[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12177-12178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04264]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA846]


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 Exempted Fishing Permit application from the 
Coonamessett Farm Foundation contains all of the required information 
and warrants further consideration. This Exempted Fishing Permit would 
allow a participating party/charter fishing vessel to temporarily 
possess undersized black sea bass for tagging and biological sampling 
purposes. 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 17, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on CFF Black Sea Bass Tagging EFP.'' If you cannot submit a 
comment through this method, please contact Laura Hansen at 978-281-
9225, or email at [email protected].

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) 
submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 
on October 26, 2020, to conduct fishing activities that the regulations 
would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize a participating 
vessel to temporarily possess undersize black sea bass while conducting 
tagging procedures and biological sampling. This research is designed 
to tag and release black sea bass to study movement patterns, habitat 
usage, and migratory cycles for up to the 2-year battery life of the 
telemetry tags.

[[Page 12178]]

    If approved, this research would be conducted over the course of 
two 3-day sampling trips in April and August of 2021, for a total of 6 
research fishing days. All fishing would be conducted using rod and 
reel gear on a contracted charter vessel in state and Federal waters 
off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The exact 
fishing locations would be determined by the vessel captain and 
recorded via GPS.
    All black sea bass caught on directed research trips under this EFP 
would be placed in a live well, and the length and sex of each 
individual would be recorded before tagging. Each black sea bass would 
then be tagged with an internal anchor spaghetti tag, allowed to 
recover from the procedure, assessed for barotrauma, and released back 
into the water using a pressure-activated recompression descending 
release device. All non-target species would be returned to the water 
as quickly as possible, and no catch would be retained for sale. CFF 
personnel would accompany all trips and oversee these research 
activities.
    In addition to the spaghetti tags, 77 black sea bass would be 
tagged with specialty tags/equipment through this project, with the 
type of specialized tag used and data gathered depending on the size 
and vigor of each fish. A total of 40 fish would receive acoustic 
transmitters to record temperature. An additional 34 slightly larger 
fish (greater than 25 cm) would receive an archival tag that records 
temperature, depth, and conductivity, and 3 fish (greater than 46 cm) 
will be affixed with satellite tags. The satellite tags measure 
temperature, depth, light level, and geolocation. CFF will also 
distribute 2,000 Floy internal anchor tags to collaborators to 
opportunistically tag black sea bass.
    CFF is requesting temporary exemptions from the recreational 
possession limit and minimum size restrictions in the Black Sea Bass 
Fishery Management Plan found at 50 CFR 648.145(a) and Sec.  
648.147(b), respectively, to sample and tag all black sea bass during 
these selected fishing trips. Funding for this research has been 
awarded under a NOAA Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research grant 
(NA18NMF4570257).
    If approved, CFF 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: February 25, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-04264 Filed 3-1-21; 8:45 am]
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