[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17072-17073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06354]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB839]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Shark Management 
Measures; 2022 Research Fishery

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: On November 19, 2021, NMFS published a notice inviting 
qualified commercial shark permit holders to submit applications to 
participate in the 2022 Shark Research Fishery. The Shark Research 
Fishery allows for the collection of fishery-dependent data for future 
stock assessments and cooperative research with commercial fishermen to 
meet the shark research objectives of the Agency. Every year, the 
permit terms and permitted activities (e.g., number of hooks and 
retention limits) specifically authorized for selected participants in 
the Shark Research Fishery are designated depending on the scientific 
and research needs of the Agency, as well as the number of NMFS-
approved observers available. In order to inform selected participants 
of this year's specific permit requirements and ensure all terms and 
conditions of the permit are met, NMFS is holding a meeting via 
conference call and webinar for selected participants. The date and 
time of that meeting is announced in this notice.

DATES: A conference call will be held on March 31, 2022.

ADDRESSES: A meeting will be conducted. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
for information on how to access the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Guy DuBeck at (301) 427-8503 or 
Delisse Ortiz at (202) 930-1304.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic shark fisheries are managed 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The 2006 Consolidated Atlantic 
Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as 
amended, is implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635. Specifics 
regarding the commercial shark quotas and the shark research fishery 
can be found at Sec. Sec.  635.27(b) and 635.32(f).
    The final rule for Amendment 2 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (73 
FR 35778, June 24, 2008, corrected at 73 FR

[[Page 17073]]

40658, July 15, 2008) established, among other things, a shark research 
fishery to maintain time-series data for stock assessments and to meet 
NMFS' research objectives. The shark research fishery gathers important 
scientific data and allows selected commercial fishermen the 
opportunity to earn more revenue from selling the sharks caught, 
including sandbar sharks. Only the commercial shark fishermen selected 
to participate in the shark research fishery are authorized to land/
harvest sandbar sharks subject to the sandbar quota available each 
year. The 2022 base annual sandbar shark quota is 90.7 mt dressed 
weight (dw). The selected shark research fishery participants also may 
fish using the research large coastal shark (Sec.  
635.27(b)(1)(iii)(B)), small coastal shark (Sec.  635.27(b)(1)(i)(C) 
and (b)(1)(ii)(D)), and pelagic shark quotas (Sec.  
635.27(b)(1)(iii)(D)) subject to the retention limits at Sec.  635.24.
    On November 19, 2021 (86 FR 64909), NMFS published a notice 
inviting qualified commercial shark directed and incidental permit 
holders to submit an application to participate in the 2022 shark 
research fishery. NMFS received seven applications and selected five 
participants. In order to inform selected participants of this year's 
specific permit requirements and to ensure all terms and conditions of 
the permit are met, per the requirements of Sec.  635.32(f)(4), NMFS is 
holding a mandatory permit holder meeting via conference call and 
webinar.

Meeting Information

    The meeting will be held on March 31, 2022, from 2 to 4 p.m. (EDT). 
For conference call and webinar information, please go to https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/event/public-meeting-2022-shark-research-fishery.
    Selected participants are strongly encouraged to attend. Selected 
participants who are unable to attend will not be allowed to 
participate in the shark research fishery until they are able to 
discuss the terms and conditions of their shark research fishery permit 
with NMFS staff. Selected participants are encouraged to invite their 
captain, crew, or anyone else who may assist them in meeting the terms 
and conditions of the shark research fishery permit to the conference 
call. Other interested parties may call in and listen to the 
discussion.

    Dated: March 22, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-06354 Filed 3-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P