[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32201-32202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10681]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC953]


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.

[[Page 32202]]


ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary 
determination that Exempted Fishing Permits to facilitate the use of 
fishing year 2023 and 2024 monkfish research set-aside days-at-sea 
warrant further consideration. This notice provides interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on the proposed Exempted Fishing Permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 5, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on 2023 Monkfish RSA EFP.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Spencer Talmage, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 978-281-9232, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) that waive 
monkfish landing limits have been routinely approved since 2007 to 
increase operational efficiency and optimize research funds generated 
from the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. These EFPs would 
facilitate compensation fishing in support of the projects funded under 
the 2023/2024 monkfish RSA competition. Consistent with previous years 
of the monkfish RSA program, these RSA compensation fishing EFPs would 
authorize an exemption for participating vessels from days-at-sea (DAS) 
landing limit restrictions in the Monkfish Northern and Southern 
Fishery Management Areas found at 50 CFR 648.94(b)(1) and (2). Vessels 
fishing under an RSA DAS would be allowed to harvest monkfish in excess 
of the usual landing limits associated with their Federal permits.
    The Monkfish RSA Program is allocated 500 monkfish RSA DAS 
annually, as established by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Councils in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) (70 FR 21929, April 28, 2005). These monkfish RSA DAS are 
awarded through a competitive grant program in support of monkfish 
research. Award recipients sell RSA DAS to limited access monkfish 
vessel owners to fund approved monkfish RSA research projects. Award 
recipients receive an allocation of RSA DAS and a maximum amount of 
monkfish that may be landed under available DAS. Projects are 
constrained to the total DAS, maximum available landing weight, or 
grant award timetable, whichever is reached first. To calculate a 
maximum weight allocation that is similar to the Councils' original 
intent to be harvested under the allocated 500 RSA DAS, NMFS uses twice 
the landing limit for Permit Category A and C monkfish vessel fishing 
in the Southern Fishery Management Area (4,074 lb (2 mt) whole weight) 
for each RSA DAS. Annually, a maximum of 2,037,000 lb (924 mt) of whole 
weight may be harvested across all Monkfish RSA projects. Allowing 
vessels an exemption from monkfish landing limits provides an incentive 
for vessels to purchase and fish under RSA DAS to catch more monkfish 
per trip, while constraining each project to a maximum available 
harvest limit ensures that the overall monkfish RSA catch will not be 
an excessive burden on the fishery as a whole.
    If approved, grant awardees may request minor modifications and 
extensions to their EFPs 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 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: May 15, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-10681 Filed 5-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P