[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 240 (Friday, December 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86881-86882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27627]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD586]


Schedules for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and 
Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

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SUMMARY: Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe 
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in 
January, February, and March of 2024. Certain fishermen and shark 
dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory 
requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic 
Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted 
Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification 
Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom 
longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been 
issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free 
workshops will be conducted in 2024 and will be announced in a future 
notice. In addition, NMFS has implemented online recertification 
workshops for persons who have already taken an in-person training.

DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held on 
January 18, 2024, February 22, 2024, and March 21, 2024. The Safe 
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held on January 
16, 2024, February 2, 2024, and March 7, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in 
Kenner, LA, Fort Pierce, FL, and Medford, NY. The Safe Handling, 
Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in Portsmouth, NH, 
Key Colony Beach, FL, and Houston, TX.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elsa Gutierrez by email at 
[email protected] or by phone at 301-427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) 
fisheries are managed under the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments, pursuant to the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 
16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and consistent with the Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS implementing regulations 
are at 50 CFR part 635. Section 635.8 describes the requirements for 
the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, 
and Identification Workshops. The workshop schedules, registration 
information, and a list of frequently asked questions regarding the 
Atlantic Shark Identification and Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification workshops are available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops.

Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops

    Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited 
from receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks 
unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on 
the premises of each business listed under the shark dealer permit that 
first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006). Dealers 
who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a 
certificate for each place of business that is permitted to receive 
sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, certificates 
that were initially issued in 2021 will expire in 2024.
    Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark 
Identification Workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the 
dealer must designate a proxy for each place of business covered by the 
dealer's permit that first receives Atlantic sharks. Only one 
certificate will be issued to each proxy. A proxy must be a person who 
is currently employed by a place of business covered by the dealer's 
permit; is a primary participant in the identification, weighing, and/
or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded from a vessel; and who 
fills out dealer reports. Atlantic shark dealers are prohibited from 
renewing a Federal shark dealer permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark 
Identification Workshop certificate for each business location that 
first receives Atlantic sharks has been submitted with the permit 
renewal application. Additionally, a copy of a valid dealer or proxy 
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate must be in any 
trucks or other conveyances that are extensions of a dealer's place of 
business.

[[Page 86882]]

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations

    1. January 18, 2024, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Home2 Suites Kenner Airport, 
1112 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Kenner, LA 70062.
    2. February 22, 2024, 12 p.m.- 4 p.m., Hampton Inn & Suites Fort 
Pierce, 1985 Reynolds Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34945.
    3. March 21, 2024, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Comfort Inn--Medford, 2695 Route 
112, Medford, NY 11763.

Registration

    To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop, 
please contact Eric Sander at [email protected] or at 386-852-
8588. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not required.

Registration Materials

    To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct 
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items 
to the workshop:
     Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that 
the attendee is an owner or agent of the business (such as articles of 
incorporation), a copy of the applicable permit, and proof of 
identification.
     Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation 
from the permitted dealer acknowledging that the proxy is attending the 
workshop on behalf of the permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a 
specific business location, a copy of the appropriate valid permit, and 
proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives

    The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce 
the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the 
dealer reporting form and increase the accuracy of species-specific 
dealer-reported information. Reducing the number of unknown and 
improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and the data 
used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer 
permit holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark 
carcasses.

Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops

    Since January 1, 2007, shark limited access and swordfish limited 
access permit holders who fish with longline or gillnet gear have been 
required to submit a copy of their Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop certificate in order to renew either permit (71 
FR 58057, October 2, 2006). These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. 
Certificates issued in 2021 will expire in 2024. As such, vessel owners 
who have not already attended a workshop and received a NMFS 
certificate, or vessel owners whose certificate(s) will expire prior to 
the next permit renewal, must attend a workshop to fish with, or renew, 
their swordfish and shark limited access permits. Additionally, new 
shark and swordfish limited access permit applicants who intend to fish 
with longline or gillnet gear must attend a Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop and submit a copy of their workshop certificate 
before either of the permits will be issued.
    In addition to vessel owners, at least one operator on board 
vessels issued a limited access swordfish or shark permit that uses 
longline or gillnet gear is required to attend a Safe Handling, 
Release, and Identification Workshop and receive a certificate. Vessels 
that have been issued a limited access swordfish or shark permit and 
that use longline or gillnet gear may not fish unless both the vessel 
owner and operator have valid workshop certificates on board at all 
times. Vessel operators who have not already attended a workshop and 
received a NMFS certificate, or vessel operators whose certificate(s) 
will expire prior to their next fishing trip, must attend a workshop to 
operate a vessel with swordfish and shark limited access permits on 
which longline or gillnet gear is used.

Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations

    1. January 16, 2024, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Residence Inn by Marriott 
Downtown Portsmouth, 100 Deer Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
    2. February 2, 2024, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Key Colony Inn, 700 W Ocean 
Drive OS, Key Colony Beach, FL 33051.
    3. March 7, 2024, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Holiday Inn Express--Houston 
Medical Center, 9300 S Main Street, Houston, TX 77025.

Registration

    To register for a scheduled Safe Handling, Release, and 
Identification Workshop, please contact Angler Conservation Education 
at 386-682-0158. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not 
required.

Registration Materials

    To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct 
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items 
with them to the workshop:
     Individual vessel owners must bring a copy of the 
appropriate swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy of the vessel 
registration or documentation, and proof of identification;
     Representatives of a business-owned or co-owned vessel 
must bring proof that the individual is an agent of the business (such 
as articles of incorporation), a copy of the applicable swordfish and/
or shark permit(s), and proof of identification; and
     Vessel operators must bring proof of identification.

Workshop Objectives

    The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are 
designed to teach the owner and operator of a vessel that fishes with 
longline or gillnet gear the required techniques for the safe handling 
and release of entangled and/or hooked protected species, such as sea 
turtles, marine mammals, smalltooth sawfish, Atlantic sturgeon, and 
prohibited sharks. In an effort to improve reporting, the proper 
identification of protected species and prohibited sharks will also be 
taught at these workshops. Additionally, individuals attending these 
workshops will gain a better understanding of the requirements for 
participating in these fisheries. The overall goal of these workshops 
is to provide participants with the skills needed to reduce the 
mortality of protected species and prohibited sharks, which may prevent 
additional regulations on these fisheries in the future.

Online Recertification Workshops

    NMFS implemented an online option for shark dealers and owners and 
operators of vessels that fish with longline and gillnet gear to renew 
their certificates in December 2021. To be eligible for online 
recertification workshops, dealers and vessel owners and operators need 
to have previously attended an in-person workshop. Information about 
the courses is available online at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops. To access 
the course please visit: https://hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 12, 2023.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-27627 Filed 12-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P