[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 147 (Wednesday, July 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44225-44226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-17405]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XJ29
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an exempted fishing
permit; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application for an exempted
fishing permit (EFP) from Tom Burgess of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina.
If granted, the EFP would authorize the applicant, with certain
conditions, to collect limited numbers of snapper and grouper using
chevron traps, a prohibited gear type, and compare results from inside
and outside a proposed marine protected area (MPA). Acoustic sonar
would be utilized to collect catch-per unit-effort (CPUE) data. This
study is intended to collect data to develop a model for estimating
deep-water snapper-grouper abundance in South Atlantic Federal waters.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern time, on
August 29, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application by any of the
following methods:
e-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
the following: ``Comment on Burgess EFP Application.''
Fax: 727-824-5308, Attn: Kate Michie.
Mail: Kate Michie, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
The application and related documents are available for review upon
written request to the address above or the e-mail address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Michie, 727-824-5305; fax 727-
824-5308; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of
the
[[Page 44226]]
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C 1801
et seq.), as amended in 2006, and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b)
concerning exempted fishing.
The proposed collection for scientific research involves activities
otherwise prohibited by regulations implementing the Fishery Management
Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The
applicant requires authorization to harvest and possess snapper and
grouper using a prohibited gear type for scientific research activities
during the period May through December 2008. Specimens would be
collected from Federal waters off the coast of North Carolina.
The applicant's EFP application responds to a NMFS call for
development of new, advanced technologies to assess fish stocks, and is
the second phase of a two-pronged research endeavor funded by the
Fishery Resource Grant Program. Phase one of the pilot survey included
the collection of acoustic data using sonar, as well as CPUE (hook-and-
line) data within a proposed MPA known as the Snowy Wreck MPA off North
Carolina. That data collection was completed October 16, 2007, and
indicates the use of high-end sonar gear shows promise of being able to
predict relative abundance of deepwater snapper-grouper species from a
much larger number of fish aggregations where acoustic data were
collected but the area was not fished.
Phase two of the project (current proposal) proposes to use a novel
census technique for deepwater snapper-grouper and lay the framework
for a Before-After Control Impact (BACI) sampling design, by sampling
inside the proposed Snowy Wreck MPA (experimental site), and two
adjacent control sites, before NMFS establishes the MPA through the
rulemaking process. It is expected that sampling within the
experimental site and within the control site, before the MPA is
implemented, will allow future comparisons of CPUE and acoustic
backscatter once NMFS has implemented the MPA for some years. The
overall intent of this project is to develop models to the extent that
fishery managers may use acoustic data to reliably predict the
abundance of important deepwater snapper-grouper species.
Phase two of this project proposes to use acoustic sonar, along
with chevron traps, to develop a predictive model to estimate abundance
of deepwater snapper-grouper species. Hook-and-line data would be
collected opportunistically and would be used to augment existing
models created using hook-and-line data from phase one. Those models
would be compared to models created using chevron trap data from phase
two of the project. Any live fish collected will be tagged and
released. Dead or non-viable fish will be provided to the NMFS Beaufort
Lab for further study. Estimates of acoustic data collected in the
proposed Snowy Wreck MPA would be compared to those collected at the
adjacent control site.
NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based
on a preliminary review, NMFS intends to issue an EFP. Possible
conditions the agency may impose on this permit, if it is indeed
granted, include but are not limited to, a prohibition of conducting
research within other MPAs, marine sanctuaries, or special management
zones, without additional authorization. Additionally, NMFS may
prohibit the possession of Nassau or goliath grouper, and require any
sea turtles taken incidentally during the course of fishing or
scientific research activities to be handled with due care to prevent
injury to live specimens, observed for activity, and returned to the
water. A final decision on issuance of the EFP will depend on NMFS
review of public comments received on the application, consultations
with the affected state, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council,
and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a determination that it is consistent
with all applicable laws.
Authority: 16 U.S.C 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 24, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-17405 Filed 7-29-08; 8:45 am]
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