Document
Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits
The NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, has made a preliminary determination that an exempted fishing permit application co...
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Gloucester Fisheries Commission (GFC) submitted an application for an EFP on May 6, 2019. This EFP would allow up to 6 commercial fishing vessels to take up to 60 trips to fish for small-mesh multispecies within Small Mesh Area 1 (SMA1). The GFC asserts that SMA 1 is underutilized during the current season and that small-mesh multispecies stocks may be more prevalent and more effectively targeted within the area before the start of the July 15 opening of the exemption area. This study would provide data on catch rates of small-mesh multispecies and bycatch of regulated Northeast multispecies (and other species) to help evaluate the potential for opening SMA1 earlier.
The small-mesh multispecies fishery is open in SMA1 from July 15 through November 15. This EFP would allow the participating vessels to fish in SMA1 as early as June 1 through July 14, 2019. The exact start date may be after June 1, as some details of participation and monitoring resources are still being finalized. The length of each trip would be at the discretion of the vessel operators, consistent with normal commercial fishing practices. Fishing would not occur in any area closed to protect spawning groundfish.
Participating vessels would use a raised-footrope trawl with diamond mesh codends that have a mesh size of greater than 2.5 inches but less than 3 inches, consistent with 50 CFR 648.80(a)(9)(ii). Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) staff would inspect all gear prior to use to verify that it meets the required mesh size and gear specifications. Per regulation, this size mesh will allow participating vessels to retain up to 3,000 lb (3.4 mt) of whiting/offshore hake and 7,500 lb (1.4 mt) of red hake per trip. Participating vessels would also be exempt from the possession limits and minimum size requirements for biological sampling purposes only. All catch that is not retained for sale will be promptly returned to the sea.
A contracted observer or Northeast Fisheries Science Center staff would be on board all trips to collect data on catch composition, length and weight measurements, and operational data (location, weather, time, duration of tow, trawl speed, etc.).
The table below shows catch estimates for the project that are based on a similar study conducted by MA DMF, in 2016 and 2017. There is potential to catch up to 18 percent of the red hake total allowable landings (TAL) as part of this project which may be of concern to other fishermen that are not participating in the EFP.
Table 1—Estimated Catch for Whiting, Red Hake, Regulated Groundfish, and Other Species
[Numbers in metric tons]
| Species |
Average
catch/trip
2016 |
Average
catch/trip
2017 |
Project
average |
Expected
catch
(60 trips) |
Percent
of quota |
| Nothern Silver Hake |
2.4 |
1.9 |
2.1 |
128.5 |
0.5 |
| Northern Red Hake |
0.9 |
0.8 |
0.8 |
50.2 |
* 18.0 |
| Cod |
<0.1 |
<0.1 |
<0.1 |
0.2 |
<0.1 |
| Haddock |
0.5 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
19.0 |
<0.1 |
| American plaice |
<0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
3.2 |
<0.1 |
| Herring |
<0.1 |
0.9 |
0.5 |
27.5 |
<0.1 |
| Yellowtail flounder |
<0.1 |
0.1 |
<0.1 |
2.4 |
<0.1 |
| Groundfish Excluding Haddock |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
6.8 |
|
| * This number is the percent of the TAL for Northern red hake. |
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 impact that does not change the scope of the initially approved EFP request. Any fishing activity conducted outside the scope of the exempted fishing activity would be prohibited.
16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.
Dated: May 17, 2019.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.