[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 49 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14465-14466]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05048]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XX045]
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 exempt five commercial fishing vessels
from limited access sea scallop regulations in support of a study
examining the feasibility of transplanting scallops from high density
areas to areas of lower density using bottom trawls. 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.
[[Page 14466]]
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 27, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following
methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line
``DA19-109 Nordic Fisheries Transplanting EFP.''
Mail: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, NMFS,
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``DA19-109
Nordic Fisheries Transplanting EFP.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek, Fishery Management
Specialist, 978-282-8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Nordic Fisheries submitted an initial
Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application on November 21, 2019, in
collaboration with Empire Fisheries, Quinn Fisheries, Fulcher Trawling,
and the Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF). The application was
considered complete on January 23, 2020. The applicant's overarching
research objective is to determine the operational and economic
feasibility of using bottom trawls to transfer scallops short distances
underwater and transplant them from areas of high scallop densities to
lower density areas. This is in response to a large cohort of scallops
in the Nantucket Lightship South Rotational Area that is currently in
deeper water and has shown significantly slower growth compared to
similar cohorts in less-dense, shallower areas. The applicant wants to
determine if, by moving scallops to areas of lower scallop density,
those scallops grow larger due to less competition over food resources.
The applicant would research the optimal bottom trawl gear
specifications (e.g., sweep length, mesh size, need for chafing gear,
etc.) for transporting scallops, as well as determine the optimal
quantity of scallops to transfer and associated operational costs.
To enable this research, Nordic Fisheries is requesting exemptions
for five commercial fishing vessels from: The Atlantic sea scallop crew
size restrictions at Sec. 648.60(c); observer program requirements at
Sec. 648.11(g); restrictions on the use of trawl nets at Sec.
648.51(f); maximum sweep, minimum mesh size, chafing gear, and other
gear obstructions at Sec. 648.51(a)(1), (2)(ii), (3)(i), and (3)(ii),
respectively; Georges Bank regulated mesh area mimum mes size and gear
restrictions at Sec. 648.80(a)(4)(i); Nantucket Lightship South
Rotational Areas at Sec. 648.60(e); and access area program
requirements at Sec. 648.59(a)(1)-(3), (b)(2), (b)(4). The EFP would
also grant vessels a temporary exemption from possession limits and
minimum size requirements specified in part 648, subsections B and D
through O, and Sec. 697.20 for sampling purposes. The applicants need
these exemptions to deploy bottom trawl gear in areas where the gear is
not allowed. Participating vessels need crew size waivers to
accommodate researchers and possession waivers for sampling purposes.
The project would be exempt from the sea scallop observer program
requirements because activities conducted on the trip are not
consistent with normal fishing operations. Researchers from CFF would
accompany each trip taken under the EFP.
This project would conduct up to five trips using five different
vessels. The length of each trip would be approximately 3 days-at-sea
(DAS), for an estimated 15 DAS. Transplanting would occur from April-
June 2020. The applicant intends to catch and transplant 10,000,000
scallops.
All tows to harvest scallops for transplanting would be conducted
with one trawl for a duration of approximately 10 minutes using an
average tow speed of 2.5 knots for an estimated 150 tows. Each codend
and extension would be calibrated volumetrically using colored ropes
woven in the meshes on top to estimate catch. In addition to the
colored ropes, some vessels will use net sensors to indicate net
fullness. Meshes on the trawl codend would range between 4 and 5.5
inches (10.2 and 14 cm) and net liners would be no smaller than 1.9
inches (50 mm). The trawl sweep length would vary but would not exceed
150 feet (45.7 m). The scallops would be harvested from the large
cohort of slow growing scallops in the deep water portion of the
Nantucket Lightship South Rotational Area and transplanted to an area
that Atlantic Sea Scallop Framework Adjustment 32 (85 FR 9705; February
20, 2020) is proposing to close to support projects of this nature.
The first tow of each trip would be brought on deck to check the
trawl volume calibration, measure and take biological samples of the
scallops, and count and measure the bycatch. All remaining tows for the
trip would be brought directly to the transplant site. Once there, the
nets would be brought to the surface to estimate volume and then the
scallops would be released into the water through the codend. With the
exception of samples retained for further processing for scientific
purposes, no catch would be retained for longer than needed to conduct
sampling, and no catch would be landed for sale. All catch estimates
for the project are listed in the table below. Bycatch estimates are
derived from dredge work in the area, but based on interviews with
scallop trawl captains, the bycatch rates are anticipated to be close
to zero due to high densities of scallops and short tow duration. All
fishing activity would be limited to catching and transplanting
scallops.
Table 1--Estimated Catch, by Species, for CFF EFP Request
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Estimated
Common name weight weight
(lb) (kg)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sea Scallop..................................... 12,000 5,443
Yellowtail Flounder............................. 20 9
Winter Flounder................................. 20 9
Windowpane Flounder............................. 60 27
Monkfish........................................ 100 45
Other Fish...................................... 120 54
Barndoor Skates................................. 20 9
Northeast Skate Complex......................... 500 227
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The applicants would work with other research groups funded through
the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program and use data collected from both
the harvest and transplant sites during routine surveys in May-July
2020 and 2021 to compare growth and abundance.
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: March 9, 2020.
Karyl K. Brewster-Geisz,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-05048 Filed 3-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P