[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 104 (Thursday, May 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32374-32375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12862]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC600
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, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator),
has made a preliminary determination that an exempted fishing permit
application contains all of the required information and warrants
further consideration. This exempted fishing permit would exempt
commercial fishing vessels from the prohibition on landing unshucked
surfclams into any container other than a standard surfclam/ocean
quahog cage, and would allow project participants to test alternatives
to the industry standard cage used in the Atlantic surfclam fishery.
The research would be coordinated by the Cape Cod Commercial Hook
Fishermen's Association.
Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for
proposed exempted fishing permit.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 14, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``Comments on CCCHFA Atlantic surfclam EFP.''
Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE
Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark
the outside of the envelope ``Comments on CCCHFA Atlantic surfclam
EFP.''
Fax: (978) 281-9135.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Berthiaume, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-281-9177, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's
Association (CCCHFA) submitted a complete application for an exempted
fishing permit on May 14, 2013, to conduct commercial fishing
activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. The Exempted
Fishing Permit (EFP) would authorize up to three vessels to research
the feasibility of a day-boat Atlantic surfclam fishery for smaller
vessels based out of Cape Cod by testing alternatives to the large
industry-standard cages and 32-bu (1,703.68 L) cage tags. The
traditional cages do not fit on smaller day-boats and, as a result,
vessels not capable of carrying a cage onboard must offload directly
into cages. The applicant stated that offloading into cages can be
burdensome and dangerous and the extra handling and the compression of
clams in the bottom of the cage can lead to damaged product. The CCCHFA
proposes to explore the use of smaller containers that would result in
less damaged product, thus creating a market for a lower volume, high
quality product.
In addition, the applicant seeks to devise a means for tagging and
quantifying cage equivalents. The Atlantic surfclam fishery manages
quota allocations by using a tagging system, with each tag representing
32 bu (1,703.68 L) of allocation, or one cage. In addition to managing
allocations, the tagging requirement is also important to maintain
product chain of custody to allow harvested product to be tracked and
disposed of, in the event the shellfish are harvested from contaminated
waters and are determined to not be fit for human consumption. For
these reasons, every cage containing surfclams must remain tagged from
when the clams are first offloaded to the point of final disposition.
Because this exempted fishing permit would exempt the cage
requirements, by default the cage-tagging requirements would not be
applicable. However, because tags are essential to carrying out the
surfclam fishery, the applicants would work with NMFS and the National
Band and Tag Company to convert standard cage tags into single-bushel
tags to ensure all product harvested would be tagged. To allow for the
flexibility to test a variety of experimental cage alternatives, 1-bu
(53.24-L) tags would be developed and utilized on all cage
alternatives.
Surfclams would be landed in bushel increments using standardized
fishery bushel methodology. Participants propose to test the viability
of three different cage alternatives:
1. Standardized shellfish bag (1 bu (53.24 L));
2. Standardized stackable fish tote (1 bu (53.24 L)); and
3. Standardized fish vat (used for skates and dogfish) (16 bu
(851.84 L)).
Standardized shellfish bags and stackable fish totes would each
hold 1 bu (53.24 L) and would be tagged with a 1-bu (53.24-L) tag. The
standardized fish vat measures nearly 16 bu (851.84 L), and would be
tagged with no fewer than sixteen, 1-bu (53.24-L) tags. The shellfish
bags and fish totes would be further constrained to weigh no more than
89 lb (40.4 kg), the standard weight equivalent of a single bushel of
clams.
Quota and tags would be tracked using methods consistent with the
standard Atlantic surfclam fishery reporting requirements. All Atlantic
surfclams would be sold to federally permitted dealers. In addition,
when offloading to the dealer, weight samples would be taken to verify
weights as to further develop the experimental containers.
The target species would be Atlantic surfclam, with some possible
landings of stinson's clams. All clams caught would be sold and would
be applied against the CCCHFA quota allocation of 31,136 bu (1.6
million L). A 4-ft (122-cm) hydraulic clam dredge would be used on 30-
40, 15-min tows, on up to 150 trips. The research would be conducted
from June through October, in Federal waters surrounding Nantucket
Island within 30 mi (48 km) of shore.
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
[[Page 32375]]
scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 24, 2013.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-12862 Filed 5-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P