[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49258-49259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19607]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC791
Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Special Coral Reef Ecosystem
Fishing Permit
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of environmental assessment; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing
Permit that would authorize Kampachi Farms, LLC, to culture and harvest
a coral reef ecosystem management unit fish species in a floating pen
moored about 5.5 nm off the west coast of the Island of Hawaii in about
6,000 ft of water. This notice informs the public that NMFS prepared a
draft environmental assessment (EA) of the potential impacts of the
proposed activity.
DATES: Comments on the draft EA must be received by September 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, by either of the following methods:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0125, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto,
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601
Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
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
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), and will accept attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
NMFS prepared a draft EA that describe the potential impacts on the
human environment that would result from the proposed activity. The
draft EA is available from www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Phyllis Ha, Sustainable Fisheries,
NMFS PIR, tel 808-944-2265.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS proposes to issue a Special Coral Reef
Ecosystem Fishing Permit to Kampachi Farms, LLC, consistent with
Federal regulations for Hawaii fisheries at 50 CFR 665.224, pertaining
to management of coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and in accordance with
the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for the Hawaii Archipelago (FEP). NMFS would
authorize Kampachi Farms to culture and harvest the native coral reef
ecosystem management unit fish species kampachi (Seriola rivoliana,
marketed as Kona Kampachi[supreg]) using a 132 m[supcaret]3
(approximately 21 feet in diameter) brass-link mesh aquapod (CuPod)
tethered to a moored, 28-ft feed vessel. The feed vessel would be
connected to a single-point mooring established at around 6,000 feet
deep approximately 5.5 nm west of Keauhou Bay, Hawaii. The Velella
array (the name for the combined CuPod and vessel) would be located in
Federal waters with the exact position depending on wind and currents.
It would not be closer than 3 nm to shore.
A special permit is required because the gear proposed for
harvesting a coral reef ecosystem management unit species is not
currently identified as an approved gear type under the FEP and fishing
regulations. If NMFS permits the activity, the applicant would use the
Velella array to grow and harvest 2,000 kampachi fingerlings and
juveniles. The stock would be first generation offspring of fish
obtained from a local hatchery. If approved, NMFS would authorize the
activity for one year.
In this draft EA, information indicates that the low rearing
density of fishes, established procedures for application of feed,
passive flushing and near constant movement in offshore waters are
expected to minimize impacts on water quality. The strong brass mesh
net
[[Page 49259]]
material is resistant to biofouling and leaching and the CuPod design
includes mesh entry panels that prevent fish escapes.
The array's CuPod and vessel would each have a GPS navigation unit
to provide location information in the unlikely case of separation from
the mooring. In addition to the applicant's monitoring of the array and
surrounding waters, the conditions of the NMFS permit would include
requirements for avoiding and reporting protected resources
interactions, preventing fish escapes and methods of discarding of dead
fish, filing harvest and transshipment reports, and accommodating an
observer upon request. These operational features, together with the
limited scale and duration of the project, resulted in a preliminary
determination that the project would have a very limited impact on the
environment.
NMFS expects that the array will aggregate pelagic fish. Fishermen
would be able to fish around the array. The small size of the array is
not expected to have a large adverse impact on catches by other
fishermen in the ocean in west Hawaii.
Kampachi Farms must also obtain a Department of the Army permit
from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the proposed mooring. NMFS
prepared this draft EA with input and review by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. When finalized, the EA will serve as the basis for NMFS to
determine whether or not the activity would be a major federal action
with the potential for significant environmental impacts. If determined
to have major impacts, NMFS would need to prepare an environmental
impact statement. The EA will also inform NMFS in its decision about
whether to issue the special permit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
will use this EA to inform the preparation of its own environmental
evaluation in accordance with its internal procedures.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 8, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-19607 Filed 8-12-13; 8:45 am]
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