[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32673-32674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13079]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB167]


Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; 
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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit application from Blue 
Planet Strategies contains all of 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 July 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Blue Planet Strategies EFP.'' If you cannot submit a 
comment through this method, please contact Allison Murphy at (978) 
281-9122, or email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Murphy, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9122, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Blue Planet Strategies submitted a complete 
application for an EFP on May 15, 2021 for an Exempted Fishing Permit 
(EFP) to conduct fishing activities that Federal regulations would 
otherwise restrict. The purpose of this study is to test technologies 
for sub-surface gear marking and gear tracking technologies and 
prototypes for acoustic release of bottom stowed lift bags or vertical 
lines for retrieving fishing gear used in the New England groundfish, 
monkfish, and American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries for the purpose 
of reducing buoy line interactions with marine

[[Page 32674]]

mammals. This EFP would authorize up to 9 participating vessels in 2021 
and 12 participating vessels in 2022 to test ropeless systems in the 
Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Area (gillnet) and Lobster Management 
Areas 1 and 3 (lobster trap/pot). Blue Planet Strategies is requesting 
exemptions from the following requirements:
    1. 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; 
and
    2. Gear marking requirements at Sec.  648.84(b) to allow for the 
use of a single buoy marker on a gillnet.
    The participating gillnet fishermen typically fish 21 nets not 
longer than 300 ft (91.44 m). One end of the gillnet will be marked 
according to regulations, the other end will test a lift bag system. 
The participating lobster harvesters fish between 2 and 45 traps per 
trawl in depths ranging from 50 to 300 ft (15.24 to 91.44 m). One end 
of approximately 4 trawls per vessel will be marked according to 
regulations, the other end will use either a lift bag system, a buoy 
and stowed rope system, or a spooled rope system. Both gillnet and 
lobster gear will test either acoustic or modem gear marking 
technology. A maximum of 100 gillnet deployments are anticipated in 
2021 and 140 deployments are expected in 2022, with a soak time of 96 
hours. A maximum of 200 lobster trap trawl deployments are anticipated 
in 2021 and 800 are expected in 2022, with a maximum soak time of 4-8 
days. Sampling would largely occur from June to October in both 2021 
and 2022, though the permit has been requested through December 2022. 
Initial deployments would be overseen by an engineering team.
    We published a proposed rule (85 FR 86878) on December 31, 2020 
that would modify the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan 
regulations at Sec.  229. The proposed rule included a new seasonal 
restricted area that falls within Area 1 that would be closed to buoy 
lines from October through January but would allow ropeless fishing. A 
final rule is expected to be published later in 2021. Should the 
closure be implemented and should investigators wish to access this 
area, additional EFP terms and conditions may be required.
    If approved, Blue Planet Strategies may request minor modifications 
and extensions to the EFP throughout the study. 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 16, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-13079 Filed 6-21-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P