Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 156 / Friday, August 12, 2011 / Notices 50181 

Federal permit or tag number, or some 

other specified form of identification. 

The regulations further specify how the 

gear is to be marked (e.g., location and 

color). Law enforcement personnel rely 

on this information to assure 

compliance with fisheries management 

regulations. Gear that is not properly 

identified is confiscated. The 

identifying number on fishing gear is 

used by the National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), the United States Coast 

Guard (USCG), and other marine 

agencies in issuing violations, 

prosecutions, and other enforcement 

actions. Gear marking helps ensure that 

a vessel harvests fish only from its own 

traps/pots/other gear and that traps/ 

pots/other gear are not illegally placed. 

Gear violations are more readily 

prosecuted when the gear is marked, 

allowing for more cost effective 

enforcement. Cooperating fishermen 

also use the number to report placement 

or occurrence of gear in unauthorized 

areas. Regulation-compliant fishermen 

ultimately benefit from this 

requirement, because unauthorized and 

illegal fishing is deterred and more 

burdensome regulations are avoided. 

II. Method of Collection 

The physical marking of fishing buoys 

is done by the affected public 

(fishermen in the Pacific Coast 

Groundfish Fishery) according to 

regulation. No information is collected. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: 0648–0352. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

946. 

Estimated Time per Response: 

15 minutes per marking. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 3,798. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $3,798. 

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. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–20491 Filed 8–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA505 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of an 

application for an exempted fishing 

permit; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt 

of an application for an exempted 

fishing permit (EFP) from the Louisiana 

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 

(LDWF). If granted, the EFP would 

authorize the applicant to collect and 

retain limited numbers of specimens 

that would otherwise be prohibited from 

possession and retention. This study, to 

be conducted in the exclusive economic 

zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) 

off Louisiana, is intended to more 

closely monitor populations of red 

snapper and other reef fish to ensure 

public health and seafood quality are 

maintained. 

DATES: Comments must be received no 

later than 5 p.m., eastern time, on 

September 12, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the application by any of the 

following methods: 

• E-mail: Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: ‘‘LDWF_EFP’’. 

• Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast 

Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

The application and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request to any of the above 

addresses. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Branstetter, 727–824–5305; email: Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is 

requested under the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and regulations at 

50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 

fishing. 

The described research is part of a 

new monitoring program by LDWF. The 

research is intended to involve 

recreational fishermen in the collection 

of fundamental biological information of 

Gulf reef fish. The proposed collection 

for scientific research involves activities 

that could otherwise be prohibited by 

regulations at 50 CFR part 622, as they 

pertain to reef fish managed by the Gulf 

of Mexico Fishery Management Council 

(Council). The applicant requires 

authorization through the EFP to collect 

these Council-managed species that may 

be taken as part of the normal fishing 

activities of the recreational for-hire 

sector of the Gulf reef fish fishery. 

LDWF would enlist the Louisiana 

Charter Boat Association, a for-hire 

recreational fishing body that is 

recognized by the department and the 

state legislature to assist with a focused 

watch for red snapper and other Gulf 

reef fish species exhibiting biological 

abnormalities, such as skin lesions or 

infections. LDWF Office of Fisheries 

personnel and university researchers 

would train participating charter boat 

operators to recognize abnormalities in 

reef fish and to use scientifically 

accepted technical procedures to 

process affected fish for laboratory 

analysis. The charter boat captain would 

attach an identification tag to each 

specimen, record the fishing location 

using Global Positioning System 

coordinates, and then contact the LDWF 

via an emergency call-in number. LDWF 

field personnel would assist in 

transferring these samples to shore 

facilities for transport to a pathology 

laboratory at Louisiana State University 

for analysis. 

The goal of the research is to more 

closely monitor populations of red 

snapper and other reef fish taken from 

state and Federal waters off Louisiana to 

ensure public health and seafood 

quality are maintained. The EFP, if 

approved, would authorize the take of 

as many as 100 Federally-managed red 

snapper or other Gulf reef fish through 

August 31, 2012. Such fish, collected as 

biological samples, would be exempted 

from the recreational bag limit for the 

particular species, and not subject to 

size limits or seasonal closures. 

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50182 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 156 / Friday, August 12, 2011 / Notices 

NMFS finds this application warrants 

further consideration. Possible 

conditions the agency may impose on 

this permit, if it is indeed granted, 

include but are not limited to, a 

prohibition of conducting research 

within marine protected areas, marine 

sanctuaries, or special management 

zones, without additional authorization. 

Additionally, NMFS would prohibit the 

possession of Nassau or goliath grouper. 

A report on the research would be due 

at the end of the collection period, to be 

submitted to NMFS and reviewed by the 

Council. 

A final decision on issuance of the 

EFP will depend on NMFS’s review of 

public comments received on the 

application, consultations with the 

affected states, the Council, and the U.S. 

Coast Guard, as well as a determination 

that it is consistent with all applicable 

laws. 

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

Dated: August 8, 2011. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–20611 Filed 8–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XA596 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of an 

application for an exempted fishing 

permit; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt 

of an application for an exempted 

fishing permit (EFP) for a collaborative 

effort among personnel from Texas Tech 

University, Texas A&M—Corpus Christi, 

and a commercial fishing organization, 

Shareholders Alliance. If granted, the 

EFP would authorize the applicants to 

collect and retain limited numbers of 

specimens that would otherwise be 

prohibited from possession and 

retention. This study, to be conducted 

in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 

the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), is intended to 

more closely monitor populations of red 

snapper and other reef fish to compare 

relative catch rates and discards 

between vessels that possess varying 

amounts of red snapper allocation under 

the current Gulf red snapper individual 

fishing quota (IFQ) program. 

DATES: Comments must be received no 

later than 5 p.m., eastern time, on 

September 12, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the application by any of the 

following methods: 

• E-mail: Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov. 

Include in the subject line of the e-mail 

comment the following document 

identifier: ‘‘TTU_EFP’’. 

• Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast 

Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th 

Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

The application and related 

documents are available for review 

upon written request to any of the above 

addresses. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Branstetter, 727–824–5305; email: Steve.Branstetter@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EFP is 

requested under the authority of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act (16 

U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), and regulations at 

50 CFR 600.745(b) concerning exempted 

fishing. 

The described research is part of an 

ongoing Cooperative Research Program 

Cooperative Agreement (No. 

NA10NMF4540110) funded by NMFS. 

The research is intended to involve 

commercial fishermen in the collection 

of fundamental fisheries information. 

Resource collection efforts support the 

development and evaluation of fisheries 

management and regulatory options. 

The proposed collection for scientific 

research involves activities that could 

otherwise be prohibited by regulations 

at 50 CFR part 622, as they pertain to 

reef fish managed by the Gulf of Mexico 

Fishery Management Council (Council). 

The applicants require authorization 

through the EFP to collect these 

Council-managed species that may be 

taken as part of the normal fishing 

activities of the commercial sector of the 

Gulf reef fish fishery. The applicant 

would be conducting this research in 

cooperation with a commercial fishing 

organization, Shareholders Alliance, 

and would involve as many as 30 vessel 

owners associated with that 

organization. Observers from Texas 

Tech University and Texas A&M— 

Corpus Christi, would document the 

catch and bycatch of red snapper and 

other reef fish during normal 

commercial fishing operations in the 

Gulf. 

The objective of the study is to 

compare the discard rate of red snapper 

and the bycatch rates of other fish 

species in the red snapper commercial 

handline component of the Gulf reef 

fish fishery between fishermen with 

high and low amounts of quota 

allocation in both the eastern and 

western Gulf. By tagging discarded fish, 

and examining the return rates for 

recaptured tagged fish, the intent of the 

research is to estimate the delayed 

mortality rate, and long-term survival, of 

fish discarded in the commercial sector 

using vertical line gear in the Gulf reef 

fish fishery based on depth of capture. 

Information learned from this study is 

intended to help fishermen reduce 

discard mortality rates using new 

methodologies such as descender hooks 

to return fish to depth during fishing 

operations. In addition, sampling for 

age, growth, and size composition of the 

catch and bycatch would be conducted, 

providing additional information that 

can be used to assess the health of stock. 

Additionally, the goal of the research 

is to improve the scientific knowledge 

of red snapper and other reef fish taken 

from state and Federal waters of the 

Gulf and to use that knowledge to 

support fishery management decisions. 

The EFP, if approved, would authorize 

the take of as many as 1,000 Federallymanaged red snapper or other reef fish 

through July 31, 2012. Such fish, 

collected as biological samples, would 

be exempt from size limit regulations, 

and would not count against an 

individual fishermen’s specific red 

snapper IFQ allocation. 

NMFS finds this application warrants 

further consideration. Possible 

conditions the agency may impose on 

this permit, if it is indeed granted, 

include but are not limited to, a 

prohibition of conducting research 

within marine protected areas, marine 

sanctuaries, or special management 

zones, without additional authorization. 

Additionally, NMFS would prohibit the 

possession of Nassau or goliath grouper. 

A report on the research would be due 

at the end of the collection period, to be 

submitted to NMFS and reviewed by the 

Council. 

A final decision on issuance of the 

EFP will depend on NMFS’s review of 

public comments received on the 

application, consultations with the 

affected states, the Council, and the U.S. 

Coast Guard, as well as a determination 

that the EFP is consistent with all 

applicable laws. 

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

Dated: August 8, 2011. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–20596 Filed 8–11–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES