[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78997-78998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26966]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA643]


Pacific Island Fisheries; Experimental Fishing Permit

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of application for experimental fishing permit; request 
for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) has applied for an 
experimental fishing permit (EFP) to test the conservation and 
management usefulness of tori lines (bird scaring streamers) in the 
Hawaii deep-set longline fishery.

DATES: NMFS must receive comments by January 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2020-0155, by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0155, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Send written comments to Michael D. Tosatto, 
Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1845 Wasp 
Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu, HI 96818.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    You may review the EFP application at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Ellgen, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, tel (808) 725-5173.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  HLA applied for an EFP under the authority

[[Page 78998]]

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and 
regulations at 50 CFR 665.17. HLA would test the use of tori lines in 
the Hawaii deep-set longline fishery, without using strategic offal 
discharge (discharging bait and fish offal) when seabirds are present 
or blue-dyed bait, both of which are normally required while deploying 
longline gear (setting) north of 23[deg] N (50 CFR 665.815(a)(2)). If 
approved, the EFP would allow up to four stern-setting vessels to test 
tori lines north of 23[deg] N. The EFP would be effective for no longer 
than one year from the date of issuance, unless earlier revoked, 
suspended, or modified.
    Nearly all of the seabird interactions observed in the fishery are 
with black-footed and Laysan albatrosses. Interaction rates for both 
species are higher in the first and second quarters (January through 
June). Accordingly, the applicant would focus fishing effort during 
periods of higher seabird abundance, as practicable.
    In 2017, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) 
held a workshop to explore the cause of higher than typical fishery 
interactions with black-footed albatross. The workshop suggested that a 
positive (warm) Pacific Decadal Oscillation, with its cooler sea 
surface in the western Pacific and stronger westerly winds, may 
increase the overlap of fishing effort and black-footed albatross 
foraging grounds, leading to more seabird interactions in the fishery.
    In 2018, the Council held a workshop to review seabird mitigation 
requirements and identify research needed to inform future fishing 
requirements to reduce interactions with seabirds. That workshop 
identified certain mitigation measures, including tori lines, as a high 
priority for further research and development due to their potential to 
provide an effective alternative to blue-dyed bait. Workshop 
participants also identified blue-dyed bait as a candidate for removal 
from the existing suite of seabird mitigation measures due to concerns 
with efficacy and practicality.
    The Council recommended the EFP research at its September 2020 
meeting, based on results from a cooperative research project conducted 
in 2019-2020. Results from that project had indicated that tori lines, 
when used in conjunction with blue-dyed bait, significantly reduced 
albatross feeding attempts and contact with longline gear. Project 
results also indicated the potential for offal discharge to increase 
bird interactions during gear setting. The project results led the 
Council to identify the need for additional research to test the 
effectiveness of tori lines without blue-dyed bait and strategic offal 
discharge.
    With the exception of using tori lines without blue-dyed bait and 
strategic offal discharge, vessels participating under the EFP would 
carry out fishing operations consistent with conventional deep-set 
longline fishing targeting bigeye tuna, and would continue to employ 
all other required seabird mitigation measures, including weighted 
branch lines, line shooters, and safe handling practices.
    HLA anticipates that fishing under the EFP would have similar 
environmental impacts on target fish species, non-target fish species, 
and non-seabird protected species to conventional deep-set fishing, and 
hypothesizes that seabird interaction rates for the tori line treatment 
sets would be lower. The EFP application provides additional 
information about these anticipated impacts.
    Each vessel would carry an electronic monitoring system. A stern-
mounted video camera would monitor the number of birds present, and 
seabird attacks and contacts, during gear setting. After a vessel 
returns to port, scientists would review the video recordings, and 
would verify seabird captures through logbook data.
    At the completion of the project, EFP findings would be available 
to support Council decision-making about measures to reduce seabird 
interactions.
    NMFS seeks comments on the proposed experimental activity. We will 
consider comments received when deciding whether to approve the permit, 
and whether to attach any additional terms and conditions.

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

    Dated: December 3, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-26966 Filed 12-7-20; 8:45 am]
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