Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 13 / Monday, January 22, 2007 / Notices 2651 

michelle.yuen@noaa.gov. Include in the 

subject line of the e-mail, the following 

identifier: Comments on 5–year review 

for the Hawaiian monk seal. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact Dr. Michelle Yuen at the above 

email address or at 808–944–2243. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

ESA, a list of endangered and 

threatened wildlife and plant species at 

50 CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 150 CFR 

7.12 (for plants) must be maintained. 

Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the ESA requires 

that we conduct a review of listed 

species at least once every five years. On 

the basis of such reviews under section 

4(c)(2)(B), we determine whether or not 

any species should be removed from the 

List (delisted), or reclassified from 

endangered to threatened or from 

threatened to endangered. Delisting a 

species must be supported by the best 

scientific and commercial data 

available, and only considered if such 

data substantiates that the species is 

neither endangered nor threatened for 

one or more of the following reasons: (1) 

the species is considered extinct; (2) the 

species is considered to be recovered; 

and/or (3) the original data available 

when the species was listed, or the 

interpretation of such data, were in 

error. Any change in Federal 

classification would require a separate 

rulemaking process. The regulations in 

50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish 

a notice in the Federal Register 

announcing those species currently 

under active review. This notice 

announces our active review of the 

Hawaiian monk seal, currently listed as 

endangered. 

Public Solicitation of New Information 

To ensure that the 5–year review is 

complete and based on the best 

available scientific and commercial 

information, we are soliciting new 

information from the public, concerned 

governmental agencies, the scientific 

community, industry, environmental 

entities, and any other interested parties 

concerning the status of Hawaiian monk 

seals. 

The 5–year review considers the best 

scientific and commercial data and all 

new information that has become 

available since the listing determination 

or most recent status review. Categories 

of requested information include (1) 

species biology including, but not 

limited to, populationtrends, 

distribution, abundance, demographics, 

and genetics; (2) habitat conditions 

including, but not limited to, amount, 

distribution, and suitability; (3) 

conservation measures that have been 

implemented that benefit the species; 

(4) status and trends of threats; and (5) 

other new information, data, or 

corrections including, but not limited 

to, taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, 

identification of erroneous information 

contained in the List, and improved 

analytical methods. NMFS is seeking 

information that has not been 

previously reported in the recent 

Hawaiian Monk Seal Stock Assessment 

Report (SARs) published in 2005 (http:// 

www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/sars/), nor 

previously reported in the revised 

Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian Monk 

Seal, which is currently available for 

public review until January 29, 2007 (71 

FR 70964). 

If you wish to provide information for 

this 5–year review, you may submit 

your information and materials to Dr. 

Michelle Yuen (see ADDRESSES section). 

Our practice is to make submissions of 

information, including names and home 

addresses of respondents, available for 

public review during regular business 

hours. Respondents may request that we 

withhold a respondent’s identity, as 

allowable by law. If you wish us to 

withhold your name or address, you 

must state this request prominently at 

the beginning of your submission. We 

will not, however, consider anonymous 

submissions. To the extent consistent 

with applicable law, we will make all 

submissions from organizations or 

businesses, and from individuals 

identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

Information and materials received will 

be available for public inspection, by 

appointment, during normal business 

hours (see ADDRESSES section). 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. 

Dated: January 16, 2007. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–811 Filed 1–19–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 011607A] 

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 submitted by the University 

of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) 

contains all of the required information 

and warrants further consideration. The 

Assistant Regional Administrator has 

made a preliminary determination that 

the activities authorized under this EFP 

would be consistent with the goals and 

objectives of the Northeast (NE) 

Multispecies and Monkfish Fishery 

Management Plans (FMPs). However, 

further review and consultation may be 

necessary before a final determination is 

made to issue an EFP. Therefore, NMFS 

announces that the Assistant Regional 

Administrator proposes to recommend 

that an EFP be issued that would allow 

one commercial fishing vessel to 

conduct fishing operations that are 

otherwise restricted by the regulations 

governing the fisheries of the 

Northeastern United States. The EFP, 

which would enable researchers to 

study the biology of large monkfish, 

would grant exemptions from the NE 

Multispecies FMP as follows: Western 

Gulf of Maine (GOM) Closure Area; 

GOM Rolling Closure Areas I and II; and 

NE multispecies effort control measures. 

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 February 6, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• Email: DA6–387@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line ‘‘Comments on UMES 

monkfish EFP.’’

• Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional 

Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, 

MA 01930. Mark the outside of the 

envelope ‘‘Comments on UMES 

monkfish EFP, DA6–387.’’

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9341. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An 

application for an EFP was submitted on 

December 28, 2006, by Andrea K. 

Johnson, Ph.D., Research Assistant 

Professor at UMES, for a project funded 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
2652 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 13 / Monday, January 22, 2007 / Notices 

under the New England and MidAtlantic Fishery Management Councils’

Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) 

Program. The primary goal of this study 

is to investigate the length-weight 

relationship, spawning frequency, and 

rate of cannibalism in these members of 

the population not often reflected in the 

trawl survey. This information is 

considered to be very helpful to the 

management of the species. This is the 

second year this project has been 

funded under the Monkfish RSA 

Program. 

The project is scheduled to be 

conducted for 1 year (May 2007–April 

2008) and would collect large monkfish 

from three industry collaborators fishing 

using 102 Monkfish Days-At-Sea (DAS) 

awarded to the project through the RSA 

Program. Monkfish gillnet vessels 

fishing in the Southern Fishery 

Management Area will collect large 

monkfish as part of otherwise normal 

fishing activities and do not require an 

EFP. One vessel would fish inside the 

eastern edge of the Western GOM 

Closure Area from August 2007 through 

April 2008. Fishing would take place in 

deep mud habitats outside of the 

Western GOM Habitat Closure Area. 

This is east of the Stellwagen Bank 

National Marine Sanctuary and would 

require exemption from the gear 

restrictions of the Western GOM Closure 

Area at 50 CFR 648.81(e), as well as 

from the restrictions of Rolling Closure 

Areas I and II at § 648.81(f) that will be 

in effect during March and April 2008. 

It is expected that this location would 

provide access to large monkfish and 

would avoid gear interactions between 

these gillnets and trawls. The applicant 

is also requesting exemption from the 

NE multispecies effort control measures 

at § 648.80(a)(3)(vi) in order to create 

sufficient incentive for a commercial 

vessel to participate in this experiment. 

This would exempt the vessel from the 

need to use a NE Multispecies DAS 

concurrent with Monkfish RSA DAS for 

these trips. 

The vessel would make up to 48 trips 

(30 DAS) using gillnets that are 13–inch 

(33–cm) stretch mesh with 24 gauge web 

and 12 meshes deep. Each net is 300 ft 

(91 m) long by 3 ft (0.91 m) high, and 

150 nets would be used with an average 

soak time of 72 hr. Ten fish per week 

would be donated to the research 

project during the months of AugustSeptember, and five fish per week from 

October-April 2008. This project is 

specifically interested in large 

monkfish, so donated fish would be the 

largest from each trip, at least 90 cm 

total length. Additional catch, within 

applicable size and possession limits, 

would be sold to help offset the costs of 

the research. As a consequence of the 

exemption from the need to use a NE 

Multispecies DAS, the vessel would not 

keep any regulated groundfish. Since 

these trips would use very large mesh 

nets, the bycatch of regulated 

groundfish is expected to be minimal. 

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: January 17, 2007. 

James P. Burgess, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–767 Filed 1–19–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 011607B] 

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 submitted by Bradford 

Bowen contains all of the required 

information and warrants further 

consideration. The Assistant Regional 

Administrator has made a preliminary 

determination 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. Therefore, NMFS 

announces that the Assistant Regional 

Administrator proposes to recommend 

that an EFP be issued that would allow 

one commercial fishing vessel to 

conduct fishing operations that are 

otherwise restricted by the regulations 

governing the fisheries of the 

Northeastern United States. The EFP 

would enable researchers to determine 

selectivity curves and catch rates for 

monkfish in large mesh gillnets by 

granting exemption from possession and 

landing restrictions of the FMP. 

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 February 6, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: DA6–386@noaa.gov. Include 

in the subject line ‘‘Comments on 

monkfish gillnet EFP.’’

• Mail: Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, NE Regional 

Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, 

MA 01930. Mark the outside of the 

envelope ‘‘Comments on monkfish 

gillnet EFP, DA6–386.’’

• Fax: (978) 281–9135. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Potts, Fishery Management 

Specialist, 978–281–9341. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: An 

application for an EFP was submitted on 

December 26, 2006, by Bradford Bowen 

of the F/V Jessica Marie and Michael Pol 

of the Massachusetts Division of Marine 

Fisheries, for a project funded under the 

New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 

Management Councils’ Monkfish 

Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The 

primary goal of this study is to provide 

information on the selectivity of large 

mesh gillnets that can be used to 

enhance the management of this 

species. 

The EFP would exempt one vessel 

from monkfish trip limits while 

conducting research trips using extra 

large mesh gillnets. This project was 

awarded 80 monkfish days-at-sea (DAS) 

through the 2007 Monkfish RSA 

Program under project 07–MONK–003. 

These DAS would be used to conduct 

the research, as well as to provide funds 

to support the research through the sale 

of fish from these trips. 

Trips are proposed to occur May 1 

through June 30, 2007, and then again 

from November 1, 2007, through April 

30, 2008. Nets would be set south of 

Cape Cod and would follow the 

expected movements of the monkfish, 

starting at a depth of 50 fm in May and 

gradually moving to 20 fm by the end 

of June. In November, trips would begin 

in 15–20 fm and gradually move 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES