[Federal Register: August 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 158)]
[Notices]
[Page 51068-51069]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17au04-38]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 081004B]
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs)
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of a proposal for EFPs to conduct experimental
fishing; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable
Fisheries, Northeast Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator),
has made a preliminary determination that an application for EFPs
contains all of the required information and warrants further
consideration. The Assistant Regional Administrator is considering the
impacts of the activities to be authorized under the EFPs with respect
to the Northeast (NE) Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a
final determination is made to issue EFPs. Therefore, NMFS announces
that the Assistant Regional Administrator proposes to issue EFPs in
response to an application submitted by Manomet Center for Conservation
Sciences (Manomet) that would allow three vessels to conduct fishing
operations that are otherwise restricted by the regulations governing
the fisheries of the Northeastern United States. The EFP would exempt
three vessels from the minimum mesh size requirements for the Gulf of
Maine (GOM) Regulated Mesh Area (RMA); regulations pertaining to the
GOM Rolling Closure Areas V; and minimum fish size requirements. The
experiment proposes to conduct a study to target cod and other
groundfish species using modified bottom trawl gear to assess the
effectiveness of square and hexagonal mesh escape windows, both with
and without visual stimuli, in reducing the bycatch of non-target and
undersized fish in the GOM groundfish fishery. The EFP would allow
these exemptions for three commercial fishing vessels, for not more
than 16 days of sea trials. All experimental work would be monitored at
sea by observers trained to NMFS standards as part of this Cooperative
Research Partners Initiative-funded project. Regulations under the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act) require publication of this notification to provide
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for
proposed EFPs.
DATES: Comments on this document must be received on or before
September 1, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Patricia A. Kurkul,
Regional Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on
Visual Stimuli EFP Proposal.'' Comments may also be sent via fax to
(978) 281-9135, or submitted via e-mail to the following address:
da638@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Sagar, Fishery Management
Specialist, phone: 978-281-9341, fax: 978-281-9135.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A final application for an EFP was submitted
on July 13, 2004, by Dr. Christopher Glass. This request would build
upon data collected by Manomet under an approved EFP that began October
1, 2003. The purpose of the experiment is to assess the selective
efficiency of various codend configurations, specifically escape
windows and visual stimuli, that could effectively reduce bycatch of
non-target and undersized fish in the GOM groundfish fishery and allow
better and more effective management of groundfish stocks. Specific
objectives of the study include comparing the catch selectivity of each
of the experimental codend configurations to regulated mesh codends
currently used by the fishing industry and to quantify the behavioral
responses of different species to the experimental codend
configurations. The results of this study will be submitted to NMFS,
the New England Fishery Management Council, and any
[[Page 51069]]
other interested parties through newsletters, popular articles, and
meetings throughout the region.
This research would consist of the development of modified bottom
trawl nets containing different configurations of an escape window and
visual stimuli surrounded by 3-inch (7.6-cm) mesh codend covers to
measure the escapement of undersized fish. These nets would test the
difference in juvenile retention between square and hexagonal mesh
escape windows, both with and without visual stimuli in the form of a
black panel wrapped around the net between the extension and the codend
of the net. A total of four experimental extension/codend
configurations would be developed, including: (1) A codend made of 6.5-
inch (16.5-cm) diamond mesh preceded by a 7-inch (17.7-cm) square mesh
escape window in the extension; (2) a codend made of 6.5-inch (16.5-cm)
diamond mesh preceded by a 7-inch (17.7-cm) hexagonal mesh escape
window in the extension; (3) a codend made of 6.5-inch (16.5-cm)
diamond mesh preceded by a 7-inch (17.7-cm) square mesh escape window
in the extension, with additional visual stimulus by a black panel
wrapped around the codend between the escape window and the codend; and
(4) a codend made of 6.5-inch (16.5-cm) diamond mesh preceded by a 7-
inch (17.7-cm) hexagonal mesh escape window in the extension, with
additional visual stimulus by a black panel wrapped around the codend
between the escape window and the codend ball. Two conventional nets of
6.5-inch (16.5-cm) diamond mesh and 6.5-inch (16.5-cm) square mesh
codends would be used to compare the effectiveness of the experimental
extension configurations.
The EFP would allow three commercial vessels to conduct a total of
16 days of sea trials in support of this study. During these sea
trials, vessels would test all four experimental codend configurations
and control codends. Five 1-hour experimental tows, and ten 20-minute
control tows would be made per vessel per days-at-sea (DAS). All fish
retained in the codend and the cover would be weighed and measured as
quickly as possible. All legal-sized fish would be landed and sold to
offset vessel costs. No undersized fish would be retained as part of
this study, and any caught would be returned to the sea as quickly as
possible. All vessels would be required to use DAS.
This work would examine the use of inexpensive visual stimuli to
reduce bycatch of undersized fish. It is estimated that the use of
visual stimuli can induce escape behavior in nearly all species, and
may increase escapement of undersized fish by up to 90 percent.
Therefore, it is necessary to have an exemption to allow the use of a
3-inch (7.6-cm) codend cover on the net in order to quantify the number
of undersized fish, and to assess the success of the visual stimuli and
escape windows. This work also would examine seasonal effects on gear
selectivity. Seasonal variation has been demonstrated for fisheries in
other parts of the world. It is speculated that codends and other
bycatch reduction devices may not perform in the same manner in all
areas at all times. Therefore, in order to vary the season and have the
maximum likelihood of catching a wide range of groundfish species, it
is necessary to have access to the GOM Rolling Closure Area V.
Underwater video cameras would be placed within the net and in the
codend cover to record reaction behavior of fish to the escape windows,
visual stimuli, and codend mesh. Videotapes would be analyzed to
develop behavioral traces of reaction behavior for each species. The
catches of each codend configuration would be compared and analyzed to
assess the effectiveness of the escape windows, visual stimuli, and
codend mesh shapes (diamond versus square mesh).
The intended sampling area includes the western GOM, including 30-
minute statistical squares 124, 125, 138, and 139, during September and
October 2004. This area includes the GOM Rolling Closure Area V. Access
to this areas is necessary to be able to sample a wide range of fish
species in sufficient numbers during the proposed project time frame.
Sampling would not take place in the Western GOM Closed Area during
this research.
The participating vessels would be required to report all landings
in their Vessel Trip Reports. The data collection activities aboard the
participating vessel would be conducted by observers trained to NMFS
standards to ensure compliance with the experimental fishery
objectives.
Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to
comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 12, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-18826 Filed 8-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S