[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10338-10339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03905]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB831]


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.

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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 contains all 
of the required information and warrants further consideration. The 
Exempted Fishing Permit would allow commercial fishing vessels to fish 
outside fishery regulations in support of research conducted by the 
applicant. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative 
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 11, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``AOLA Larval Lobster EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Deighan, Fishery Management 
Specialist, [email protected], (978) 281-9184.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's 
Association submitted a complete application for an Exempted Fishing 
Permit (EFP) to conduct commercial fishing activities that the 
regulations would otherwise restrict to assess the distribution and 
abundance of lobster larvae and their potential food sources. This EFP 
would exempt the participating vessels from the Federal regulations 
described in Table 1.

                      Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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           Citation                 Regulation       Need for exemption
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50 CFR 697.7(c)(1)(xxii)......  Lobster gear       To allow for the use
                                 prohibitions.      of multiple gear
                                                    types capable of
                                                    catching lobsters.
Sec.   697.17(a)..............  Lobster            To allow the harvest
                                 possession         of lobster above the
                                 restrictions.      non-trap limit.
Sec.   697.20(a)..............  Lobster            To allow for the
                                 possession         collection of larval
                                 restrictions.      lobsters below the
                                                    minimum size.
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[[Page 10339]]

    This project would provide information on the spatial and temporal 
distribution and abundance of early and late stage American lobster 
larvae and their likely zooplankton prey in the Gulf of Maine and 
Georges Bank. This study would use one federally permitted lobster 
vessel to conduct sampling with a neuston net at a single offshore site 
(Lobster Management Area 3) during 10 5-10 day fishing trips between 
May 15, 2022, and October 15, 2022. The participants would record 
physical parameters and conduct three 15-minute tows on a single day 
during each trip. After each tow, participants would preserve 
zooplankton in 500 mL sample bottles, a total of up to 30 bottles of 
preserved plankton, and transfer the samples to the project 
researchers. The crew has been trained to operate the scientific gear 
and obtain the samples without a technician on board.
    The Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association received an EFP for 
this project in 2021, but the crew was only able to sample on 4 of the 
14 proposed dates in 2021. This EFP would allow the project team to 
complete the work and meet the project objectives.
    Participants would land and sell legal catch caught in standard 
gear during the trips.
    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: February 18, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-03905 Filed 2-23-22; 8:45 am]
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