[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53396-53397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14010]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE012]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Applications for Exempted 
Fishing Permits; 2024-2025 Fishing Year

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

ACTION: Notice of receipt of application; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made 
a preliminary determination that two exempted fishing permit (EFP) 
applications warrant further consideration. Both applications are from 
the California Wetfish Producers Association (CWPA) and request an 
exemption from the expected prohibition on primary directed fishing for 
Pacific sardine during the 2024-2025 fishing year to collect Pacific 
sardine as part of industry-based scientific research. NMFS requests 
public comment on the applications.

DATES: Comments must be received by July 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2024-0058, by the following method:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all public comments via the 
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and type 
NOAA-NMFS-2024-0058 in the Search box. Click the ``Comment'' icon, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. The 
EFP applications will be available under Supporting and Related 
Materials through the same link.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
https://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katie Davis, West Coast Region, NMFS, 
(323) 362-2126, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Approving the EFP applications would be 
authorized under the Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745, which allow NMFS Regional 
Administrators to authorize EFPs for fishing activities that would 
otherwise be prohibited.
    At its April 2024 meeting, the Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council) recommended that NMFS approve two EFP applications for the 
2024-2025 Pacific sardine fishing year. Both applications are from the 
CWPA and are renewal requests for an exemption from the expected 
prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific sardine during the 
2024-2025 fishing year; the purpose of the requests are to collect 
Pacific sardine as part of industry-based scientific research. The 
Council considered these EFP applications concurrently with the 2024-
2025 annual harvest specifications for Pacific sardine because Pacific 
sardine catch under each EFP would be accounted for under the proposed 
2024-2025 annual catch limit (ACL), which is 6,005 metric tons (mt). A 
summary of each EFP application is provided below:
    (1) Request renewal of exempted fishery permit (EFP) to allow take 
of Pacific sardine in point sets in 2024-2025 in support of the CPS-NCA 
research program: The CWPA submitted a renewal application for their 
CPS Nearshore Cooperative Survey (NCS) program. The purpose of this EFP 
project is to collect data for estimating CPS biomass in shallow waters 
that are not accessible to NOAA ships. The California Department of 
Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting 
aerial surveys to

[[Page 53397]]

estimate the biomass and distribution of Pacific sardine and certain 
other CPS in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight since 
2012, and in the Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. 
The CPS-NCS survey would capture CPS schools identified by aerial 
spotter pilots, and weigh and sample the catch onshore to validate the 
biomass and species composition of the schools observed in the 
nearshore aerial survey. If approved, this EFP would allow up to eight 
participating vessels to directly harvest a total of 150 mt of Pacific 
sardine during the 2024-2025 fishing year. A portion of each point set 
(i.e., an individual haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) 
would be retained for biological sampling, and the remainder would be 
sold by participating fishermen and processors to offset research costs 
and avoid unnecessary discard.
    (2) Request renewal of exempted fishery permit (EFP) to allow 
fishing of Pacific sardine for biological samples in 2024-2025 
nearshore research program: The CWPA submitted a renewal application 
for their biological sampling EFP project. The primary directed fishery 
for Pacific sardine has been closed since 2015 and, consequently, 
scientists at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) have a 
limited amount of fishery-dependent data to use in their stock 
assessment. The goal of this EFP project is to provide fishery-
dependent catch data, including biological data (i.e., age and length 
data from directed harvest), for potential use in Pacific sardine stock 
assessments. If approved, this EFP would allow up to eight 
participating vessels to directly harvest up to 520 mt of Pacific 
sardine during the 2024-2025 fishing year. A portion of each landing 
would be retained for biological sampling by the California Department 
of Fish and Wildlife, and the remainder would be sold by participating 
fishermen and processors to offset research costs and avoid unnecessary 
discard.
    Altogether, these EFP projects total 670 mt. If NMFS does not issue 
one or more of these EFPs, the requested tonnage would be available for 
harvest by other permissible fishing activities during the 2024-2025 
fishing year (e.g., live bait or minor directed harvest).
    After publication of this notice in the Federal Register, NMFS may 
approve and issue permits to participating vessels after the close of 
the public comment period. NMFS will consider comments submitted in 
deciding whether to approve the applications as requested. NMFS may 
approve the applications in their entirety or may make any alterations 
needed to achieve the goals of the EFP projects and the FMP. NMFS may 
also approve different amounts of Pacific sardine allocation for each 
EFP project if any changes are made to the 2024-2025 proposed sardine 
harvest specifications before final implementation.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: June 21, 2024.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-14010 Filed 6-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P