Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 230 / Monday, November 30, 2020 / Notices 76533 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA622] 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 

Atlantic Shark Management Measures; 

2021 Research Fishery 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for 

applications. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces its request 

for applications for the 2021 shark 

research fishery from commercial shark 

fishermen with directed or incidental 

shark limited access permits. The shark 

research fishery allows for the collection 

of fishery-dependent and biological data 

for future stock assessments and to meet 

the research objectives of the Agency. 

The only commercial vessels authorized 

to land sandbar sharks are those 

participating in the shark research 

fishery. Shark research fishery 

permittees may also land other large 

coastal sharks (LCS), small coastal 

sharks (SCS), smoothhound, and pelagic 

sharks. Commercial shark fishermen 

who are interested in participating in 

the shark research fishery need to 

submit a completed Shark Research 

Fishery Permit Application to be 

considered. 

DATES: Shark Research Fishery 

Applications must be received no later 

than December 30, 2020. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit completed 

applications via email to 

NMFS.Research.Fishery@noaa.gov. 

For copies of the Shark Research 

Fishery Permit Application, please 

email a request to 

NMFS.Research.Fishery@noaa.gov. 

Copies of the Shark Research Fishery 

Application are also available at the 

HMS website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highlymigratory-species/atlantic-highlymigratory-species-exempted-fishingpermits. Additionally, please be advised 

that your application may be released 

under the Freedom of Information Act. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karyl Brewster-Geisz, Lauren Latchford 

at (301) 427–8503 (phone) or Delisse 

Ortiz at (240) 681–9037 or email 

NMFS.research.fishery@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Atlantic shark fisheries are managed 

under the authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens 

Act). The 2006 Consolidated HMS 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as 

amended, is implemented by 

regulations at 50 CFR part 635. 

The shark research fishery was 

established, in part, to maintain time 

series data for stock assessments and to 

meet NMFS’ research objectives. Since 

the shark research fishery was 

established in 2008, the research fishery 

has allowed for: The collection of 

fishery-dependent data for current and 

future stock assessments; the operation 

of cooperative research to meet NMFS’ 

ongoing research objectives; the 

collection of updated life-history 

information used in the sandbar shark 

(and other species) stock assessment; 

the collection of data on habitat 

preferences that might help reduce 

fishery interactions through bycatch 

mitigation; evaluation of the utility of 

the mid-Atlantic closed area on the 

recovery of dusky sharks and collection 

of hook-timer and pop-up satellite 

archival tag information to determine atvessel and post-release mortality of 

dusky sharks; and collection of sharks to 

determine the weight conversion factor 

from dressed weight to whole weight. 

The shark research fishery allows 

selected commercial fishermen the 

opportunity to earn revenue from selling 

additional sharks, including sandbar 

sharks. Only the commercial shark 

fishermen selected to participate in the 

shark research fishery are authorized to 

land sandbar sharks subject to the 

sandbar quota available each year. The 

base quota is 90.7 metric tons (mt) 

dressed weight (dw) per year, although 

this number may be reduced in the 

event of overharvests. The selected 

shark research fishery permittees will 

also be allowed to land other LCS, SCS, 

smoothhound, and pelagic sharks 

consistent with any restrictions 

established on their shark research 

fishery permit. Generally, the shark 

research fishery permits are valid only 

for the calendar year for which they are 

issued. 

The specific 2021 trip limits and 

number of trips per month will depend 

on the availability of funding, number of 

selected vessels, the availability of 

observers, the available quota, and the 

objectives of the research fishery, and 

will be included in the permit terms at 

time of issuance. The number of 

participants in the research fishery 

changes each year. In 2020, five 

fishermen were initially chosen to 

participate. Due to various issues, 

midway through 2020, three of the 

initial five fishermen were replaced 

with three other qualified fishermen. 

From 2008 through 2020, there has been 

an average of seven participants each 

year with the range from five to eleven. 

The number of trips allowed per month 

can change, but in the last few years this 

number has remained constant with 

partipating vessels on average been able 

to take one trip per month. The number 

of trips taken per month are limited by 

the scientific and research needs of the 

Agency and the number of NMFSapproved observers available. 

Participants may also be limited on the 

amount of gear they can deploy on a 

given set (e.g., number of hooks and 

sets, soak times, length of longline). 

These limits may change both between 

years and during the year depending on 

research goals and bycatch limits. 

In the 2020 fishing season, NMFS 

split 90 percent of the sandbar and LCS 

research fishery quotas equally among 

selected participants, with each vessel 

allocated 16.3 mt dw (35,992 lb dw) of 

sandbar shark research fishery quota 

and 9.0 mt dw (19,841 lb dw) of other 

LCS research fishery quota. The 

remaining quota was held in reserve to 

ensure the overall sandbar and LCS 

research fishery quotas were not 

exceeded. NMFS also established a 

regional dusky bycatch limit, which was 

implemented in 2013, specific to this 

research fishery, where once three or 

more dusky sharks were brought to the 

vessel dead in any of four regions across 

the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic through 

the entire year, any shark research 

fishery permit holder in that region was 

not able to soak their gear for longer 

than 3 hours. If, after the change in soak 

time, there were two additional dusky 

shark interactions (alive or dead) 

observed, shark research fishery permit 

holders were not able to make a trip in 

that region for the remainder of the year, 

unless otherwise permitted by NMFS. 

There were slightly different measures 

established for shark research fishery 

participants in the mid-Atlantic shark 

closed area in order to allow NMFS 

observers to place satellite archival tags 

on dusky sharks and collect other 

scientific information on dusky sharks 

while also minimizing any dusky shark 

mortality. 

Participants were also required to 

land any dead sharks, unless they were 

a prohibited species, in which case they 

were required to discard them. All 

prohibited species must be released, 

unless the observer requests that the 

shark be retained for research purposes. 

If the regional non-blacknose SCS, 

blacknose, and/or pelagic shark 

commercial management group quotas 

were closed, then any shark research 

fishery permit holder fishing in the 

region was required to discard all of the 

species from the closed management 

groups regardless of condition. Any 


TKELLEY on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES
76534 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 230 / Monday, November 30, 2020 / Notices 

sharks, except prohibited species or 

species from closed commercial 

management groups, caught and brought 

to the vessel alive could be released 

alive or landed. The vessels 

participating in the shark research 

fishery averaged four trips in 2020, but 

the timing, and number of the trips 

varied based on seasonal availability of 

certain species and individual allocated 

quotas. 

To participate in the shark research 

fishery, commercial shark fishermen 

need to submit a completed Shark 

Research Fishery Application by the 

deadline noted above (see DATES) 

showing that the vessel and owner(s) 

meet the specific criteria outlined 

below. 

Research Objectives 

Each year, the research objectives are 

developed by a shark board, which is 

comprised of representatives within 

NMFS, including representatives from 

the Southeast Fisheries Science Center 

(SEFSC) Panama City Laboratory, the 

Southeast Regional Office Protected 

Resources Division, and the HMS 

Management Division. The research 

objectives for 2021 are based on various 

documents, including the 2020 

Biological Opinion of the Atlantic Shark 

Fisheries Except Pelagic Longline, as 

well as recent stock assessments for the 

U.S. South Atlantic blacknose, U.S Gulf 

of Mexico blacknose, U.S. Gulf of 

Mexico blacktip, sandbar, and dusky 

sharks (all these stock assessments can 

be found at http://sedarweb.org/). The 

2021 research objectives are: 

• Collect reproductive, length, sex, 

and age data from sandbar and other 

sharks throughout the calendar year for 

species-specific stock assessments; 

• Monitor the size distribution of 

sandbar sharks and other species 

captured in the fishery; 

• Continue on-going tagging shark 

programs for identification of migration 

corridors and stock structure using dart 

and/or spaghetti tags; 

• Maintain time-series of abundance 

from previously derived indices for the 

shark bottom longline observer program; 

• Sample fin sets (e.g., dorsal, 

pectoral) from prioritized species to 

further develop fin identification 

guides; 

• Acquire fin-clip samples of all 

shark and other species for genetic 

analysis; 

• Attach satellite archival tags to 

endangered smalltooth sawfish to 

provide information on critical habitat 

and preferred depth, consistent with the 

requirements listed in the take permit 

issued under section 10 of the 

Endangered Species Act to the SEFSC 

observer program; 

• Attach satellite archival tags to 

prohibited dusky and other sharks, as 

needed, to provide information on daily 

and seasonal movement patterns, and 

preferred depth; 

• Evaluate hooking mortality and 

post-release survivorship of dusky, 

hammerhead, blacktip, and other sharks 

using hook-timers and temperaturedepth recorders; 

• Evaluate the effects of controlled 

gear experiments to determine the 

effects of potential hook changes to 

prohibited species interactions and 

fishery yields; 

• Examine the size distribution of 

sandbar and other sharks captured 

throughout the fishery including in the 

Mid-Atlantic shark time/area closure off 

the coast of North Carolina from January 

1 through July 31; 

• Develop allometric and weight 

relationships of selected species of 

sharks (e.g., hammerhead, sandbar, 

blacktip shark); 

• Collect samples such as liver and 

muscle plugs for stable isotope analysis 

as a part of a trophic level-based 

ecosystem study; and 

• Examine the feasibility of using 

electronic monitoring to accurately 

measure soak times of bottom longline 

sets. This specific research objective 

will require participating vessels to have 

an electronic monitoring system (EM) 

sensors installed for the duration of the 

2021 research fishery. During each 

research trip, the EM sensors must be 

operating. The sensors will be removed 

after the end of the 2021 research 

fishery. 

Selection Criteria 

Shark Research Fishery Permit 

Applications will only be accepted from 

commercial shark fishermen who hold a 

current directed or incidental shark 

limited access permit. While incidental 

permit holders are welcome to submit 

an application, to ensure that an 

appropriate number of sharks are landed 

to meet the research objectives for this 

year, NMFS will give priority to 

directed permit holders as 

recommended by the shark board. As 

such, qualified incidental permit 

holders will be selected only if there are 

not enough qualified directed permit 

holders to meet research objectives. 

The Shark Research Fishery Permit 

Application includes, but is not limited 

to, a request for the following 

information: Type of commercial shark 

permit possessed; past participation and 

availability in the commercial shark 

fishery (not including sharks caught for 

display); past involvement and 

compliance with HMS observer 

programs per 50 CFR 635.7; past 

compliance with HMS regulations at 50 

CFR part 635; past and present 

availability to participate in the shark 

research fishery year-round; ability to 

fish in the regions and seasons 

requested; ability to attend necessary 

meetings regarding the objectives and 

research protocols of the shark research 

fishery; and ability to carry out the 

research objectives of the Agency, 

including the new research objective 

that will require vessels to have a 

specific EM sensors installed. 

Preference will be given to those 

applicants who are willing and available 

to fish year-round and who affirmatively 

state that they intend to do so, to ensure 

the timely and accurate data collection 

NMFS needs to meet this year’s research 

objectives. An applicant who has been 

charged criminally or civilly (e.g., 

issued a Notice of Violation and 

Assessment (NOVA) or Notice of Permit 

Sanction) for any HMS-related violation 

will not be considered for participation 

in the shark research fishery. In 

addition, applicants who were selected 

to carry an observer in the previous 2 

years for any HMS fishery, but failed to 

contact NMFS to arrange the placement 

of an observer as required per 50 CFR 

635.7, will not be considered for 

participation in the 2021 shark research 

fishery. Applicants who were selected 

to carry an observer in the previous 2 

years for any HMS fishery and failed to 

comply with all the observer regulations 

per 50 CFR 635.7 will also not be 

considered. Exceptions will be made for 

vessels that were selected for HMS 

observer coverage but did not fish in the 

quarter when selected and thus did not 

require an observer. Applicants who do 

not possess a valid USCG safety 

inspection decal when the application is 

submitted will not be considered. 

Applicants who have been noncompliant with any of the HMS observer 

program regulations in the previous two 

years, as described above, may be 

eligible for future participation in shark 

research fishery activities by 

demonstrating two subsequent years of 

compliance with observer regulations at 

50 CFR 635.7. 

Selection Process 

The HMS Management Division will 

review all submitted applications and 

develop a list of qualified applicants 

from those applications that are deemed 

complete. A qualified applicant is an 

applicant that has submitted a complete 

application by the deadline (see DATES) 

and has met the selection criteria listed 

above. Qualified applicants are eligible 

to be selected to participate in the 2021 


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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 230 / Monday, November 30, 2020 / Notices 76535 

shark research fishery. The HMS 

Management Division will provide the 

list of qualified applicants without 

identifying information to the SEFSC. 

The SEFSC will then evaluate the list of 

qualified applicants and, based on the 

temporal and spatial needs of the 

research objectives, the availability of 

observers, the availability of qualified 

applicants, and the available quota for a 

given year, will randomly select 

qualified applicants to conduct the 

prescribed research. Where there are 

multiple qualified applicants that meet 

the criteria, permittees will be randomly 

selected through a lottery system. If a 

public meeting is deemed necessary, 

NMFS will announce details of a public 

selection meeting in a subsequent 

Federal Register notice. 

Once the selection process is 

complete, NMFS will notify the selected 

applicants and issue the shark research 

fishery permits. The shark research 

fishery permits will be valid through 

December 31, 2021, unless otherwise 

specified. If needed, NMFS will 

communicate with the shark research 

fishery permit holders to arrange a 

captain’s meeting to discuss the 

research objectives and protocols. 

NMFS usually holds mandatory 

captain’s meetings before observers are 

placed on vessels and may hold one for 

the 2021 shark research fishery in early 

2021. Once the fishery starts, the shark 

research fishery permit holders must 

contact the NMFS or designee to arrange 

the placement of a NMFS-approved 

observer for each shark research trip, 

and in the beginning, to arrange the 

installation of the specific EM sensors. 

Additionally, selected applicants are 

expected to allow observers the 

opportunity to perform their duties as 

required and assist observers as 

necessary. At the end of the fishery, 

shark research fishery permit holders 

must contact NMFS or a designee to 

arrange for the removal of the EM 

sensors. 

A shark research fishery permit will 

only be valid for the vessel and owner(s) 

and terms and conditions listed on the 

permit, and, thus, cannot be transferred 

to another vessel or owner(s). Shark 

research fishery permit holders must 

carry a NMFS-approved observer in 

order to land sandbar sharks. Issuance 

of a shark research permit does not 

guarantee that the permit holder will be 

assigned a NMFS-approved observer on 

any particular trip. Rather, issuance 

indicates that a vessel may be issued a 

NMFS-approved observer for a 

particular trip, and on such trips, may 

be allowed to harvest Atlantic sharks, 

including sandbar sharks, in excess of 

the retention limits described in 50 CFR 

635.24(a). These retention limits will be 

based on available quota, number of 

vessels participating in the 2021 shark 

research fishery, the research objectives 

set forth by the shark board, the extent 

of other restrictions placed on the 

vessel, and may vary by vessel and/or 

location. When not operating under the 

auspices of the shark research fishery, 

the vessel would still be able to land 

LCS, SCS, and pelagic sharks subject to 

existing retention limits on trips 

without a NMFS-approved observer. 

Additionally, during those times, the 

vessel would not need to operate the EM 

sensors. 

NMFS annually invites commercial 

shark permit holders (directed and 

incidental) to submit an application to 

participate in the shark research fishery. 

Permit applications can be found on the 

HMS Management Division’s website at 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantichighly-migratory-species/atlantichighly-migratory-species-permits-andreporting-forms or by calling (301) 427– 

8503. Final decisions on the issuance of 

a shark research fishery permit will 

depend on the submission of all 

required information by the deadline 

(see DATES), and NMFS’ review of 

applicant information as outlined above. 

The 2021 shark research fishery will 

start after the opening of the shark 

fishery and under available quotas as 

published in a separate Federal Register 

final rule. 

Dated: November 24, 2020. 

Jennifer M. Wallace, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26325 Filed 11–27–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XA678] 

Western Pacific Fishery Management 

Council; Pacific Island Fisheries; 

Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: NMFS and the Western 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

(Council) will convene a Western 

Pacific Stock Assessment Review 

(WPSAR) of a 2020 stock assessment 

update for seven deep-water bottomfish 

species (‘‘Deep 7’’ bottomfish complex) 

in the Main Hawaiian Islands. 

DATES: The WPSAR panel will meet on 

December 16–17, 2020. For specific 

times and agenda, see SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held by 

web conference via WebEx. Audio and 

visual portions for all of the web 

conferences can be accessed at: https:// 

wprfmc.webex.com/join/ 

info.wpcouncilnoaa.gov. Web 

conference access information and 

instructions for providing public 

comments will be posted on the Council 

website at www.wpcouncil.org. For 

assistance with the web conference 

connection, contact the Council office at 

(808) 552–8220. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kitty Simonds, Executive Director, 

Western Pacific Regional Fishery 

Management Council; telephone: (808) 

522–8220. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science 

Center (PIFSC) conducted a stock 

assessment update for the Main 

Hawaiian Island Deep 7 bottomfish 

complex. PIFSC previously conducted a 

Benchmark stock assessment for the 

Deep 7 bottomfish in 2018 using a 

Bayesian surplus production model fit 

to commercial catch and effort data and 

independent survey biomass estimates. 

This assessment update used the 

methodology of the 2018 benchmark 

assessment and updated it with data 

through 2019. 

PIFSC used this assessment update to 

estimate biomass and stock status of the 

Deep 7 bottomfish complex through 

time, and evaluated stock status against 

the maximum sustainable yield based 

reference points described in the 

Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plan for 

the Hawaii Archipelago. The 2020 

assessment update provides projections 

to inform setting of acceptable biological 

catch and annual catch limits for 2021– 

24. 

The WPSAR panel will meet virtually 

beginning at 9 a.m., Hawaii Standard 

Time (HST), each day. A public 

comment period will be provided at the 

end of the first day. The agenda order 

may change and the meeting will run as 

late as necessary to complete scheduled 

business. 

Meeting Agenda 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 9 a.m. to 

2 p.m. HST 

1. Introduction 

2. Review objectives and terms of reference 

3. Review of stock assessment updates 

4. Summary of comments and analysis 

during desktop phase 

5. Questions to presenters 

6. Public comment 


TKELLEY on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with NOTICES