[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 76 (Monday, April 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21835-21836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08215]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XW024]
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 prohibition on directed fishing for Pacific sardine during the
remainder of the 2019-2020 fishing year and the upcoming 2020-2021
fishing year. The goal of this research is to collect fishery-dependent
data for potential use in the 2021 and 2022 Pacific sardine stock
assessments. NMFS requests public comment on the application.
DATES: Comments must be received by May 5, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2020-0060, by the following method:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0060, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments. The Exempted Fishing Permit application will be
available under Relevant Documents 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 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
[[Page 21836]]
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 (EFPs) to test fishing activities that would
otherwise be prohibited.
On April 6, 2020, the California Wetfish Producers Association
(CWPA) submitted an EFP application to NMFS requesting an exemption
from the prohibition on directed fishing for Pacific sardine as part of
an industry-based scientific collection effort. The CWPA requested to
directly harvest up to 640 metric tons (mt) of Pacific sardine during
the remainder of the 2019-2020 fishing year, as well as 740 mt during
the upcoming 2020-2021 fishing year, which will begin on July 1, 2020.
Directed fishing for Pacific sardine, with exceptions for the minor
directed fisheries, the live bait fishery, and EFP activities, is
currently prohibited off the U.S. West Coast (84 FR 31222; July 1,
2019) and on April 6, 2020, the Pacific Fishery Management Council
voted to keep the primary directed fishery closed for the 2020-2021
season as well.
The primary directed fishery for Pacific sardine has been closed
since 2015, and consequently, scientists at the Southwest Fisheries
Science Center (SWFSC) have a limited amount of fishery-dependent data
to use in their annual stock assessment. The goal of this EFP project
is to provide additional biological data (i.e., age and length data
from directed harvest) for potential use in the 2021 and 2022 stock
assessments for Pacific sardine. Under this EFP project, six
participating vessels would target Pacific sardine off the coasts of
southern and central California with the goal of obtaining a minimum of
six point sets during mid-May to June 30, 2020. During the 2020-2021
fishing year, the same six vessels would target sardine with the goal
of obtaining a minimum of six point sets during July 1, 2020 to
December 31, 2020, and a minimum of six point sets during January 1,
2021 to June 30, 2021.
A portion of each point set (i.e., an individual haul of fish
captured with a purse seine net) would be retained for biological
sampling, and the remainder would be sold by the participating
fishermen and processors to offset research costs and avoid unnecessary
discard. EFP landings would be offloaded at ports in Monterey/Moss
Landing, California (for central California landings) or Long Beach/San
Pedro, California (for southern California landings), and the portion
of fish retained for biological sampling would be received by staff at
the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
NMFS does not expect any adverse biological impacts from this EFP
project. Any harvest under this EFP would count against the annual
catch limit (ACL) for Pacific sardine in both fishing years when EFP
activities would occur. On July 1, 2019, NMFS published a final rule
(84 FR 31222) to implement Pacific sardine harvest specifications for
the 2019-2020 fishing year off the U.S. West Coast. This final rule
included a 4,514-mt ACL and a prohibition on directed fishing for
Pacific sardine with exceptions for the minor directed fisheries, the
live bait fishery, and EFP activities. As of March 31, 2020,
approximately 3,300 mt of the 4,514-mt ACL for the 2019-2020 fishing
year remained unharvested. Based on existing and likely fishing
pressure over the next three months, NMFS does not expect landings to
approach the ACL. If NMFS does not issue this EFP, then the 640-mt
request for EFP catch would be available for harvest by other
permissible fishing activities prior to the end of the current fishing
year, which ends on June 30, 2020.
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: April 14, 2020.
H[eacute]l[egrave]ne M.N. Scalliet,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-08215 Filed 4-17-20; 8:45 am]
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