark permit(s), and proof of identification.
     Vessel operators must bring proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives

    The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are 
designed to teach longline and gillnet fishermen the required 
techniques for the safe handling and release of entangled and/or hooked 
protected species, such as sea turtles, marine mammals, smalltooth 
sawfish, Atlantic sturgeon, and prohibited sharks. In an effort to 
improve reporting, the proper identification of protected species and 
prohibited sharks will also be taught at these workshops. Additionally, 
individuals attending these workshops will gain a better understanding 
of the requirements for participating in these fisheries. The overall 
goal of these workshops is to provide participants with the skills 
needed to reduce the mortality of protected species and prohibited 
sharks, which may prevent additional regulations on these fisheries in 
the future.

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


[[Page 45598]]


    Dated: July 23, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-16385 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P