41966 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 159 / Friday, August 16, 2019 / Notices Dated: August 13, 2019. • Instructions: Comments sent by any traps to target lionfish. Because FWC Tracey L. Thompson, other method, to any other address or requested that the amended EFP remove Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable individual, or received after the end of the requirement that research traps have Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. the comment period, may not be a current endorsement, stamp, or [FR Doc. 2019–17626 Filed 8–15–19; 8:45 am] considered by NMFS. All comments certification and allow sampling during BILLING CODE 3510–22–P received are a part of the public record the spiny lobster closed season, the EFP and will generally be posted for public would exempt research traps from the viewing on www.regulations.gov gear identification requirements at 50 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE without change. All personal identifying CFR 622.402(a) and exempt the information (e.g., name, address), activities from the seasonal closures at National Oceanic and Atmospheric confidential business information, or 50 CFR 622.403. The amended EFP Administration otherwise sensitive information would also exempt the project activities RIN 0648–XS004 submitted voluntarily by the sender will from the closed seasons, size limits, and be publicly accessible. NMFS will bag limits at 50 CFR 622.34, 622.37, and Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 622.38 to allow FWC to retain other fish Mexico, and South Atlantic; Exempted A’’ in the required fields if you wish to for species identification verification Fishing Permits remain anonymous). and scientific research. Electronic copies of the application The applicant’s original EFP tests the AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries and programmatic environmental effectiveness of different trap Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and assessment (PEA) may be obtained from modifications in capturing lionfish Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Southeast Regional Office website at while avoiding impacts to non-target Commerce. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ species, protected species, and habitats. ACTION: Notice of receipt of an southeast/commercial-fishing/lionfish- NMFS analyzed the effects of testing application for an amended exempted traps-exempted-fishing-permit- traps that target lionfish on the fishing permit; request for comments. applications. environment, including effects on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: species and designated critical habitat, of an application from the Florida Fish Kelli O’Donnell, 727–824–5305; email: and other non-target species and habitat, and Wildlife Conservation Commission [email protected]. in the Gulf and South Atlantic regions (FWC) to expand the scope of an SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The through a PEA titled ‘‘Testing Traps to exempted fishing permit (EFP) issued in amended EFP is requested under the Target Lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico November 2018. The amended EFP authority of the Magnuson-Stevens and South Atlantic, including within would increase the sampling area from Fishery Conservation and Management the Florida Keys National Marine specified waters of the South Atlantic to Act (16 U.S.C 1801 et seq.), and Sanctuary.’’ This PEA was used to all Federal waters of the South Atlantic regulations at 50 CFR 600.745(b) support the original EFP for this off Monroe County, Florida and Federal concerning exempted fishing. research in certain South Atlantic waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) near Lionfish is an invasive marine species Federal waters off Monroe County, Pulley Ridge. The amended EFP would that occurs in both the Gulf and South Florida. The application notice for the also increase the amount of traps in the Atlantic and is not currently managed original EFP request published in the water at any one time, extend the trap by NMFS in Federal waters. The Federal Register on July 2, 2018 (83 FR soak period, would no longer require amended EFP application submitted by 30916) and the EFP was subsequently research traps to have a current stamp, FWC requests the use of prohibited gear issued by NMFS on November 13, 2018. endorsement, or certificate, and would in Federal waters. Federal regulations Before issuing the amended EFP, NMFS no longer allow commercial fishermen prohibit the use or possession of a fish will analyze whether the proposed effort to harvest and sell any species but trap in Federal waters in the Gulf and fits within the scope of the PEA and the lionfish from the research traps. The South Atlantic (50 CFR 622.9(c)). In ESA analysis on the expected effort project seeks to determine the South Atlantic Federal waters, the term under the PEA. If the proposed activities effectiveness of traps, as applicable, for ‘‘fish trap’’ refers to a trap capable of fit within the PEA and the ESA attracting and collecting invasive taking fish, except for a seabass pot, a consultation, NMFS will document that lionfish while avoiding impacts to non- golden crab trap, or a crustacean trap determination for the record. Otherwise, target species, protected species, and (that is, a type of trap historically used NMFS will complete the required habitats. in the directed fishery for blue crab, analyses. DATES: Written comments must be stone crab, red crab, jonah crab, or spiny The specific amended EFP request received on or before August 31, 2019. lobster and that contains at any time not noticed here is further described and ADDRESSES: You may submit comments more than 25 percent, by number, of summarized below. on the application, identified by fish other than blue crab, stone crab, red FWC is requesting authorization to ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2019–0084’’ by any of crab, jonah crab, and spiny lobster). In test standard and modified wire spiny the following methods: Gulf Federal waters, the term ‘‘fish trap’’ lobster traps in the South Atlantic and • Electronic Submission: Submit all refers to a trap capable of taking fish, the Gulf to harvest lionfish aboard electronic public comments via the except for a trap historically used in the federally permitted commercial spiny Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to directed fishery for crustaceans (that is, lobster fishing vessels. Like the original www.regulations.gov/ blue crab, stone crab, and spiny lobster) EFP, the proposed activities would #!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2019- (50 CFR 622.2). The amended EFP examine the effectiveness and 0084, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, would exempt these activities from the performance of modified trap designs complete the required fields, and enter regulation prohibiting the use or for capturing lionfish, with the goal of or attach your comments. possession of a fish trap in Federal identifying the best lobster trap • Mail: Kelli O’Donnell, Southeast waters of the South Atlantic or the Gulf modification to maximize lionfish catch Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th at 50 CFR 622.9(c), and would allow the and reduce bycatch of other species. Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. applicant to use modified spiny lobster Traps would be fished in a trawl VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:10 Aug 15, 2019 Jkt 247001 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\16AUN1.SGM 16AUN1 khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 159 / Friday, August 16, 2019 / Notices 41967 configuration with a maximum of 32 deployment and retrieval, latitude, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE traps and 2 surface buoys per trawl. longitude, and water depth of each Spiny lobster trap modifications to be deployed trawl, bait type used); soak National Oceanic and Atmospheric tested by the applicant would include time for each trawl; trap loss and Administration funnel and escape gap dimensions and movement from original set position; RIN 0648–XV028 locations, in addition to bait types. protected species interactions; bycatch Some traps may be outfitted with species (amount, length, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management lionfish optical recognition technology. disposition); and lionfish catch data for Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting Modified traps would be compared to each trap type. Some species would be AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries standard wire spiny lobster trap returned to the water as soon as controls. As described in the Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and possible; other species would be Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), application, the sampling area would retained for species identification increase from Alligator and Looe Key in Commerce. verification and scientific research. All the Florida Keys of the South Atlantic ACTION: Notice; public meeting. lionfish would be retained and either to all Federal waters of the South SUMMARY: Atlantic off Monroe County, Florida and used for research, sold, or destroyed. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery portions of the Gulf. In the Gulf, NMFS notes that the original EFP Management Council’s (Council) sampling with traps would occur in allowed contracted fishermen to sell any Scientific and Statistical Committee depths from 150–300 feet (46–91 legally harvested species. FWC has now (SSC) will hold a meeting. meters) southwest of a line defined by requested that NMFS remove this DATES: The meeting will be held on 25°21′ N lat., 84°00′ W long. at the provision from the EFP and allow Monday, September 9, 2019, starting at northwest corner and by 24°28′ N lat., fishermen to retain and sell only 1 p.m. and continue through 12 noon on 83°00′ W long., at the southeast corner. lionfish. FWC would be allowed to Wednesday, September 11, 2019. See The amended EFP would increase retain representative sub-samples of any SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for agenda sampling from two times per month in fish species for species identification details. the South Atlantic to two to four times verification and research in the ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place per month in the South Atlantic and laboratory.