Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 64909

The more restrictive Alternative 4 

under Action 5 in Amendment 6 

specifies:

For a person aboard a shrimp trawler to 

fish for penaeid shrimp in the South Atlantic 

EEZ or possess penaeid shrimp in or from the 

South Atlantic EEZ, a valid commercial 

vessel permit for South Atlantic penaeid 

shrimp must have been issued to the vessel 

and must be on board. A federal penaeid 

shrimp permit will be issued to any vessel 

owner who submits an application.

Alternative 4 and other alternatives 

are described further in the Council’s 

public hearing document, which is a 

summary of alternatives for Action 5 in 

Amendment 6 to the Shrimp FMP (see 

ADDRESSES for information on obtaining 

the public hearing document).

These meetings will be physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to the Council office 

(see ADDRESSES) by November 19, 2004.

Dated: November 3, 2004.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24957 Filed 11–8–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 110304C]

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), 

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of a proposal for 

Exempted Fishing Permits 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 the 

subject Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) 

application contains all the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration. The Assistant Regional 

Administrator has also made a 

preliminary determination that the 

activities authorized under the EFP 

would be consistent with the goals and 

objectives of the Northeast (NE) 

Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP). However, further review and 

consultation may be necessary before a 

final determination is made to issue the 

EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that 

the Assistant Regional Administrator 

proposes to recommend that an EFP be 

issued that would allow one vessel to 

conduct fishing operations that are 

otherwise restricted by the regulations 

governing the fisheries of the 

Northeastern United States. The EFP 

may allow exemptions from the NE 

multispecies rolling closure areas, 

minimum mesh size, and the days-at-sea 

(DAS) effort control program for up to 

16 DAS for testing a bycatch reducing 

gear modification. 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 November 24, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice 

may be submitted by e-mail to: 

DA564@noaa.gov. Include in the subject 

line the following document identifier: 

‘‘Comments on UNH Double Grid Gear 

Modification EFP Proposal.’’ Written 

comments may also be sent to Patricia 

A. Kurkul, Regional Administrator, 

NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 

Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. 

Mark the outside of the envelope 

‘‘Comments on UNH Double Grid Gear 

Modification EFP Proposal.’’ Comments 

may also be sent via fax to (978) 281–

9135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Heather Sagar, Fishery Management 

Specialist, phone (978) 281–9341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of 

this proposed project was previously 

published in the Federal Register on 

September 24, 2004, (69 FR 57269) with 

the comment period ending on October 

12, 2004. However, the exemption for 

the Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Area 

(RMA) minimum mesh size was 

inadvertently omitted in that notice.

Bart McNeel, in cooperation with the 

University of New Hampshire 

Cooperative Extension (UNH), 

submitted an application for an EFP on 

May 21, 2004, for a project that started 

in 2002. This EFP would authorize one 

commercial vessel to conduct sea trials 

using a double grid excluder device. 

The final phase of this 2-year study 

would be conducted by UNH with the 

goal of designing trawl gear through 

modifications to the grid bar 

orientations to release sub-legal sized 

cod and flatfish species incidental to the 

catch, while retaining fish of marketable 

size. To accomplish this, the 

commercial fishing vessel would 

conduct trawl net gear trials using the 

double grid excluder device within the 

Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank area 

from 40°30′ N. latitude to the coast of 

Maine, excluding the Western and 

Eastern U.S./Canada Areas and all 

groundfish year-round closure areas. An 

exemption from the minimum mesh size 

is requested in order to place a smallmesh catch bag over the escape vent in 

order to quantify the results.

The fishing portion of this study 

began in March 2002. The applicant 

requests an exemption from 16 DAS to 

complete the project during the 2004 

fishing year. Based upon the catch rates 

from eight days of fishing in the 2003 

fishing year, the following catch is 

estimated for the 2004 fishing year: 

American plaice 992 lb (450 kg); cod 

7,200 lb (3,266 kg); haddock 1,376 lb 

(624 kg); monkfish 2,317 lb (1,051 kg); 

pollock 144 lb (65 kg); white hake 400 

lb (181 kg); and witch flounder 688 lb 

(312 kg). Estimated discards are 

estimated to be: American plaice 112 lb 

(51 kg); cod 5,008 lb (2,272 kg); dogfish 

9,008 lb (4,085 kg); herring 2,608 lb 

(1,183 kg); lobster 32 lb (15 kg); 

monkfish 48 lb (22 kg); skate 64 lb (29 

kg); white hake 2,528 lb (1,147 kg); 

whiting 800 lb (363 kg); and witch 

flounder 32 lb (15 kg). All undersized 

fish would be returned to the sea as 

quickly as possible. Legal-sized fish that 

would otherwise have to be discarded 

would be allowed to be retained and 

sold within the applicable GOM 

possession limits. The participating 

vessel would be required to report all 

landings in its Vessel Trip Report.

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

Dated: November 4, 2004.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24955 Filed 11–8–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 110404A]

Marine Mammals; File No. 1033–1683–

00

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for 

amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Michael A. Castellini, Ph.D., Institute of 

64910 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 

Marine Science, School of Fisheries and 

Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, 

Fairbanks, AK 99775, has requested an 

amendment to scientific research Permit 

No. 1033–1683–00.

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or e-mail 

comments must be received on or before 

December 9, 2004.

ADDRESSES: The amendment request 

and related documents are available for 

review upon written request or by 

appointment in the following office(s):

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)713–0376.

Written comments or requests for a 

public hearing on this request should be 

submitted to the Chief, Permits, 

Conservation and Education Division, 

F/PR1, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Those 

individuals requesting a hearing should 

set forth the specific reasons why a 

hearing on this particular amendment 

request would be appropriate.

Comments may also be submitted by 

facsimile at (301)713–0376, provided 

the facsimile is confirmed by hard copy 

submitted by mail and postmarked no 

later than the closing date of the 

comment period.

Comments may also be submitted by 

e-mail. The mailbox address for 

providing email comments is 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: File No. 1033–1683–01.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth Johnson or Amy Sloan (301)713–

2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject amendment to Permit No. 1033–

1683–00, issued on September 25, 2002 

(67 FR 62699) is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the Regulations 

Governing the Taking and Importing of 

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216).

Permit No. 1033–1683–00 authorizes 

the permit holder to capture, sample, 

instrument and release Weddell seals, 

incidentally harass crabeater seal 

(Lobodon carcinophagus), leopard seal 

(Hydrurga leptonyx), Ross seal 

(Ommatophoca rossii), southern 

elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), and 

Antarctic fur seal (Archtocephalus 

gazella), and import blood, feces and 

milk collected during research. The 

permit holder requests authorization to: 

capture 20 additional adult Weddell 

seals (10 inshore, 10 offshore), handle, 

blood sample, collect a whisker and hair 

sample; and collect a whisker and hair 

sample from adult female seals already 

authorized to be taken. These activities 

will provide information of the effects of 

the Antarctic ecosystem changes on 

seals.

Concurrent with the publication of 

this notice in the Federal Register, 

NMFS is forwarding copies of this 

application to the Marine Mammal 

Commission and its Committee of 

Scientific Advisors.

Dated: November 4, 2004.

Jill Lewandowski, 

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24954 Filed 11–8–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration

[I.D. 110304A]

Marine Mammals; File No. 782–1708

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce.

ACTION: Issuance of permit amendment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

The National Marine Mammal 

Laboratory (NMML), National Marine 

Fisheries Service, NOAA, 7600 Sand 

Point Way, NE, BIN C15700, Bldg. 1, 

Seattle, WA 98115–0070 [PI: Dr. John 

Bengtson] has been issued an 

amendment to scientific research Permit 

No.782–1708–00 to take Northern fur 

seals (Callorhinus ursinus).

ADDRESSES: The amendment and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the following office(s):

Permits, Conservation and Education 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone 

(301)713–2289; fax (301)713–0376; and

Alaska Region, NMFS, P.O. Box 

21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668; phone 

(907)586–7221; fax (907)586–7249.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth Johnson or Amy Sloan, (301)713–

2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

September 16, 2004, notice was 

published in the Federal Register (69 

FR 55797) that an amendment of Permit 

No. 782–1708–00 issued on August 23, 

2003 (68 FR 53967), had been requested 

by the above-named organization. The 

requested amendment has been granted 

under the authority of the Marine 

Mammal Protection Act of 1972, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the 

Regulations Governing the Taking and 

Importing of Marine Mammals (50 CFR 

part 216), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, 

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.).

The Permit authorizes the Holder to 

capture, restrain, shear mark, weigh, 

measure, sample (including tooth, 

tissue, blood, fecal and throat swabs, 

enema), ultrasound, flipper tag, and 

instrument fur seals; animals are 

recaptured to remove instruments or to 

reinstrument. Fur seals may be 

incidentally harassed during capture 

operations, surveys, and scat collection. 

Researchers may also collect, obtain, 

and maintain scientific specimens taken 

from dead animals during the native 

subsistence harvest (St. Paul and St. 

George only) and from animals found 

dead on rookeries during other research 

activities (all islands) in Alaska.

The Amendment authorizes the 

Holder to inject up to 60 pups with 

deuterium oxide (D2O) and up to 70 

adults with tritiated water (3H2O). 

Animals may be blood sampled pre- and 

post-injection of isotopes, held up to 2.5 

hours and released. At the end of the 

perinatal suckling period, the pups may 

be recaptured, weighed and a single 5–

10 mL blood sample obtained. Females 

may also be biopsy sampled for fatty 

acid analysis. All animals requested are 

a subset of seals already authorized to 

be taken. No increase in number of 

animals taken is requested or 

authorized.

In compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final 

determination has been made that the 

activity proposed is categorically 

excluded from the requirement to 

prepare an environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement.

Dated: November 3, 2004.

Amy Sloan,

Acting Chief, Permits, Conservation and 

Education Division, Office of Protected 

Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24956 Filed 11–8–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S