Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2011 / Notices 12715 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), has primary 

responsibility for managing fisheryrelated activities. These agencies are 

required to consult with the Secretary of 

Defense, the United States (U.S.) Coast 

Guard, and the Government of the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands in managing the monument. A 

subsequent Secretary of the Interior 

action on January 16, 2009, delegated 

management responsibilities for the 

monument to the Fish and Wildlife 

Service through, and placed two of the 

units (the Mariana Trench and Volcanic 

Units) within, the National Wildlife 

Refuge System as the Mariana Trench 

and Mariana Arc of Fire National 

Wildlife Refuges. 

Management activities are anticipated 

to include public education programs 

and public outreach regarding the coral 

reef ecosystem and related marine 

resources and species of the monument 

and efforts to conserve them; traditional 

access by indigenous persons, for 

culturally significant subsistence, 

cultural and religious uses within the 

monument; a program to assess and 

promote monument-related scientific 

exploration and research, tourism, and 

recreational and economic activities and 

opportunities in the Commonwealth of 

the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); a 

process to consider requests for 

recreational fishing permits in certain 

areas of the Islands Unit, based on an 

analysis of the likely effects of such 

fishing on the marine ecosystems of 

these areas, sound professional 

judgment that such fishing will not 

materially interfere with or detract from 

the fulfillment of the purposes of this 

proclamation, and the extent to which 

such recreational fishing shall be 

managed as a sustainable activity; 

programs for monitoring and 

enforcement necessary to ensure that 

scientific exploration and research, 

tourism, and recreational and 

commercial activities do not degrade the 

monument’s coral reef ecosystem or 

related marine resources or species or 

diminish the monument’s natural 

character. 

The Human Dimensions Research 

Program at NOAA Fisheries Pacific 

Islands Fisheries Science Center is 

initiating a survey to support 

development of a management plan for 

the Monument. Designation of the 

Monument was accompanied by social 

debate over the merits of designation, 

the economic benefits, increased 

Federal management in the archipelago, 

the impacts to fishermen and fishing 

communities, and other effects. Now 

that the Monument has been established 

and management planning is beginning, 

there is a need for research to define 

CNMI and Guam residents’ management 

preferences and perceptions of effects so 

this information is available to managers 

as they develop and begin to implement 

the plan. The survey contains questions 

on awareness, knowledge, and attitudes 

regarding the Monument, preferences 

for management and scientific research, 

and level of interest in becoming 

involved in Monument management 

and outreach activities. Additional 

questions include experiences with and 

attitudes toward existing uses of coastal 

and marine resources, to provide a 

context for interpreting responses 

regarding the Monument. 

II. Method of Collection 

Data will be collected through a 

telephone survey of a random sample of 

adult members of Guam and CNMI 

households. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: None. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

800. 

Estimated Time per Response: 20 

minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 267. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $0. 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: March 3, 2011. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5150 Filed 3–7–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[0648–XA239] 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

General Provisions for Domestic 

Fisheries; Application for Exempted 

Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional 

Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, 

Northeast Region, NMFS, has made a 

preliminary determination that the 

subject exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

application contains all the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration. The subject EFP would 

allow commercial fishing vessels to 

conduct fishing operations that are 

otherwise restricted by the regulations 

governing the fisheries of the 

Northeastern United States. Regulations 

under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

require publication of this notification 

to provide interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on applications 

for proposed EFPs. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before March 23, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted by e-mail to 

NERO.EFP@noaa.gov. Written 

comments should be sent to Patricia A. 

Kurkul, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 

Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great 

Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. 

Mark the outside of the envelope 

‘‘Comments on the REDNET EFP.’’ 

Comments may also be sent via 

facsimile (fax) to (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Travis Ford, Fishery Management 

Specialist, (978) 281–9233, fax (978) 

281–9135. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Maine 

Department of Marine Resources (DMR) 

has submitted an EFP application for 

five vessels participating in a study 

titled, ‘‘REDNET: A Network to 

Redevelop a Sustainable Redfish 

(Sebastes fasciatus) Trawl Fishery in the 

Gulf of Maine (GOM)’’. This project is 

funded by the Northeast Fisheries 

Science Center’s (NEFSC) Cooperative 

Research Program. The primary 

objective of this study is to devise 

strategies and means to efficiently 

harvest the redfish resource in the Gulf 

of Maine (GOM) while avoiding nonVerDate Mar<15>2010 19:12 Mar 07, 2011 Jkt 223001 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM 08MRN1

srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
12716 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2011 / Notices 

target catch. The proposed work is to 

meet the following objectives: Catch and 

bycatch assessment of a targeted redfish 

fishery; bottom trawl mesh size 

evaluation and optimization for targeted 

redfish catch retention and reduction of 

juvenile redfish and other bycatch; 

redfish processing and marketing 

evaluation and strategies; and outreach 

and implementation of the project 

results. The anticipated results of the 

project are defined gear type(s) and/or 

time/area combinations that maximize 

the long-term benefit from the redfish 

resource while minimizing negative 

impacts, thereby providing a means to 

achieve the Acceptable Catch Limit 

(ACL) for a rebuilt, but largely 

inaccessible, redfish resource. 

The EFP would exempt the vessels 

from the following regulations 

implementing the Northeast (NE) 

Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP): NE multispecies minimum fish 

size for redfish, specified at 50 CFR 

648.83(a); and minimum mesh size of 

6.5 inches (16.5 cm) for multispecies 

vessels fishing in the GOM specified at 

50 CFR 648.80(a)(3)(i). In addition, 

vessels would be exempt from the 

following regulations for other 

groundfish species for sampling 

purposes only: Other minimum fish size 

restrictions; fish possession limits; 

species quota closures; prohibited fish 

species, not including species protected 

under the Endangered Species Act; and 

gear-specific fish possession 

restrictions. All non-compliant fish 

would be discarded as soon as 

practicable following data collection. 

These exemptions would allow 

investigators to evaluate the optimal 

mesh size to harvest legal-sized redfish 

(22.9 cm; 9 inches) while minimizing 

bycatch, and to selectively harvest 

redfish. 

Baseline data would be collected by 

means of 10 days of experimental 

redfish fishing under this EFP using 

10.16-cm (4-inch) mesh in the codend of 

a standard groundfish trawl. Based on 

initial sampling, investigators intend to 

refine sampling levels, times, and areas 

as the project progresses. Investigators 

will review potential sources of 

variability and evaluate them in terms of 

their potential effects on results. 

Sources of variability include: Area 

fished; seasonal availability; life stage; 

time of day; gear; and towing speed. 

Catches of all legal-sized species (target 

and non-target) will count against the 

appropriate groundfish sector 

allocation. No fish below the minimum 

fish size will be landed. 

During the initial experimental 

fishing, fishermen will be asked to fish 

in a commercial manner using 

groundfish trawl nets equipped with a 

10.16-cm (4-inch) mesh codend to 

maximize their legal-sized redfish 

catches and minimize discards. The 

fishermen will attempt to identify 

schools of redfish, set the net, catch the 

school, and haul back. This protocol 

will reduce the likelihood of towing 

between schools and thereby reduce 

bycatch based on historical experience. 

Project investigators and/or 

technicians will be on board every 

experimental fishing trip and will 

document all catch and bycatch 

encountered following NE Fishery 

Observer Program protocols. Project 

personnel will estimate, when 

necessary, the total catch of legal and 

sublegal redfish per tow (separately), 

and then identify and weigh all other 

species. If there is a very large catch, the 

observers will follow NMFS subsampling protocols. Lengths of 100 

individuals will be collected for redfish 

and other regulated species, with subsampling if necessary. Up to six tows 

will be made per trip. Tows will last 

between approximately 30 minutes and 

1 hour, at a speed of between 3–3.5 

knots, which conforms to normal fishing 

operations. 

Bycatch and non-target species will be 

quantified using the ‘‘Standardized 

Bycatch Reporting Methodology’’ 

developed as part of the national 

bycatch initiative. Selectivity by size 

will be estimated using the ratios of 

cumulative size distributions from the 

baseline observer samples to the 

cumulative size distribution of redfish 

in NEFSC trawl surveys during the same 

period. Data will be entered into Excel 

and uploaded into the DMR biological 

database (MARVIN) and then 

transferred to NMFS and other project 

partners. 

The initial experimental fishing 

activity is scheduled to start in March 

2011. Ten experimental fishing days are 

planned over two trips of 5 days each. 

This initial phase will be completed by 

the end of April 2011. Based on the data 

gathered through this effort, the next 30 

experimental fishing days would be 

allocated among the remaining three 

quarters of the year. It is possible that, 

after the initial 10 days, the project 

partners will decide 4-inch mesh is not 

ideal, and a larger mesh might be 

selected for the remaining trials. All 

experimental fishing activity is 

scheduled to be complete by April 2012. 

If approved, the applicants may 

request minor modifications and 

extensions to the EFP throughout the 

course of research. EFP modifications 

and extensions may be granted without 

further public notice if they are deemed 

essential to facilitate completion of the 

proposed research and result in only a 

minimal change in the scope or impacts 

of the initially approved EFP request. 

In accordance with NAO 

Administrative Order 216–6, a 

Categorical Exclusion or other 

appropriate National Environmental 

Policy Act document would be 

completed prior to the issuance of the 

EFP. Further review and consultation 

may be necessary before a final 

determination is made to issue the EFP. 

After publication of this document in 

the Federal Register, the EFP, if 

approved, may become effective 

following the public comment period. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: March 3, 2011. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5236 Filed 3–7–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Meeting of the Board of Visitors of 

Marine Corps University 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Board of Visitors of the 

Marine Corps University (BOV MCU) 

will meet to review, develop and 

provide recommendations on all aspects 

of the academic and administrative 

policies of the University; examine all 

aspects of professional military 

education operations; and provide such 

oversight and advice, as is necessary, to 

facilitate high educational standards 

and cost effective operations. The Board 

will be focusing primarily on the 

internal procedures of Marine Corps 

University. All sessions of the meeting 

will be open to the public. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

Friday, April 8, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 5 

p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

Marine Corps University President’s 

Conference Room (Hooper Room). The 

address is: 2076 South Street, Quantico, 

Virginia 22134. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joel 

Westa, Director of Academic Support, 

Marine Corps University Board of 

Visitors, 2076 South Street, Quantico, 

Virginia 22134, telephone number 703– 

784–4037. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES