3222 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 14 / Thursday, January 22, 2015 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD674 

Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic 

Zone off Alaska; Application for an 

Exempted Fishing Permit 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for 

exempted fishing permit. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt 

of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) 

application from the Alaska Seafood 

Cooperative (AKSC). If granted, this 

permit would allow AKSC to evaluate 

how often vessels use alternate halibut 

handling methods designed to reduce 

halibut mortality, when the alternate 

methods are available as an option. 

Operators from AKSC nonpelagic trawl 

vessels would remove halibut from a 

codend on the deck, and release those 

fish back to the water in a timely 

manner to increase survivability. These 

halibut would be sampled by trained sea 

samplers for length and physical 

condition using standard International 

Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) 

halibut mortality assessment 

methodology. This experiment has the 

potential to promote the objectives of 

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act and 

the Pacific Halibut Act. 

DATES: Comments on this EFP 

application must be submitted to NMFS 

by 5 p.m. A.S.T., February 11, 2015. The 

North Pacific Fishery Management 

Council (Council) will consider the 

application at its meeting from February 

2, 2015, to February 11, 2015 in Seattle, 

WA. 

ADDRESSES: The Council meeting will be 

held at the Renaissance Hotel 515 

Madison Street, Seattle, WA 98104. The 

agenda for the Council meeting is 

available at http://

legistar2.granicus.com/npfmc/meetings/

2015/2/918_A_North_Pacific_Council_

15-02-02_Meeting_Agenda.pdf. You 

may submit comments on this 

document, identified by NOAA–NMFS– 

2014–0162, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit all 

electronic public comments via the 

Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2014- 

0162, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. 

• Mail: Address written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. 

Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802–1668. 

• Fax: Address written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Fax comments to 907– 

586–7557. 

• Hand delivery to the Federal 

Building: Address written comments to 

Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional 

Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries 

Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: 

Ellen Sebastian. Deliver comments to 

709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, 

Juneau, AK. 

Instructions: Comments must be 

submitted by one of the above methods 

to ensure that the comments are 

received, documented, and considered 

by NMFS. 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. 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) submitted 

voluntarily by the sender will be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. NMFS will accept 

anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/A’’ in 

the required fields if you wish to remain 

anonymous). Attachments to electronic 

comments will be accepted in Microsoft 

Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe 

PDF file formats only. 

Copies of the EFP application and the 

basis for a categorical exclusion under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

are available from the Alaska Region, 

NMFS Web site at http://

alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/. 

The June, 2014 International Halibut 

Commission (IPHC) Report is available 

from the North Pacific Fishery 

Management Council Web site at http:// 

npfmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff 

Hartman, 907–586–7442. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS 

manages the domestic groundfish 

fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian 

Islands management area (BSAI) under 

the Fishery Management Plan for 

Groundfish of the BSAI Management 

Area (FMP), which the Council 

prepared under the Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management 

Act. Regulations governing the BSAI 

groundfish fisheries appear at 50 CFR 

parts 600 and 679. The FMP and the 

implementing regulations at 

§ 600.745(b) and § 679.6 allow the 

NMFS Regional Administrator to 

authorize, for limited experimental 

purposes, fishing that would otherwise 

be prohibited. Procedures for issuing 

EFPs are contained in the implementing 

regulations. 

The International Pacific Halibut 

Commission (IPHC) and NMFS manage 

fishing for Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus 

stenolepis) through regulations 

established under the authority of the 

Convention between the United States 

and Canada for the Preservation of the 

Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific 

Ocean and Bering Sea (Convention) and 

the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 

(Halibut Act). The IPHC promulgates 

regulations pursuant to the Convention. 

The IPHC’s regulations are subject to 

approval by the Secretary of State with 

concurrence from the Secretary of 

Commerce (Secretary). 

Background 

Regulations implemented by the IPHC 

allow Pacific halibut to be commercially 

harvested by the directed North Pacific 

longline fishery. Halibut is a prohibited 

species in the groundfish fishery, 

requiring immediate return to the sea 

with a minimum of injury. Halibut 

caught incidentally by catcher/

processors in the nonpelagic trawl 

groundfish fisheries must be weighed on 

a NMFS-approved scale, sampled by 

observers, and returned to the ocean as 

soon as possible. The Council 

establishes annual maximum halibut 

bycatch allowances and seasonal 

apportionments adjusted by an 

estimated halibut discard mortality rate 

(DMR) for groundfish fisheries. The 

DMRs are based on the best information 

available, including information 

contained in the annual Stock 

Assessment and Fishery Evaluation 

report, available at, http://

www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/. NMFS 

approves the halibut DMRs developed 

and recommended by the IPHC and the 

Council for the BSAI groundfish 

fisheries for use in monitoring the 

halibut bycatch allowances and seasonal 

apportionments. The IPHC developed 

these DMRs for the BSAI groundfish 

fisheries using the 10-year mean DMRs 

for those fisheries. 

Directed fishing in a groundfish 

fishery closes when it reaches the 

halibut mortality apportionment for the 

fishery, even if the target species catch 

is less than the seasonal or annual quota 

for the directed fishery. In the case of 

the Bering Sea flatfish fishery, seasons 

have been closed before fishery quotas 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 14 / Thursday, January 22, 2015 / Notices 3223 

have been reached to prevent the fishery 

from reaching the halibut mortality 

apportionment. 

With the implementation of 

Amendment 80 to the FMP on 

September 14, 2007 (72 FR 52668), 

halibut mortality apportionments were 

established for the Amendment 80 

sector and for Amendment 80 

cooperatives. Amendment 80 is a catch 

share program established in 2007 to 

allocate several BSAI non-pollock trawl 

groundfish fisheries (including the 

flatfish fishery) among fishing sectors, 

and facilitate the formation of 

harvesting cooperatives in the nonAmerican Fisheries Act (AFA) trawl 

catcher/processor sector. Though 

halibut mortality allocations provide 

Amendment 80 cooperatives more 

flexibility to use available mortality, 

halibut mortality continues to constrain 

fishing in some Amendment 80 

fisheries. Therefore, this sector is 

actively exploring ways to continue to 

reduce halibut mortality. 

Before incidentally-caught halibut are 

returned to the sea, at-sea observers 

must estimate halibut and groundfish 

catch amounts. Regulations in 50 CFR 

part 679 assure that observer halibut 

and groundfish estimates are credible 

and accurate, and that potential bias is 

minimized. For example, NMFS 

requires that all catch be made available 

for sampling by an observer; prohibits 

tampering with observer samples; 

prohibits removal of halibut from a cod 

end, bin, or conveyance system prior to 

being observed and counted by an at-sea 

observer; and prohibits fish (including 

halibut) from remaining on deck unless 

an observer is present. 

In 2009 and 2012, halibut mortality 

experiments were conducted by 

members of the Amendment 80 sector 

under EFP 09–02 (74 FR 12113, March 

23, 2009) and EFP 12–01 (76 FR 70972, 

November 16, 2011). By regulation, all 

catch including halibut is moved across 

a flow scale below deck before the 

halibut is returned to the sea. Halibut 

mortality increases with increased 

handling and time out of water. Under 

EFP 09–02 and 12–01, experimental 

methods for sorting catch on a vessel’s 

deck allowed halibut to be returned to 

the sea in less time, with less handling 

relative to halibut routed below deck 

and over the flow scale. The halibut 

mortality during flatfish fishing under 

EFP 09–02 and EFP 12–01 was 

estimated to be approximately 17 mt 

and 10.8 mt, respectively, less than the 

amounts estimated from the DMR for 

this fishery. The reduced halibut 

mortality under EFP 09–02 and EFP 12– 

01 is attributed to the improved 

condition of halibut through reduced 

handling and time out of water. 

Reducing halibut mortality is a highpriority management goal for the IPHC, 

the Council, and NMFS. In June 2014, 

the Council received a report from the 

IPHC about the impact of halibut 

bycatch in the groundfish fisheries on 

the short- and long-term yields in the 

directed halibut fishery. The IPHC 

report (see ADDRESSES) presented 

scenarios under which increases in 

halibut bycatch or decreases in the 

exploitable halibut biomass would 

result in no directed fishery yield in 

IPHC Management Area 4CDE per the 

IPHC’s harvest policy. At its June 2014 

meeting, the Council passed a motion 

requesting all groundfish industry 

sectors to undertake voluntary efforts to 

reduce halibut mortalities in the BSAI 

resulting from halibut bycatch, as well 

as discards in the directed fishery, by 10 

percent from the current 5-year average 

levels, through the 2014–15 fishing 

seasons. The Council also encouraged 

NMFS to work closely with the 

Amendment 80 sector to develop deck 

sorting procedures and technologies that 

could reduce halibut mortalities with 

the eventual goal of implementing a 

full-scale program. 

On January 8, 2015, the Alaska 

Seafood Cooperative (an Amendment 80 

cooperative) submitted an application 

for an EFP for 2015 to build on the 

information collected in prior deck 

sorting EFPs to assist with future fullscale implementation and to reduce 

halibut mortality in the Amendment 80 

sector. The primary objective is to test 

methods that reduce halibut mortality in 

the Amendment 80 sector in IPHC 

Management Area 4CDE in 2015. 

Proposed Action 

The experimental design for EFP 

2012–01 allowed halibut to be removed 

from the codend on two Amendment 80 

sector vessels, and standardized 

viability estimates were applied to the 

halibut returned to the sea. EFP fishing 

on all vessels authorized under EFP 

2012–01 was conducted with two leadlevel sea samplers and a dedicated EFP 

project manager. For any fishing trip, 

EFP fishing could not be conducted as 

the same time as regular commercial 

fishing, to minimize confusion about 

groundfish catch and PSC estimates 

from observers versus sea samplers. 

NMFS received an application from the 

AKSC to conduct a new halibut 

mortality experiment in 2015. This EFP 

would expand on results of EFP 2009– 

02 and EFP 2012–01 to explore the 

feasibility of deck sorting halibut in 

additional target fisheries, on more 

vessels, and during a longer interval of 

time during the fishing season. EFP 

results would inform the operational 

practicality and cost of various fishing 

and fish handling practices, and their 

effect on halibut mortality. The EFP 

would allow researchers onboard 

catcher/processor vessels to sort halibut 

removed from a codend on the deck of 

the vessel. Those sorted halibut could 

be released back to the water after the 

halibut are measured for length and 

tested for physical condition using 

standard IPHC viability assessment 

methods. 

The objectives for this EFP are to: (1) 

Assess the reduction in halibut 

mortality when deck sorting is available 

as an optional catch handling 

procedure; (2) evaluate the frequency of 

tows where deck sorting is used relative 

to the existing catch handling 

procedures; (3) evaluate the percentage 

of a participating vessel’s halibut catch 

that is sorted on deck; and (4) evaluate 

the utility of deck sorting in the context 

of the rules and constraints of the EFP. 

The applicant proposes to begin EFP 

fishing at the earliest possible date in 

2015, and end on December 31, 2015. 

The EFP would allow halibut to be 

sorted, sampled, and released prior to 

being weighed on a flow scale, to 

achieve the experimental objectives and 

reduce halibut mortality. This EFP 

application requests an amount of 

halibut for vessels engaged in 

experimental fishing not to exceed the 

AKSC’s 2015 halibut apportionment of 

1,693 metric tons (mt). AKSC would not 

exceed its annual halibut mortality 

apportionment. 

The applicant would track the amount 

of halibut mortality for fish sorted on 

deck to determine halibut mortality 

amounts from EFP-permitted vessels. 

These amounts would reflect actual 

halibut mortality amounts sampled 

during the experiment, and accrue 

against the EFP halibut mortality limit, 

not to exceed 1,693 mt. Before the 

halibut mortality limit is reached, the 

EFP permit holder would notify NMFS 

and end EFP fishing. As required by 

existing regulations, Amendment 80 

fishing will also cease when the annual 

halibut mortality apportionment is 

reached. 

This proposed action would exempt 

participating catcher/processors from 

selected 50 CFR part 679 prohibitions, 

monitoring and observer requirements. 

Should the Regional Administrator 

issue a permit based on this EFP 

application, the conditions of the permit 

will be designed to minimize halibut 

mortality, and any potential for biasing 

estimates of groundfish and halibut 

mortality. Vessels participating in EFP 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
3224 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 14 / Thursday, January 22, 2015 / Notices 

fishing may be exempt from, at 

minimum, the following regulations: 

1. The prohibition against interfering 

with or biasing the sampling procedure 

employed by an observer including 

physical, mechanical, or other sorting or 

discarding of catch before sampling, at 

§ 679.7(g)(2); 

2. the requirements to weigh all catch 

by an Amendment 80 vessel on a 

NMFS-approved scale at § 679.28(b); 

3. the requirement for all catch by an 

Amendment 80 vessel to be made 

available for sampling by an observer at 

§ 679.93(c)(1); and 

4. the regulations that prohibit fish 

from being allowed to remain on deck 

unless an observer is present at 

§ 679.93(c)(5). 

EFP 2015–02 would require sea 

samplers for monitoring and data 

collection under the EFP. Sea samplers 

are NMFS-certified observers that 

conduct activities under an EFP rather 

than normal observer activities on an 

Amendment 80 vessel. In contrast with 

EFP 2012–01, the applicant proposes to 

commence EFP fishing with one instead 

of two sea samplers. This EFP would 

also allow for EFP fishing and regular 

commercial fishing to occur during a 

single fishing trip. To ensure that 

standards for catch accounting of target 

species, bycatch of groundfish and PSC 

are sufficient, the EFP applicant 

proposes to: (1) Provide advanced 

notification to NMFS and EFP staff of 

when deck sorting will commence, (2) 

provide a pre-cruise briefing with 

observer program staff, (3) phase-in 

electronic compliance monitoring on 

each vessel permitted under this EFP, 

and (4) record halibut mortality from the 

EFP in the catcher/processor elogbook. 

In 2016, the AKSC would be required 

to submit to NMFS a report of the EFP 

results after EFP experimental fishing 

has ended in 2015. The report would 

include an estimate of halibut mortality 

from halibut sampled during the EFP 

and an estimate of halibut mortality 

under standard IPHC halibut mortality 

rates for those target fisheries. 

Under the EFP, the AKSC would be 

limited to the AKSC’s Amendment 80 

groundfish allocation. The amount of 

halibut mortality accrued by the AKSC 

and under the EFP would not exceed 

the AKSC’s 1,693 mt halibut mortality 

limit. The amount of halibut mortality 

applied to the EFP activities would be 

subject to review and approval by 

NMFS. 

This EFP would be valid upon 

issuance in 2015 until either the end of 

2015 or when the halibut mortality 

apportionment is reached in areas of the 

BSAI open to directed fishing by the 

Amendment 80 cooperative. EFPauthorized fishing activities would not 

be expected to change the nature or 

duration of the groundfish fishery, gear 

used, or the amount or species of fish 

caught by the Amendment 80 

cooperative. 

The fieldwork that would be 

conducted under this EFP is not 

expected to have a significant impact on 

the human environment as detailed in 

the categorical exclusion prepared for 

this action (see ADDRESSES). 

In accordance with § 679.6, NMFS has 

determined that the application 

warrants further consideration and has 

forwarded the application to the 

Council to initiate consultation. The 

Council is scheduled to consider the 

EFP application during its February 

2015 meeting, which will be held at the 

Renaissance Hotel, Seattle. The EFP 

application will also be provided to the 

Scientific and Statistical Committee for 

review at the February Council meeting. 

The applicant has been invited to 

appear in support of the application. 

Public Comments 

Interested persons may comment on 

the application at the February 2015 

Council meeting during public 

testimony or until February 11, 2015. 

Information regarding the meeting is 

available at the Council’s Web site at 

http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/npfmc/

council.htm. Copies of the application 

and categorical exclusion are available 

for review from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). 

Comments also may be submitted 

directly to NMFS (see ADDRESSES) by the 

end of the comment period (see DATES). 

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

Dated: January 15, 2015. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00918 Filed 1–21–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XD720 

Marine Mammals; File No. 18673 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; receipt of application. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

Leslie Cornick, Ph.D., Alaska Pacific 

University, 4101 University Drive, 

Anchorage, AK 99508, has applied in 

due form for a permit to conduct 

research on northern fur seals 

(Callorhinus ursinus). 

DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email 

comments must be received on or before 

February 23, 2015. 

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 (APPS) home page, https://

apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting 

File No. 18673 from the list of available 

applications. 

These documents are also available 

upon written request or by appointment 

in the Permits and Conservation 

Division, Office of Protected Resources, 

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room 

13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone: 

(301) 427–8401; fax: (301) 713–0376. 

Written comments on this application 

should be submitted to the Chief, 

Permits and Conservation Division, at 

the address listed above. Comments may 

also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 

713–0376, or by email to 

NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov. Please 

include the File No. in the subject line 

of the email comment. 

Those individuals requesting a public 

hearing should submit a written request 

to the Chief, Permits and Conservation 

Division at the address listed above. The 

request should set forth the specific 

reasons why a hearing on this 

application would be appropriate. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosa 

L. Gonza ́lez or Amy Sloan; phone: (301) 

427–8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

subject permit is requested under the 

authority of the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act of 1972, as amended 

(MMPA; 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the 

regulations governing the taking and 

importing of marine mammals (50 CFR 

part 216), and the Fur Seal Act of 1966, 

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1151 et seq.). 

The applicant requests authorization 

for takes of northern fur seals, Eastern 

Pacific Stock, in the Pribilof Islands 

from September to November annually 

over a five-year period. The applicant 

requests authorization to capture, 

restrain, sedate, attach external 

instruments, measure (standard 

morphometrics and weight), sample 

(blood, vibrissae, blubber, and muscle), 

and ultrasound up to 10 lactating adult 

females and 10 juvenile males per year. 

All procedures, with the exception of 

blubber and muscle biopsy would also 

be performed on up to 10 paired pups 

per year, without sedation. Identifiable 

scats would be collected 

opportunistically from sampled 


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