[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 212 (Monday, November 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69316-69318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24206]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA257]


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.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an application submitted by the Gulf of Maine 
Research Institute to amend an existing Exempted Fishing Permit 
contains all of the required information and warrants further 
consideration. The amended Exempted Fishing Permit would provide one 
vessel participating in an electronic monitoring program with an 
exemption to conduct exploratory fishing using cod ends with smaller 
mesh than otherwise permitted. The Exempted Fishing Permit would test 
the effect of different codend mesh combinations on the catch of 
pollock and Gulf of Maine haddock while on trips targeting Acadian 
redfish. 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 November 17, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by either of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``GMRI MREM EFP Amendment.''
     Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``GMRI MREM EFP 
Amendment.''
    Copies of the supplemental information report (SIR) developed in 
support of this project may be obtained by contacting Claire Fitz-
Gerald, Fishery Policy Analyst at the Greater Atlantic Regional 
Fisheries Office, 978-281-9255.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Grant, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
978-281-9145.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 1, 2020, NMFS granted an Exempted 
Fishing Permit (EFP) to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to 
continue developing a maximized retention electronic monitoring (MREM) 
model and an accompanying dockside monitoring (DSM) program to monitor 
high-volume bottom-trawl vessels in the groundfish fleet. For more 
information on the details of the EFP see the notice published April 9, 
2020 (85 FR 19931). The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, in 
conjunction with the Northeast Sector Service Network and a commercial 
fishing business, has submitted an application to amend the EFP. The 
amended EFP would allow one vessel participating in the MREM program an 
additional exemption from the minimum mesh size requirements for the 
Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank regulated mesh areas codified at 50 CFR 
648.80(a)(3)(i) and (a)(4)(i) to use cod ends with either square or 
diamond mesh as small as 4.5 inches (11.4 cm). The exemption would be 
used to conduct exploratory fishing to increase the catch of pollock 
and Gulf of Maine haddock while on trips targeting Acadian redfish. 
This EFP would be effective for the 2020 and 2021 fishing years, 
through April 30, 2022. Because

[[Page 69317]]

using alternative codend configurations to target haddock and pollock 
on trips targeting Acadian redfish is outside of the scope of the 
project as currently approved, we are taking public comment on the 
revision request.
    Because vessels are fully monitored, participating vessels are 
granted exemptions to incentivize participation in the project and 
increase fishing opportunities for healthy stocks. The current MREM EFP 
allows vessels to use the codend configuration used in the Canadian 
haddock fishery (5.1-inch (13.0-cm) square mesh codend with a haddock 
separator device or Ruhle trawl) on Georges Bank and/or the codend 
configuration tested in the REDNET project (4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond 
mesh codend). The latter mesh size is restricted to the Redfish 
Exemption Area and all standard sector exemption requirements still 
apply. These exemptions are intended to improve size selectivity and 
increase catch of target species, while avoiding groundfish species of 
concern. The requested amendment to the EFP would allow a single high-
volume trawler to test additional codend mesh configurations to 
increase catch of pollock and Gulf of Maine haddock, two healthy stocks 
that are underutilized, while targeting Acadian redfish. Accordingly, 
the participating vessel would be exempt from the geographic area, gear 
configuration requirements, and bycatch thresholds associated with the 
redfish exemption. The vessel would have cameras recording on 100 
percent of groundfish trips and all catch would be counted against the 
appropriate sector allocations.
    The participating vessel could use the alternative codend 
configurations to increase the catch of pollock and Gulf of Maine 
haddock while targeting Acadian redfish in an expanded geographic area 
(see Figure 1 and Table 1) encompassing deep-water portions of the Gulf 
of Maine and the northern portion of Georges Bank.
    The applicants requested to operate in this geographic area (where 
the redfish exemption was permitted in fishing years 2015-2019) to test 
the feasibility of using alternative codend configurations to increase 
the catch of legal size pollock and Gulf of Maine haddock while on 
trips targeting Acadian redfish. Unlike trips under the current redfish 
exemption, which is authorized in a different geographic area during 
fishing year 2020, the intent of this EFP amendment is to conduct 
exploratory fishing and any promising codend configurations could then 
be further evaluated in a rigorous experiment for possible future 
management consideration.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN02NO20.002

    The area is bounded on the east by the U.S.-Canada Maritime 
Boundary, and bounded on the north, west, and south by the coordinates 
in Table 1, connected by straight lines in the order listed.

                        Table 1--Area Coordinates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Point                     N lat.              W long.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A...............................  44[deg]27.25'       67[deg]02.75'
B...............................  44[deg]16.25'       67[deg]30.00'
C...............................  44[deg]04.50'       68[deg]00.00'
D...............................  43[deg]52.25'       68[deg]30.00'
E...............................  43[deg]40.25'       69[deg]00.00'
F...............................  43[deg]28.25'       69[deg]30.00'
G...............................  43[deg]00.00'       69[deg]30.00'
H...............................  43[deg]00.00'       70[deg]00.00'
I...............................  42[deg]00.00'       70[deg]00.00'
J...............................  42[deg]00.00'       \1\ 67[deg]00.63'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The intersection of 42[deg]00' N latitude and the U.S.-Canada
  Maritime Boundary, approximate longitude in parentheses.

    Due to concerns about Gulf of Maine cod bycatch, the mesh size 
exemption would not be used in 30-minute square

[[Page 69318]]

131 during the months of February and March. The area is bounded on the 
east, north, west, and south by the coordinates in Table 2, connected 
by straight lines in the order listed.

                  Table 2--Seasonal Closure Coordinates
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              Point                     N lat.              W long.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
G...............................  43[deg]00.00'       69[deg]30.00'
H...............................  43[deg]00.00'       70[deg]00.00'
K...............................  42[deg]30.00'       70[deg]00.00'
L...............................  42[deg]30.00'       69[deg]30.00'
G...............................  43[deg]00.00'       69[deg]30.00'
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    While fishing in the MREM program, the participating vessel's 
groundfish trips will be conducted under the EM requirements of the 
parent MREM EFP, but will have catch data evaluated separately from 
other trips taken under the MREM program or the sector redfish 
exemption. The REDNET program demonstrated it was possible to harvest 
redfish using a 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond mesh codend without 
substantial catch of undersized redfish or other commercially important 
groundfish species. Pollock was the main bycatch species in that study 
and the intent of this EFP is to increase the catch of pollock and Gulf 
of Maine haddock because they are underutilized healthy stocks. Other 
gear studies in this region have demonstrated that square mesh selects 
for larger individuals of roundfish species than diamond mesh of the 
same size. By experimentally fishing with different combinations of 
codend mesh the applicants hope to determine if any combination 
effectively increases catch of the underharvested healthy stocks 
without negatively affecting other stocks. Any promising combinations 
could be further evaluated through a subsequent rigorous scientific 
study.
    In addition to the standard redfish sector exemption, vessels 
fishing under the MREM EFP are permitted to use a 5.1-inch (13-cm) 
square mesh codend in tandem with a haddock separator device or Ruhle 
trawl (similar to the configuration used in Canada) on Georges Bank, or 
a 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond mesh codend (based on the REDNET project) 
when fishing under the redfish exemption. The 5.1-inch (13-cm) square 
mesh exemption is intended to increase the catch of haddock, while the 
4.5-inch (11.4-cm) diamond mesh exemption is intended to increase the 
efficiency of reddfish catch.
    Similar to redfish, pollock and Gulf of Maine haddock are healthy 
stocks that have been underharvested in recent years. These two stocks 
are sometimes encountered with schools of redfish around the steep 
ledges in the Gulf of Maine. According to the application, the rocky 
bottom in this area is incompatible with the separator and Ruhle 
trawls. Further, the application asserts that 4.5-inch (11.4-cm) 
diamond mesh is effective at retaining redfish, but allows legal-sized 
haddock to escape. Mesh selectivity information shows that the 50-
percent retention rate for haddock of the minimum size (16 inches; 40.6 
cm) in square mesh is approximately 4.5 inches (11.4 cm). This EFP 
amendment would both: Expand the MREM program to refine and test on-
board handling requirements, dockside monitoring protocols, and video 
review for high volume vessels; and conduct exploratory fishing to test 
the potential for alternative gear configurations to provide additional 
opportunities to target healthy stocks.
    The applicants anticipate that during fishing year 2020 the 
participating vessel will conduct approximately 25-30 multiday trips in 
the requested area. Typical trips would be 7 to 10 days in duration 
with 5 to 8 days of fishing on each trip. The estimated catch provided 
in the application, based on previous performance of the subject 
vessel, is in Table 3.

                                      Table 3--Catch Composition Estimates
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                                                                     Estimated annual catch in live lb (kg)
                            Species                            -------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Legal-sized catch       Sub-legal size catch
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acadian Redfish...............................................    1,250,000 (2,750,000)          14,265 (31,383)
American Plaice...............................................            2,000 (4,400)           5,370 (11,814)
Atlantic Cod..................................................           8,036 (11,679)              744 (1,637)
Gulf of Maine Cod.............................................              893 (1,965)                176 (387)
Georges Bank West Cod.........................................           7,143 (15,715)              568 (1,250)
Georges Bank East Cod.........................................                    0 (0)                    0 (0)
Atlantic Halibut..............................................                150 (330)                250 (550)
Atlantic Wolffish.............................................                    0 (0)                  36 (79)
Haddock.......................................................      750,000 (1,650,000)            3,742 (8,232)
Ocean Pout....................................................                    0 (0)                    1 (2)
Pollock.......................................................      500,000 (1,100,000)            1,541 (3,390)
White Hake....................................................           8,929 (19,643)                    0 (0)
Witch Flounder................................................            3,571 (7,856)              674 (1,483)
Windowpane Flounder...........................................                    0 (0)                    0 (0)
Winter Flounder...............................................            1,500 (3,300)                    0 (0)
Yellowtail Flounder...........................................                100 (220)                    0 (0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. 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 27, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-24206 Filed 10-30-20; 8:45 am]
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