[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 37209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14756]
[[Page 37209]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC723
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permit
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
(EFP) application submitted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center
contains all of the required information and warrants further
consideration. The EFP would allow participants of an Electronic
Monitoring (EM) Study to retain all catch brought on board, including
sub-legal groundfish, prohibited species (with some exceptions), and
fish that would otherwise be discarded. All catch would be sampled at
the dock by a dockside monitor.
Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide
interested parties the opportunity to comment on EFP applications.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 5, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``Comments on NEFSC Electronic Monitoring 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 NEFSC Electronic Monitoring
EFP.''
Fax: (978) 281-9135.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz Sullivan, Fisheries Management
Specialist, 978-282-8493, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
(NEFSC) submitted a complete application for an EFP on June 4, 2013, to
enable data collection activities that the regulations on commercial
fishing would otherwise restrict. The EFP would exempt three federally
permitted commercial fishing vessels from fishing regulations while
participating in the EM study and operating under projects managed by
the NEFSC. The EFP would exempt participating vessels from the
following fish possession regulations: Minimum fish size restrictions;
fish possession limits; prohibited fish species (unless otherwise
noted), not including species protected under the Endangered Species
Act (ESA); and gear-specific fish possession restrictions.
The Fishery Sampling Branch (FSB) of the NEFSC is conducting a
multi-year study in conjunction with Archipelago Marine Research, Ltd.,
to investigate the use of EM technology as a monitoring tool in the
Northeast multispecies fishery. The technology would be tested on three
volunteer vessels in the trawl, longline, and gillnet fisheries,
representing a range of vessel sizes, to effectively assess the
applicability of the technology in sector-based management. EM
technology uses a combination of passive electronic systems, such as
video cameras, motion sensors, locator devices, and computers to detect
fishing events and capture catch handling practices. In this mock full-
retention program, the catch would be retained and EM technology would
be used to monitor and document discard compliance. Any incidentally
caught marine mammal; seabird; sea turtle; ESA-listed fish; large
pelagic fish; American lobster; thorny, barndoor, or smooth skate;
wolffish; or Atlantic halibut would be discarded at sea per normal
fishing requirements at designated control points on the vessels, in
full view of a monitoring camera. Vessel captains would have the
discretion to discard at sea large portions of select catch (dogfish
and skates) due to safety concerns; these discard events would be
documented.
These exemptions would only apply to declared multispecies trips
that are conducted in coordination with FSB and would include a
dockside monitor intercept. The three vessels involved in the EM Study
participate in sectors. All catch of stocks allocated to sectors by
vessels would be deducted from the sector's Annual Catch Entitlement
(ACE) for each Northeast multispecies stock. Once a sector's ACE for a
stock has been reached, vessels would no longer be allowed to fish in
that stock area, unless they acquired additional ACE for the limiting
stock.
Dockside monitoring is a necessary component to this monitoring
approach to verify catch and Vessel Trip Reporting (VTR) data. Dockside
sampling would include collecting weights for fish that would be
discarded during a normal fishing trip. Marketable fish would be
accounted for by the dealer and VTR data. Non-marketable catch,
including sub-legal sized groundfish, prohibited species, fish for
which the vessel does not have a permit to sell, and fish below market
quality would be identified, weighed, and sampled by FSB staff. FSB
staff would retain any non-marketable catch, which could be used for
training for observers, donation to food shelters, and donation to
local fishermen for bait.
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 impact 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: June 17, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-14756 Filed 6-19-13; 8:45 am]
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