[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31575-31576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13468]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD979
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, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, 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 allow four commercial fishing vessels to
fish outside of the limited access sea scallop regulations in support
of bycatch reduction research.
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 Permits.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 18, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``DA15-036 CFF Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction Study EFP.''
Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope '' DA15-036 CFF
Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction Study EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fisheries Management
Specialist, 978-282-8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NOAA awarded the Coonamesset Farm Foundation
(CFF) a grant through the 2015 Atlantic sea scallop research set-aside
program, in support of a project titled, ``Determination of the Impacts
of Dredge Speed on Bycatch Reduction and Scallop Selectivity.''
CFF submitted a complete application for an EFP on March 30, 2015.
The project would look at how high towing speeds using the Turtle
Deflector Dredge (TDD) impact scallop catch per unit of
[[Page 31576]]
effort, scallop size selectivity, and fish bycatch. The study was
funded in response to feedback from the fishing industry that the TDD
must be towed at relatively high speeds to perform effectively.
CFF is requesting exemptions that would allow four commercial
fishing vessels be exempt from the Atlantic sea scallop days-at-sea
(DAS) allocations at 50 CFR 648.53(b); crew size restriction at Sec.
648.51(c); Closed Area I Closed Area at Sec. 648.58(a), Closed Area II
Closed Area at Sec. 648.58(b); and Nantucket Lightship Closed Area at
Sec. 648.58(c). It would also exempt the from possession limits and
minimum size requirements specified in 50 CFR part 648, subparts B and
D through O, for sampling purposes only. Any fishing activity conducted
outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
Four vessels would conduct scallop dredging in June-September 2015,
on a total of four 7-day trips, for a total of 28 DAS. Each trip would
complete approximately 15 tows per day for an overall total of 420 tows
for the project. All trips would take place in the open areas of
Southern New England and Georges Bank as well as in Georges Bank
scallop closed areas. Trips would be centralized around areas with high
yellowtail and winter flounder bycatch and in areas that contain a wide
range of scallop sizes to examine changes in size selectivity due to
tow speed.
All tows would be conducted with two tandem 15-foot (4.57-meter)
TDD dredges for a duration of 60 minutes with a tow speed range of 4-
5.5 knots. One dredge would be rigged with a 7-row apron and twine top
hanging ratio of 2:1, while the other dredge would be rigged with a 5-
row ring apron and 1.5:1 twine top hanging ratio. Both dredge aprons
would use 4-inch (10.16-cm) rings. Each tow pair would be conducted in
a straight line varying between higher and lower speeds with dredge
positions in an AB-BA alternating pattern with a wire scope of three to
one plus ten fathoms.
For all tows the sea scallop catch would be counted into baskets
and weighed. One basket from each dredge would be randomly selected and
the scallops would be measured in 5-mm increments to determine size
selectivity. Finfish catch would be sorted by species and then counted,
weighed and measured in 1-mm increments. Depending on the volume of
scallops and finfish captured, the catch would be subsampled as
necessary. No catch would be retained for longer than needed to conduct
sampling and no catch would be landed for sale.
Project Catch Estimates
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SNE GB
Species ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
lbs mt lbs mt
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Scallops............................ 52,300 23.72 22,700 10.30
Yellowtail.......................... 1,100 0.50 2,200 1.00
Winter Flounder..................... 400 0.18 1,300 0.59
Windowpane Flounder................. 2,800 1.27 3,000 1.36
Monkfish............................ 3,100 1.41 9,400 4.26
Other Fish.......................... 1,800 0.82 2,200 1.00
Barndoor Skate...................... 300 0.14 4,300 1.95
NE Skate Complex.................... 84,000 38.10 60,900 27.62
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CFF has requested these exemptions to allow them to conduct
experimental dredge towing without being charged DAS, as well as deploy
gear in access areas that are currently closed to scallop fishing.
Participating vessels would need crew size waivers to accommodate
science personnel and possession waivers would enable them to conduct
finfish sampling activities.
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 scope
of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 29, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-13468 Filed 6-2-15; 8:45 am]
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