[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51001-51002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20516]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XY05
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper and Grouper 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 the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries
Foundation, Inc. If granted, the EFP will authorize the applicants,
with certain conditions, to collect limited numbers of fish and
invertebrates where possession and retention is restricted or
prohibited by regulations in South Atlantic Federal waters. This study
is intended to characterize catch and discard mortality within the
South Atlantic commercial hook-and-line snapper-grouper fishery.
DATES: Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern time,
on September 17, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application by any of the
following methods:
E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the
subject line of the e-mail comment the following document identifier:
``FND--EFP''.
Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS,
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Fax: 727-824-5308.
The application and related documents are available for review upon
written request to any of the above addresses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Branstetter, 727-824-5305; fax:
727-824-5308; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is requested under the authority of
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.), and regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted
fishing.
The described research is part of the Cooperative Research Program.
The Cooperative Research Program is a means of involving commercial and
recreational fishermen in the collection of fundamental fisheries
information. Resource collection efforts support the development and
evaluation of fisheries management and regulatory options.
The proposed collection for scientific research involves activities
otherwise prohibited by regulations at 50 CFR 622 implementing the
Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region. The applicant requires authorization to collect
limited numbers of snapper and grouper and other marine resources,
where possession and retention is otherwise restricted or prohibited by
regulations, for scientific research activities for a 24-month period
beginning September 2010. Specimens would be collected from Federal
waters off the east coast of Florida and Federal waters off the coasts
of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Sampling would occur
during normal fishing operations of the commercial snapper-grouper
vertical hook-and-line fishery. Sampling would occur year-round,
collecting as many as 500 fish during the course of the sampling. Data
collections for this study would support improved information about the
catch, bycatch, discards, and discard mortality for species in the
snapper-grouper complex. These data would provide insight on a stock's
resilience to fishing, and would help refine estimates of long-term
biological productivity of the stocks. Currently, these data are
unavailable, and it is anticipated that project results would yield
valuable data within this fishery.
NMFS finds this application warrants further consideration. Based
on a preliminary review, NMFS intends to issue an EFP. The limited
sampling program and associated sampling methodology listed in the EFP
is not expected to impact the fishery stocks; the estimated 500 fish to
be retained in the 2-year period represents a small fraction of the
average annual landings. Similarly, the sampling program is not
expected to have an impact on marine mammals or threatened or
endangered species or their critical habitat in any manner that has not
been considered in the 2006 biological opinion, the 2007 consultation
regarding Acropora, and the 2008 listing of Acropora critical habitat,
in regard to the existing fishery management plan. The biological
opinion specifically addresses the impacts associated with EFPs. It
considers fishing activities authorized under an EFP within the scope
of the opinion, if those activities do not significantly increase the
overall fishing effort within the fishery, and fishing is conducted by
commercial or research vessels, using similar or identical
[[Page 51002]]
fishing methods to those employed in the fishery.
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 marine protected areas, 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. The applicant's field personnel are
considered designated agents of NMFS while conducting work under a
NMFS-funded research grant. They are authorized to handle sea turtles
encountered during the course of this study. A final decision on
issuance of the EFP will depend upon a NMFS review of public comments
received on the application, consultations with the affected states,
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: August 13, 2010.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-20516 Filed 8-17-10; 8:45 am]
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