[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 82 (Tuesday, April 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23944-23945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09732]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD249
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; At-Sea
Scales Requirements
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public workshop.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a workshop to solicit input from owners and
operators of catcher/processor vessels (C/Ps) and motherships that are
required to weigh catch at sea. The workshop concerns proposed changes
to equipment and operational requirements for motion compensating
scales that weigh catch at sea. These proposed changes would affect the
owners and operators of three groups of vessels: trawl C/Ps and
motherships permitted to fish for or to receive pollock in the Bering
Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) under the (American Fisheries Act) AFA;
trawl C/Ps permitted to fish for groundfish under Amendment 80 to the
Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the BSAI or rockfish in the
Central Gulf of Alaska; and longline C/Ps with a license limitation
program license endorsed for C/P operations that fish for Pacific cod
using hook-and-line gear in the Bering Sea or Aleutian Islands areas.
The workshop will be divided into three sections, and each section will
focus on how the proposed changes will affect the three groups of
vessels described above. The workshop is open to the public, but NMFS
is specifically requesting those who are knowledgeable about the
operations of the three groups of vessels (described above) to attend.
DATES: The public workshop will be held on Friday, May 16, 2014. The
workshop will be divided into three sessions: AFA trawl C/Ps and
motherships, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Pacific daylight savings time;
Amendment 80
[[Page 23945]]
and Central GOA trawl C/Ps, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific daylight
savings time; and Pacific cod longline C/Ps, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Pacific daylight savings time.
ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the International Pacific
Halibut Commission (IPHC) Seattle Office, 2320 West Commodore Way,
Suite 300, Seattle, WA. Directions to the IPHC are on its Web site at
http://www.iphc.int/component/content/article/135-new-office.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Kinsolving, 928-774-4362 or
Jennifer Watson, 907-586-7537.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is developing proposed revisions to the
at-sea scales program for C/Ps and motherships that are required to
weigh catch at sea. NMFS is considering three major changes to current
regulations. First, NMFS is proposing to change regulations concerning
daily scale testing and require electronic reporting of daily scale
test results. Second, scales used to weigh catch would need electronics
capable of logging and printing the frequency and magnitude of scale
calibrations as well as the time and date of each scale fault and scale
startup. Finally, NMFS is proposing to require that the area around the
scale be monitored using video. These changes are being proposed to
reduce the possibility of scale tampering, to improve the accuracy of
catch estimation by the C/P and mothership sector, and to revise
technical regulations that are no longer applicable.
The workshop--to be held Friday, May 16, 2014 (see DATES section
for the specific times of the three sessions)--is open to the public,
but NMFS is particularly seeking participation by those who are
knowledgeable about the operations of the three groups of vessels
described above and who can discuss with NMFS the potential operational
impacts of proposed monitoring requirements.
Special Accommodations
The workshop will be physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Jennifer Watson, 907-586-7537, at
least 10 working days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: April 24, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-09732 Filed 4-28-14; 8:45 am]
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