[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 73 (Thursday, April 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16111-16112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06588]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE834]
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.
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 (EFP) application
contains all of the required information and warrants further
consideration. The EFP would allow federally permitted fishing vessels
to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing
activities proposed by the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute.
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 EFPs.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 1, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by the following method:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``GMGI 2025 Lobster Genomics EFP''.
All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted for public viewing without change. All personal
identifying information (e.g., name, address), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``anonymous'' as the signature if you wish to remain
anonymous).
[[Page 16112]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caroline Potter, Fishery Resource
Management Specialist, [email protected], (978) 281-9325.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
submitted a complete application for an EFP to conduct commercial
fishing activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. This
EFP would exempt the participating vessels from the following Federal
regulations:
Table 1--Requested Exemptions
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CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption
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50 CFR 697.20(c)(2)........................ Lobster Mutilation............... Landing legs from ovigerous
female lobsters.
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Table 2--Project Summary
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Project title................ Genomic population structure of American
lobster in U.S. waters for stock
delineation.
Project start................ 06/01/2025.
Project end.................. 01/31/2026.
Project objectives........... To assess spatial stock structure and
signals of natural selection of American
lobster.
Project location............. Statistical Areas 515, 562, 526, 537,
616, and 611.
Number of vessels............ Up to 7.
Number of trips.............. Approximately 7.
Trip duration (days)......... 3.
Total number of days......... Approximately 21.
Gear type(s)................. Lobster pots.
Number of tows or sets....... 30 per trip.
Duration of tows or sets..... 1 day.
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Project Narrative
This project would assess spatial stock structure and signals of
natural selection of American lobster by using a population genomics
approach. The intention is for the project to assist in improving
management unit delineations for lobster in the Gulf of Maine, Georges
Bank, and Southern New England regions. To achieve this, the project
sets four aims: (1) improve the chromosome-level reference genome
assembly for the American lobster; (2) build collaborative partnerships
with commercial lobstermen and regional lobster biologists by
collecting lobster tissue samples from locations throughout U.S. waters
and one Canadian location; (3) assess genetic population structure and
interpret responses to regional and environmental conditions recorded
within the genome; and (4) disseminate results to the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission's American Lobster Technical Committee to
improve stock delineations and management strategies.
While the overall project targets 21 locations in state and Federal
waters, this EFP only includes vessels fishing at 7 of these locations
of which 6 would be in Federal waters and 1 would be in Long Island
Sound. At each of the seven locations, fishermen would fish for lobster
using standard lobster pots, which would be configured and set
consistent with offshore lobster fishing practices. This fishing
activity is planned to be conducted as part of the fishermen's regular
fishing activity. Legal lobsters that are harvested during the trips
would be landed for sale. For each late-stage egg-bearing female, the
fishermen would remove for collection the smallest walking leg. After
recording carapace length and latitude and longitude, the female would
be released. A maximum of 280 samples would be collected from across
the 7 locations, with a target sample size of 25 at each location. One
trip would be taken for each location with each trip lasting three
days.
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: April 14, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-06588 Filed 4-16-25; 8:45 am]
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