Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 73069 

TABLE 1—REQUESTED EXEMPTIONS—Continued 

CFR citation Regulation Need for exemption 

§ 697.19(j) ........................................ Trap tag requirements ................... To allow for the use of untagged traps (though each modified trap will 

have the participating fisherman’s identification attached). 

§§ 697.20(a), 697.20(d), 697.20(g), 

and 697.20(h)(1)–(2).

Possession restrictions .................. To allow for onboard biological sampling of undersized, v-notched, 

and egg-bearing lobsters and undersized and egg-bearing Jonah 

crabs. 

TABLE 2—PROJECT SUMMARY

Project title ........................... Maine lobster fishery dependent offshore ventless and commercial trap research program.

Project start .......................... 11/04/2024. 

Project end ........................... 11/03/2025. 

Project objectives ................. To develop a new survey, in partnership with Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), to provide distribution, abundance, and biological data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs from times and areas in Federal 

waters with low coverage from traditional surveys. 

Project location ..................... Gulf of Maine: Statistical Areas 511, 512, and 513. 

Number of vessels ............... Up to 20. 

Number of trips .................... Up to 36 per vessel; up to 720 total. 

Trip duration (days) .............. Up to 3. 

Total number of days ........... Up to 108 per vessel; up to 2,160 total. 

Gear type(s) ......................... Trap. 

Number of tows or sets ........ 1 per trip. 

Duration of tows or sets ....... 7–10 days. 

Project Narrative 

This project would contribute to the 

ongoing effort by the CFRF to collect 

data on juvenile lobster and Jonah crab 

abundance and distribution in areas and 

times of the year with low or no 

coverage by traditional surveys. 

This project would include up to 20 

federally permitted Maine lobster 

vessels. Each vessel would fish with 3 

modified, ventless traps designed to 

catch juvenile lobsters, totaling up to 60 

modified traps. The ventless trap 

configuration is as follows: 40-inch 

length x 21-inch width x 14-inch height 

(101.6-centimeter (cm) length x 53.34- 

cm width x 35.56-cm height), single 

parlor, 1-inch (2.54-cm) square rubbercoated 12-gauge wire, standard shrimp 

mesh netting, cement runners, and 4- by 

6-inch (10.16- by 15.24-cm) disabling 

door. The modified traps would adhere 

to the standard coastwide survey gear 

for lobster and Jonah crab set by the 

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 

Commission and would be fished with 

standard Atlantic Large Whale Take 

Reduction Plan-compliant trawls. 

This study would take place during 

regular fishing activity of the 

participating vessels, but catch from the 

modified traps would remain separate 

from that of standard gear. Operators 

would collect data on size, sex, presence 

of eggs, and shell hardness for lobsters 

and Jonah crabs, and v-notch and shell 

disease for lobsters. Operators would 

return all specimens from modified gear 

to the ocean once sampling is complete. 

The study is designed to inform 

management by addressing questions 

about changing reproduction and 

recruitment dynamics of lobster and to 

develop a foundation of knowledge for 

the data-deficient Jonah crab fishery. All 

data collected by the participants using 

the CFRF data collection app would be 

sent to ME DMR for processing. ME 

DMR would then share final datasets 

with CFRF, to further share with the 

Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics 

Program, the Northeast Fisheries 

Science Center, and the Atlantic States 

Marine Fisheries Commission. 

If approved, 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. 

All comments received are a part of 

the public record and may be posted for 

public viewing without change. All 

personal identifying information (e.g., 

name, address), confidential business 

information, or otherwise sensitive 

information submitted voluntarily by 

the sender will be publicly accessible. 

NMFS will accept anonymous 

comments (enter ‘‘anonymous’’ as the 

signature if you wish to remain 

anonymous). 

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

Dated: September 3, 2024. 

Lindsay Fullenkamp, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20156 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE268] 

Endangered Species; File No. 28262 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Kori Johnsen, 1792 Harrison Avenue, 

Melbourne, FL 32935, has applied in 

due form for a permit to take green 

(Chelonia mydas), hawksbill 

(Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp’s 

ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles 

for purposes of scientific research. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before October 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: The application and related 

documents are available for review by 

selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public 

Comment’’ from the ‘‘Features’’ box on 

the Applications and Permits for 

Protected Species home page, https://

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting 

File No. 28262 from the list of available 

applications. These documents are also 


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73070 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 174 / Monday, September 9, 2024 / Notices 

available upon written request via email 

to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted via email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include File No. 28262 in the subject 

line of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

via email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@

noaa.gov. The request should set forth 

the specific reasons why a hearing on 

this application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin 

Markin, Ph.D., or Malcolm Mohead, 

(301) 427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.) and the regulations governing the 

taking, importing, and exporting of 

endangered and threatened species (50 

CFR parts 222–226). 

The applicant proposes research on 

juvenile, subadult, and adult sea turtle 

populations in southeast Florida, 

including Indian River, St. Lucie, 

Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, MiamiDade, and Monroe counties. Researchers 

would investigate population 

abundance, distribution, health, habitat 

use, and behavioral ecology of sea 

turtles. Up to 50 green, 50 hawksbill, 

and 30 Kemp ridley sea turtles may be 

located by unmanned aircraft systems 

(UAS) or vessels and captured by hand 

or dip net, marked (flipper and passive 

integrated transponder tag), measured, 

weighed, and photographed/videoed, 

annually. A subset of 10 turtles of each 

species may receive a video tag attached 

via a suction cup. Additionally, green 

sea turtles may be biologically sampled 

(blood, skin biopsy). Annually, up to 

750 green, 250 hawksbill, and 250 

Kemp’s ridley may be harassed by 

vessel and UAS surveys. The permit 

would be valid for 5 years. 

Dated: September 4, 2024. 

Julia M. Harrison, 

Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20229 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE255] 

Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Southeast Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 87 Assessment 

Webinar I for Gulf of Mexico White, 

Pink, and Brown Shrimp. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR 87 assessment 

process of Gulf of Mexico white, pink, 

and brown shrimp will consist of a Data 

Workshop, and a series of assessment 

webinars, and a Review Workshop. See 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The SEDAR 87 Assessment 

Webinar I will be held September 26, 

2024, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Eastern 

Time. 

ADDRESSES: 

Meeting address: The meeting will be 

held via webinar. The webinar is open 

to members of the public. Those 

interested in participating should 

contact Julie A. Neer at SEDAR (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to 

request an invitation providing webinar 

access information. Please request 

webinar invitations at least 24 hours in 

advance of each webinar. 

SEDAR address: 4055 Faber Place 

Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 

29405. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie 

A. Neer, SEDAR Coordinator; (843) 571– 

4366; email: Julie.neer@safmc.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 

Caribbean Fishery Management 

Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 

Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf 

States Marine Fisheries Commissions 

have implemented the Southeast Data, 

Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 

process, a multi-step method for 

determining the status of fish stocks in 

the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a multistep process including: (1) Data 

Workshop, (2) a series of assessment 

webinars, and (3) A Review Workshop. 

The product of the Data Workshop is a 

report that compiles and evaluates 

potential datasets and recommends 

which datasets are appropriate for 

assessment analyses. The assessment 

webinars produce a report that describes 

the fisheries, evaluates the status of the 

stock, estimates biological benchmarks, 

projects future population conditions, 

and recommends research and 

monitoring needs. The product of the 

Review Workshop is an Assessment 

Summary documenting panel opinions 

regarding the strengths and weaknesses 

of the stock assessment and input data. 

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are 

appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South 

Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery 

Management Councils and NOAA 

Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, 

HMS Management Division, and 

Southeast Fisheries Science Center. 

Participants include data collectors and 

database managers; stock assessment 

scientists, biologists, and researchers; 

constituency representatives including 

fishermen, environmentalists, and 

NGO’s; International experts; and staff 

of Councils, Commissions, and state and 

federal agencies. 

The items of discussion during the 

Assessment Webinar I are as follows: 

Participants will review the assessment 

modeling work to date and provide 

recommendations to the analytic team. 

Although non-emergency issues not 

contained in this agenda may come 

before this group for discussion, those 

issues may not be the subject of formal 

action during this meeting. Action will 

be restricted to those issues specifically 

identified in this notice and any issues 

arising after publication of this notice 

that require emergency action under 

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act, provided the public has been 

notified of the intent to take final action 

to address the emergency. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting is physically accessible 

to people with disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to the 

Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

business days prior to each workshop. 

Note: The times and sequence 

specified in this agenda are subject to 

change. 

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

Dated: September 4, 2024. 

Rey Israel Marquez, 

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20273 Filed 9–6–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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