89616 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Notices 

the revised list of approved monitoring 

service providers. 

NMFS has the authority to remove a 

service provider from its approved 

status in accordance with the 

regulations at § 648.11(h)(7). A 

monitoring service provider that fails to 

meet the requirements, conditions, and 

responsibilities will be notified in 

writing that it is subject to removal from 

the list of approved monitoring service 

providers. Withdrawing approval of a 

service provider will be based on an 

evaluation of the service providers 

ability to meet the third-party catch 

monitoring provider standards in 

§ 648.11(h)(5) and (6). All companies 

provided proof of holding insurance 

consistent with the regulations at 50 

CFR 648.11(h)(3)(vii) as a part of their 

application. However, companies whose 

insurance expires before the end of the 

2025 fishing year must submit updated 

insurance documents at the time of their 

current policy’s expiration to maintain 

approval. NMFS will closely monitor 

the performance of approved service 

providers, and will withdraw approval 

during the current approval term if it 

determines performance standards are 

not being met. 

NMFS did not solicit applications to 

provide dockside monitoring services 

related to the maximized retention EM 

program. NMFS suspended the 

operation of the MREM program in 

fishing year 2024, and we are currently 

considering whether we will operate the 

program in 2025. 

TABLE 1—APPROVED PROVIDERS FOR FISHING YEAR 2025 

Provider Services Address Phone Fax Website 

A.I.S., Inc .................................. ASM/EM ..... 540 Hawthorn St, Dartmouth, MA 

02747.

508–990–9054 508–990–9055 .. https://aisobservers.com/. 

Archipelago Marine Research, 

Ltd.

EM .............. 525 Head St, Victoria, BC V9A 5S1, 

Canada.

250–383–4535 250–383–0103 .. https://www.archipelago.ca/. 

East West Technical Services, 

LLC.

ASM/EM ..... 91 Point Judith Rd, Suite 26 Unit 347, 

Narragansett, RI 02882.

860–910–4957 860–223–6005 .. https://www.ewts.com/. 

Fathom Resources, LLC .......... ASM/EM ..... 855 Aquidneck Ave., Unit 9, Middletown, RI 02842.508–990–0997 508–858–5383 .. https://fathomresources.com/. 

Flywire Cameras ....................... EM .............. PO BOX 55048, Lexington, KY 40511 888–315–7796 502–861–6568 .. https://www.flywirecameras.com/. 

New England Marine Monitoring.ASM/EM ..... 350 Commercial St, Portland, ME 

04101.

508–269–8138 none .................. https://www.nemarinemonitoring.com/. 

Saltwater, Inc ............................ ASM/EM ..... 733 N St, Anchorage, AK 99501 ......... 907–276–3241 907–258–5999 .. https://www.saltwaterinc.com/. 

Satlink US, LLC ........................ EM .............. 16423 Sawgrass Drive, Rehoboth 

Beach, DE 19971.

703–447–5287 none .................. https://www.satlink.es/en/. 

Teem Fish Monitoring, Inc ........ EM .............. 309 2nd Ave, Suite 363, Prince 

Rupert, BC V8J 3T1, Canada.

778–884–2598 none .................. https://teem.fish/. 

Note: ASM/EM = At-sea and electronic monitoring; EM = Electronic monitoring only. 

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

Dated: November 6, 2024. 

Karen H. Abrams, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26185 Filed 11–12–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–23–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE405] 

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of 

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish 

Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. 

Virgin Islands; 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 Fish/ 

Fisheries Conservation Lab at the 

University of South Carolina. If granted, 

the EFP would authorize the limited 

harvest of red hind during spawning 

events in U.S. Caribbean Federal waters 

around the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) 

and exempt that harvest from Federal 

area and seasonal closure regulations. 

The purpose of the EFP is to address 

critical gaps in red hind demographics 

and life history, which could help 

provide current, region-specific 

information for upcoming stock 

assessments for the species. 

DATES: Comments must be received no 

later than December 9, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the application, identified by 

NOAA–NMFS–2024–0127, by either of 

the following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit 

https://www.regulations.gov and type 

NOAA–NMFS–2024–0127 in the Search 

box. Click the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Sarah Stephenson, 263 13th Avenue 

South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. 

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 https://www.regulations.gov 

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 ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

Electronic copies of the EFP 

application may be obtained from the 

Southeast Regional Office website at 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ 

southeast/caribbean-exempted-fishingpermits-efps. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarah Stephenson, 727–824–5305, 

Sarah.Stephenson@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 applicant requests authorization 

to harvest 60 red hind grouper 

(Epinephelus guttatus) from two 

managed marine areas in Federal waters 

off the USVI: Red Hind Spawning 

Aggregation Area (Lang Bank) east of St. 

Croix (50 CFR 622.479(a)(2)) and the 

Hind Bank Marine Conservation District 

(MCD) south of St. Thomas (50 CFR 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 13, 2024 / Notices 89617 

622.514(a)(2)) for data collection. A 

maximum of 120 red hind would be 

harvested under the EFP. The applicant 

is seeking to gather life history 

information (e.g., age, growth, 

reproduction) that could be used in 

future stock assessments for red hind, 

which provide guidance and 

management recommendations specific 

to this species for NMFS, the Caribbean 

Fishery Management Council, and the 

U.S. Virgin Islands’ Department of Fish 

and Wildlife. 

The applicant was awarded funding 

through the Cooperative Research 

Program to complete critical gaps in red 

hind population demographics and life 

history in preparation for upcoming 

stock assessments in the U.S. Caribbean. 

In addition to collecting life history 

information for the species, the project 

aims to evaluate current Federal area 

and seasonal closures that protect red 

hind spawning aggregations through 

replication of previous sampling 

collections and analysis of temporal 

trends related to size-at-age, sex ratios, 

and size and age frequency distributions 

for red hind during spawning events. By 

targeting red hind spawning 

aggregations, the applicant will be better 

able to collect data that currently is not 

readily available on larger sized fish. 

Data collected from this project would 

be made available for use in future stock 

assessments for red hind in St. Croix 

and St. Thomas and St. John, which are 

tentatively scheduled for late 2025 and 

2026. 

Red hind would be collected by 

researchers and commercial fishermen 

aboard contracted commercial fishing 

vessels. If granted, the EFP would 

exempt project participants from area 

and seasonal closure regulations 

codified at 50 CFR 622.479(a)(2) (St. 

Croix) and 50 CFR 622.514(a)(2) (St. 

Thomas and St. John), as identified and 

described below. Pending issuance, the 

EFP would be expected to be effective 

from December 1, 2024, through March 

1, 2025. The EFP would only apply to 

the captains and vessels that are 

selected to be a part of the project. 

Therefore, Fish/Fisheries Conservation 

Lab at the University of South Carolina 

would be able to account for and 

provide NMFS with a list of participants 

(e.g., state license, registration of each 

vessel and vessel name during 

designated fishing trips, name of 

participants and contact information, 

etc.) to be covered under the EFP before 

the project begins. 

Activities under the EFP would 

consist of harvesting 60 red hind from 

the Lang Bank site east of St. Croix 

during the 4 days around the full moon 

for the months of January 2025 and 

February 2025, and 60 red hind from the 

MCD site south of St. Thomas during 

the 4 days around the full moon for the 

months of December 2024 and January 

2025. During each sampling event (i.e., 

fishing day), commercial fishermen 

would use a maximum of four fishing 

rods, each with up to three hooks. All 

activities (a maximum of 16 fishing 

days) would occur in Federal waters, 

from depths of 82 to 246 feet (25 to 75 

meters), while adrift (i.e., no anchoring 

would occur). Once the 60 red hind are 

obtained from each site, fishing 

activities would end. 

The applicant would only target red 

hind. All other catch would be returned 

to the water using a descending device, 

if necessary, to ensure minimum harm. 

A total of 120 red hind would be 

retained under the EFP. Samples would 

be stored on ice and transported to a 

field lab. For each sample, the 

applicants would record standard 

length, fork length, and total length (to 

the nearest millimeter) and weight (to 

the nearest gram). Otoliths would be 

removed, rinsed, and stored for further 

processing. Gonads would be removed, 

weighed, and preserved. Eyes, muscle, 

stomachs, and fin clips would be 

collected and archived for future 

research on trophic ecology and 

population genomics. 

Under the EFP, the applicant would 

be exempt from the closure regulations 

and allowed to fish for and harvest red 

hind in or from the (1) red hind 

spawning aggregation area east of St. 

Croix during the closure from December 

1 through last day of February (50 CFR 

622.479(a)(2)) and (2) Hind Bank Marine 

Conservation District closed area (50 

CFR 622.514(a)(2)). A maximum of 8 

fishing trips would occur in each site, 

16 total during the project. 

NMFS finds this application warrants 

further consideration based on a 

preliminary review. Possible conditions 

the agency may impose on the EFP, if 

granted, include but are not limited to, 

a prohibition on fishing within marine 

protected areas, marine sanctuaries, or 

special management zones without 

additional authorization, and requiring 

compliance with best practices in the 

event of interactions with any protected 

species. 

A final decision on issuance of the 

EFP will depend on NMFS’ review of 

public comments received on the 

application, consultations with 

appropriate fishery management 

agencies of the affected states, the 

Council, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and 

a determination that the activities to be 

taken under the EFP are consistent with 

all other applicable laws. 

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

Dated: November 6, 2024. 

Karen H. Abrams, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26184 Filed 11–12–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE455] 

Permits; Foreign Fishing 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of application for 

transshipment permit; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: NMFS publishes for public 

review and comment information 

regarding a permit application for 

transshipment of farmed salmon from 

aquaculture operations in Maine waters 

to processing plants in Canada by 

Canadian flagged vessels. The 

application for a transshipment permit 

is submitted under provisions of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(Magnuson-Stevens Act). This action is 

necessary for NMFS to make a 

determination on whether to approve 

the permit application. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received by November 27, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this 

action, identified by RTID 0648–XE455 

should be sent to Jasmine Prat in the 

NMFS Office of International Affairs, 

Trade, and Commerce by email at 

jasmine.prat@noaa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jasmine Prat by email at jasmine.prat@

noaa.gov, or by phone at 301–956–5472. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 1824(d) of the MagnusonStevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1824(d)) 

authorizes the Secretary of Commerce 

(Secretary) to issue a transshipment 

permit for a vessel other than a vessel 

of the United States to engage in fishing 

consisting solely of transporting fish or 

fish products at sea from a point within 

the United States Exclusive Economic 

Zone (EEZ) or, with the concurrence of 

a state, within the boundaries of that 

state, to a point outside the United 

States. 

Section 1824(d)(3)(D) of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act provides that an 


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