[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 120 (Monday, June 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37434-37435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13369]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XW025]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permits; California Wetfish Producers Association
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Regional Administrator, West Coast Region, NMFS, has made
a preliminary determination that an application for an Exempted Fishing
Permit warrants further consideration. The application, submitted by
the California Wetfish Producers Association, requests an exemption
from the expected prohibition on primary directed fishing for Pacific
sardine for the 2020-2021 fishing year to collect Pacific sardine as
part of an industry-based scientific survey. NMFS requests public
comment on the application.
DATES: Comments must be received by July 7, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2020-0067, by the following method:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all public comments via the Federal
e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-
NMFS-2020-0067, click the ``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your comments. The EFP application will be
available under Supporting and Related Materials through the same link.
Instructions: Comments must be submitted by the above method to
ensure that the comments are received, documented, and considered by
NMFS. Comments sent by any other method or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be considered. All comments received are a
part of the public record and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the
sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you
wish to remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Massey, West Coast Region, NMFS,
(562) 436-2462, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action is authorized by the Coastal
Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and regulations at
50 CFR 600.745, which allow NMFS Regional Administrators to authorize
exempted fishing permits
[[Page 37435]]
(EFPs) to test fishing activities that would otherwise be prohibited.
On May 27, 2020, NMFS published a proposed rule (85 FR 31733) to
implement Pacific sardine harvest specifications for the 2020-2021
fishing year off the U.S. West Coast, which begins on July 1. This
proposed rule included a 4,288 metric ton (mt) annual catch limit
(ACL), a 4,000-mt annual catch target (ACT), and a prohibition on
directed fishing for Pacific sardine off the coasts of Washington,
Oregon, and California, except as part of the live bait or minor
directed fisheries, or as part of EFP fishing activities.
On April 6, 2020, the California Wetfish Producers Association
(CWPA) submitted an EFP application to NMFS requesting to directly
harvest up to 400 mt of Pacific sardine as part of their CPS Nearshore
Cooperative Survey (CPS-NCS) during the 2020-2021 fishing year. At the
April 2020 Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) meeting,
although formal Council review and approval of EFPs was removed from
the Council's agenda, the Council expressed support for this EFP
proposal during their discussion of sardine management measures.
Since 2012 the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, in
partnership with the CWPA, has been conducting aerial surveys to
estimate the biomass and distribution of sardine and certain other CPS
in nearshore waters in the Southern California Bight, and in the
Monterey-San Francisco area since the summer of 2017. Currently, there
is uncertainty in the biomass estimates from aerial spotter pilots. The
CPS-NCS survey associated with the proposed EFP is part of research to
quantify that level of uncertainty by capturing CPS schools identified
by aerial spotter pilots and validating the biomass and species
composition of the schools. A portion of each point set (i.e., an
individual haul of fish captured with a purse seine net) will be
retained for biological sampling, and the remainder will be sold by the
participating fishermen and processors to offset research costs and
avoid unnecessary discard. This research contributes to broader efforts
to understand CPS biomass in shallow, nearshore areas that NMFS' CPS
offshore acoustic trawl survey is unable to access.
If NMFS issues this EFP, the CPS-NCS will survey nearshore waters
of the Southern California Bight for 7-10 days between July 1, 2020 and
June 30, 2021. Any harvest under this EFP would count against the 2020-
2021 ACL and ACT for Pacific sardine. If NMFS does not issue this EFP,
then this 400 mt-portion of the ACL would be available for harvest by
other permissible fishing activities.
After publication of this document in the Federal Register, NMFS
may approve and issue permits to participating vessels after the close
of the public comment period. NMFS will consider comments submitted in
deciding whether to approve the application as requested. NMFS may
approve the application in its entirety or may make any alterations
needed to achieve the goals of the EFP project.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: June 17, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-13369 Filed 6-19-20; 8:45 am]
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