[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 251 (Tuesday, December 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79905-79906]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-33037]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 120202B]


Marine Mammal Authorization Program Integration of Registration 
for Selected Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Fisheries

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

ACTION: Notice of expansion of integrated registration program.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is providing notice that it is increasing the number of 
fisheries for which the Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP) 
registration is integrated with existing Federal fishery licensing and 
permitting programs. NMFS is integrating MMAP registration at this time 
for Category I or II federal fisheries permitted through the NMFS 
Southeast Regional office. Fishers who participate in a Category I or 
II fishery for which registration is not integrated must continue to 
register as specified in the List of Fisheries.

ADDRESSES: For east coast fisheries, registration information and 
marine mammal injury/mortality reporting forms may be obtained from the 
following regional offices:
    NMFS, Northeast Region, Protected Resources Division, One Blackburn 
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298, Attn: Marcia Hobbs.
    NMFS, Southeast Region, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33702, Attn: Teletha Griffin.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Lawson, Office of Protected 
Resources, 301-713-2322; Marcia Hobbs, Northeast Regional Office, 978-
281-9328; or Teletha Griffin, Southeast Regional Office, 727-570-5312. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal 
holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    According to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), all fishers 
who participate in a Category I or II fishery as provided in the List 
of Fisheries (67 FR 2410, January 17, 2002) must be registered in the 
MMAP. The MMAP provides an authorization for commercial fishers which 
allows the incidental (i.e., non-intentional) taking of marine mammals 
pursuant to the MMPA during the course of commercial fishing 
operations. To qualify for this authorization, fishers who participate 
in a Category I or II fishery must register in the MMAP. (For a 
complete description of requirements for Category I and II fisheries, 
consult 50 CFR 229.4). A complete description of the purpose and 
history of the MMAP integration process can be found in 67 FR 42237 
(June 21, 2002).
    The goals of the expanded integration program include assuring 
consistency in registration procedures across a greater number of 
fisheries, increasing the number of registrants to better reflect the 
level of participation in the fisheries for monitoring purposes, and 
conducting outreach to the fishing industry with regard to MMPA 
requirements. By using data from existing fishery licensing programs, 
the MMAP integration will reduce the registration burden on the fishing 
industry while better facilitating the protection and conservation of 
marine mammals. In a licensing system that is integrated with the MMAP, 
fishers will no longer have to submit an MMAP registration form, 
current fishery permit holders registration form, renewal form, or 
processing fee to NMFS in order to receive or validate their MMAP 
Authorization Certificates.
    NMFS is pursuing the integration of MMAP registration based on the 
fishery listings in the 2002 LOF. Southeast fisheries permitted through 
the Southeast Regional Federal Permits office which will be integrated 
include Coastal Migratory Pelagics, Rock Shrimp, Shark, Snapper-
Grouper, High Seas, and Swordfish. Of those fisheries, only those 
permit holders who indicated use of gear types that fall within the 
2002 LOF will be integrated. These gear types include portions of the 
gillnet, longline, and trawl fisheries.
    A database has been established to query the license-holder 
information from the Federal permit database. Using this information, 
NMFS will mail MMAP Authorization Certificates and marine mammal 
injury/mortality reporting forms to each permit or license-holder. The 
certificates will

[[Page 79906]]

provide an MMAP authorization for all fishers who participate in an 
integrated Category I or II fishery, provided that the fisher holds a 
valid Federal fishing permit or license for the affected regulated 
fishery.
    A fisher who participates in state and/or Federal fisheries not yet 
integrated with the MMAP registration system must continue to send in 
the registration form to NMFS.

    Dated: December 16, 2002.
Rebecca Lent,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-33037 Filed 12-30-02; 8:45 am]
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