Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2011 / Notices 16613 

grant; the Project Record Form 90–1, 

which collects summary data on 

projects; and the Sea Grant Budget Form 

90–4, which provides information 

similar to, but more detailed than on, 

forms SF–424A or SF–424C. 

The National Sea Grant College 

Program Act (33 U.S.C. 1126) provides 

for the designation of a public or private 

institution of higher education, 

institute, laboratory, or State or local 

agency as a Sea Grant college or Sea 

Grant institute. Applications are 

required for designation of Sea Grant 

Colleges and Sea Grant Institutes. 

II. Method of Collection 

Responses are made in a variety of 

formats, including forms and narrative 

submissions, via mail, fax or e-mail. The 

Sea Grant Project Record Form and Sea 

Grant Budget Form must be submitted 

in electronic format through grants.gov 

if the grant applicant has the means to 

do so. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 0648–0362. 

Form Number: NOAA Forms 90–1, 

90–2 and 90–4. 

Type of Review: Regular submission 

(renewal of a current information 

collection). 

Affected Public: Not-for-profit 

institutions; business or other for-profit 

organizations; individuals or 

households; State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

768. 

Estimated Time per Response: 30 

minutes for a Sea Grant Control form; 20 

minutes for a Project Record Form; 15 

minutes for a Sea Grant Budget form; 

and 20 hours for an application for 

designation as a Sea Grant college or Sea 

Grant institute. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 857. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $1,833. 

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 21, 2011. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6944 Filed 3–23–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–KA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA261 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

General Provisions for Domestic 

Fisheries; Application for Exempted 

Fishing Permits 

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 (Assistant 

Regional Administrator), has made a 

preliminary determination that an 

Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 

application contains all of the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration, and that the activities 

authorized under this EFP would be 

consistent with the goals and objectives 

of the Monkfish Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP). However, further review 

and consultation may be necessary 

before a final determination is made to 

issue an EFP. This would grant 

exemptions from monkfish days-at-sea 

(DAS) possession limits. 

Regulations under the MagnusonStevens 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 April 8, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: nero.efp@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line ‘‘Comments on UMES 

Monkfish RSA EFP.’’ 

• Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional 

Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside 

of the envelope ‘‘Comments on UMES 

monkfish RSA EFP.’’ 

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jason Berthiaume, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9177. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An 

application for an EFP was submitted by 

the University of Maryland Eastern 

Shore (UMES) on February 18, 2011, in 

support of a project preliminarily 

selected under the New England and 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 

Councils’ Monkfish RSA Program. The 

project proposes to investigate the 

influence of temperature on monkfish 

distribution and abundance. This EFP 

would grant an exemption from 

monkfish possession limits to facilitate 

compensation fishing to fund this 

research project. While conducting RSA 

compensation trips, participating 

vessels would use gillnets that are 12- 

inch (30.5 cm) stretch mesh with a 3.5- 

inch (30.5 cm) diameter gauge web that 

is 12 meshes deep. The nets do not 

exceed 300 ft (91.4 m) in length. 

Average soak times differ between 

vessels, with a range of 36 to 72 hours. 

Each vessel would receive two 

temperature and depth loggers to attach 

to gillnets during RSA compensation 

fishing trips. The loggers would collect 

temperature and depth at intervals of 1 

hour, and would be downloaded 

approximately every 2 months. Catch 

data (number and size of monkfish) 

from panels with probes would be 

recorded by collaborating fishermen, 

along with information on location, 

depth fished, water currents, and lunar 

cycle. UMES plans to collect 

histological samples on board the 

fishing vessels from a subset of trips for 

analysis of reproductive condition. 

Weights and length measurements 

would be taken each trip from a 

minimum of 25 randomly selected 

monkfish from the nets with attached 

temperature probes to gain information 

about fish distribution. 

Compensation fishing for this 

research would occur from May 2011 

through April 2012, with a possible 

extension through April 2013, as 

authorized by the Monkfish FMP and 50 

CFR 648.92(c)(1)(v). Pending a final 

award by NOAA Grants, UMES has been 

awarded 96 monkfish DAS under the 

Monkfish RSA Program. To facilitate 

compensation fishing, the applicant has 

requested exemptions from monkfish 

DAS possession limits at §§ 648.94(b)(1) 

and (2). The applicant has stated that 

these exemptions would provide vessels 

the flexibility they need to generate 

sufficient income to meet projected 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
16614 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 57 / Thursday, March 24, 2011 / Notices 

costs of the research activity, while 

minimizing operating expenses. Based 

on the preliminary award of 96 DAS and 

projected monkfish catch rates, this 

would allow a total catch of 345,600 lb 

(156,762 kg) of whole monkfish 

(104,097 lb (47,218 kg) tail weight). 

Operating under this total landings cap, 

compensation fishing would continue 

until the goal of 345,600 lb (156,762 kg) 

of whole monkfish is caught, or until 

the awarded DAS have been fully 

utilized, whichever occurs first. Aside 

from these exemptions, fishing activity 

would be conducted under normal 

commercial practices. NMFS is 

considering imposing a cap on monkfish 

DAS possession limit exemptions for 

vessels operating under the monkfish 

RSA program due to potential effect that 

such exemptions may have on monkfish 

market price and catch rates for nonRSA vessels. 

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 

impacts that do not change the scope or 

impact of the initially approved EFP 

request. Any fishing activity conducted 

outside the scope of the exempted 

fishing activity would be prohibited. 

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

Dated: March 21, 2011. 

Margo Schulze-Haugen, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7020 Filed 3–23–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA269 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

General Provisions for Domestic 

Fisheries; Application for Exempted 

Fishing Permits 

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 (Assistant 

Regional Administrator), has made a 

preliminary determination that an 

Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 

application contains all of the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration and that the activities 

authorized under this EFP would be 

consistent with the goals and objectives 

of the Monkfish Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP). However, further review 

and consultation may be necessary 

before a final determination is made to 

issue an EFP. This EFP would grant 

exemptions from monkfish days-at-sea 

(DAS) possession limits. 

Regulations under the MagnusonStevens 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 April 8, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: nero.efp@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line ‘‘Comments on GMRI 

Monkfish RSA EFP.’’ 

• Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional 

Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside 

of the envelope ‘‘Comments on GMRI 

monkfish RSA EFP.’’ 

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jason Berthiaume, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9177. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An 

application for an EFP was submitted by 

the Gulf of Maine Research Institute 

(GMRI) on February 23, 2011, in support 

of a project preliminarily selected under 

the New England and Mid-Atlantic 

Fishery Management Councils’ 

Monkfish RSA Program. The project 

proposes to use archival tagging and age 

validation efforts to assess monkfish 

movement, age structure, and growth. 

This EFP would grant an exemption 

from monkfish possession limits to 

facilitate compensation fishing to fund 

this research project. GMRI would tag 

monkfish using data storage tags that 

would record time, pressure (depth), 

and temperature. GMRI would charter 

fishing vessels to conduct the research. 

The vessels would use standard 

commercial gear and land monkfish for 

sale, but sampling locations and 

protocol would be controlled by the 

researcher. The research vessels would 

not land any fish below the legal size for 

commercial purposes. 

Compensation fishing for this 

research would occur from May 2011 

through April 2012, with a possible 

extension through April 2013, as 

authorized by the Monkfish FMP and 50 

CFR 648.92(c)(1)(v). Pending a final 

award by NOAA Grants, GMRI has been 

awarded 368 monkfish DAS under the 

Monkfish RSA Program. To facilitate 

compensation fishing, the applicant has 

requested exemptions from monkfish 

DAS possession limits at 50 CFR 

648.94(b)(1) and (2). The applicant 

stated that these exemptions would 

provide the vessels with flexibility to 

fulfill the financial needs of the project, 

while minimizing vessel operating 

expenses. Based on budget needs and an 

estimated monkfish price per pound, 

the project would need a total catch of 

1,324,800 lb (600,919 kg) of whole 

monkfish (399,036 lb (181,000 kg) tail 

weight). Operating under this total 

landings cap, compensation fishing 

would continue until the goal of 

1,324,800 lb (600,919 kg) of whole 

monkfish is caught, or until the awarded 

DAS have been fully utilized, whichever 

occurs first. Aside from these 

exemptions, fishing activity would be 

conducted under normal commercial 

practices. NMFS is considering 

imposing a cap on monkfish DAS 

possession limit exemptions for vessels 

operating under the monkfish RSA 

program due to potential effects that 

such exemptions may have on monkfish 

market price and catch rates for nonRSA vessels. 

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 

impacts that do not change the scope or 

impact of the initially approved EFP 

request. Any fishing activity conducted 

outside the scope of the exempted 

fishing activity would be prohibited. 

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

Dated: March 21, 2011. 

Margo Schulze-Haugen, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7023 Filed 3–23–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA270 

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. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES