[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3081-3082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00977]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB646]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern 
United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Approved Monitoring 
Service Providers

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

ACTION: Notification of approved monitoring service providers.

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

SUMMARY: NMFS has approved two additional companies to provide 
Northeast multispecies sector electronic monitoring services in fishing 
year 2022. Regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan require at-sea and electronic monitoring companies to 
be approved by NMFS to provide monitoring services to sectors. This 
action will allow sectors to contract for electronic monitoring 
services with any of the approved service providers for fishing year 
2022.

ADDRESSES: The list of NMFS-approved sector monitoring service 
providers is available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/data/observer-providers-northeast-and-mid-atlantic-programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samantha Tolken, Fishery Management 
Specialist, (978) 675-2176, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan includes a requirement for industry-funded monitoring 
of catch by sector vessels. Sectors must contract with independent 
third-party service providers who provide at-sea and/or electronic 
monitoring services to their vessels. In order to provide at-sea or 
electronic monitoring services to sectors, monitoring companies must be 
approved by NMFS. The regulations at 50 CFR 648.87(b)(4) describe the 
criteria for approval of at-sea and electronic monitoring service 
provider applications. We approve service providers based on: (1) 
Completeness and sufficiency of applications; and (2) determination of 
the applicant's ability to meet the performance requirements of a 
sector monitoring service provider. Once approved, service providers 
must meet specified performance requirements outlined in Sec.  
648.87(b)(4), including required coverage levels, in order to maintain 
eligibility. We must notify service providers, in writing, if NMFS 
withdraws approval for any reason.

Approved Monitoring Service Providers

    NMFS previously approved seven companies to provide monitoring 
services to the Northeast multispecies sectors in fishing years 2021 
and 2022.

[[Page 3082]]

Four of the seven approved companies provide both at-sea and electronic 
monitoring services: A.I.S., Inc.; East West Technical Services, LLC; 
Fathom Research, LLC; and Saltwater, Inc. The other three approved 
companies provide electronic monitoring services: Flywire Cameras; New 
England Marine Monitoring; and Teem Fish. On September 18, 2021, NMFS 
announced an additional opportunity for monitoring companies to apply 
for approval to provide at-sea monitoring and/or electronic monitoring 
services in fishing year 2022.
    NMFS approved two additional companies to provide electronic 
monitoring services to the Northeast multispecies sectors in fishing 
year 2022: Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd.; and Satlink US, LLC. 
Table 1 includes the revised list of approved monitoring providers for 
fishing year 2022.
    We approved the additional two companies to provide electronic 
monitoring services in fishing year 2022 because they have met the 
application requirements and documented their ability to comply with 
service provider standards. We will closely monitor the performance of 
approved providers, and we will withdraw approval during the current 
approval term if we determine performance standards are not being met.

                                                    Table 1--Approved Providers for Fishing Year 2022
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Provider                           Services                     Address               Phone            Fax                Website
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.I.S., Inc...........................  ASM/EM......................  540 Hawthorn St.,           508-990-9054    508-990-9055  https://aisobservers.com/
                                                                       Dartmouth, MA 02747.                                      .
Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd......  EM..........................  525 Head St., Victoria,     250-383-4535    250-383-0103  https://
                                                                       BC V9A 5S1, Canada.                                       www.archipelago.ca/.
East West Technical Services, LLC.....  ASM/EM......................  91 Point Judith Rd.,        860-910-4957    860-223-6005  https://www.ewts.com/.
                                                                       Suite 26, Unit 347,
                                                                       Narragansett, RI 02882.
Fathom Resources, LLC.................  ASM/EM......................  855 Aquidneck Ave., Unit    508-990-0997    508-991-7372  https://
                                                                       9, Middletown, RI 02842.                                  fathomresources.com/.
Flywire Cameras.......................  EM..........................  P.O. BOX 55048,             888-315-7796    502-861-6568  https://
                                                                       Lexington, KY 40511.                                      www.flywirecameras.com/
                                                                                                                                 .
New England Marine Monitoring.........  EM..........................  350 Commercial St.,         508-269-8138  ..............  https://
                                                                       Portland, ME 04101.                                       www.nemarinemonitoring
                                                                                                                                 .com/.
Saltwater, Inc........................  ASM/EM......................  733 N St., Anchorage, AK    907-276-3241    907-258-5999  https://
                                                                       99501.                                                    www.saltwaterinc.com/.
Satlink US, LLC.......................  EM..........................  16423 Sawgrass Drive,       703-447-5287  ..............  https://www.satlink.es/
                                                                       Rehoboth Beach, DE                                        en/.
                                                                       19971.
Teem Fish.............................  EM..........................  90--425 Carrall St.,        778-884-2598  ..............  https://teem.fish/.
                                                                       Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3,
                                                                       Canada.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASM/EM = At-sea and electronic monitoring; EM = Electronic monitoring only.

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

    Dated: January 13, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-00977 Filed 1-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P