[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 15383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05768]



[[Page 15383]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB844]


Pacific Island Fisheries; Experimental Fishing Permit

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is issuing an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to the 
Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) to evaluate the risk of seabird 
interactions in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery when setting 
fishing gear one hour before and one hour after local sunset and using 
tori lines instead of required blue-dyed bait and strategic offal 
discharge as seabird mitigation measures. The intent of the EFP is to 
conduct a preliminary evaluation of potential alternative effective 
methods of discouraging seabird interactions while providing 
operational flexibility during setting in the shallow-set longline 
fishery.

DATES: The EFP is authorized from March 24, 2022, through September 24, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the EFP, HLA's application, and supporting 
documents are available at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NMFS-2021-0128.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Cronin, Sustainable Fisheries, 
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, tel (808) 725-5179.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is issuing an EFP to the HLA under the 
authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act, the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western 
Pacific, and regulations at 50 CFR 665.17. Under the EFP, HLA will 
conduct a pilot test of tori lines (bird scaring streamers) as 
replacement seabird mitigation measures to discourage seabird 
interactions during setting in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery. 
The purpose of the experiment is to test new ways to mitigate seabird 
interactions that also increase operational flexibility during setting. 
HLA will use one vessel to test tori lines as an alternate seabird 
mitigation measure to currently required blue-dyed bait, strategic 
offal discharge, and night setting measures (50 CFR 665.815(a)(2) & 
(4)).
    On December 15, 2021, NMFS published a notice of HLA's EFP 
application and request for public comments (86 FR 71234). NMFS 
received comments from 2 individuals and considered those comments 
before making a final decision to issue the EFP. One commenter 
expressed support for any strategy or technology that reduces 
interactions with seabirds. The other expressed opposition to the EFP 
stating, ``it will wipe out stocks and jeopardize the [sic] continued 
existence of these stocks . . . .'' NMFS expects that fishing under the 
EFP will have similar environmental impacts on seabirds as well as 
target fish species, non-target fish species, and non-seabird protected 
species as conventional shallow-set longline fishing. The project is 
limited in scale (only 3 vessels, setting a combined total of 80 sets 
with no more than one vessel operating at any given time), proposes a 
minor change in fishing operations that does not have the potential to 
change the overall effects of the fishery, and will be effective for no 
longer than 18 months. All other requirements would continue, including 
seabird mitigation measures such as strategic offal discharge during 
hauling and safe handling practices.
    In addition, gear configurations and operations under the EFP would 
be compliant with international seabird mitigation requirements under 
the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Inter-
American Tropical Tuna Commission. More information about the EFP may 
be found in the December 15, 2021 notice, and in HLA's EFP application 
(see ADDRESSES).
    The EFP is effective March 24, 2022, through September 24, 2023, 
unless revoked, suspended, or modified earlier.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 15, 2022.
Ngagne Jafnar Gueye,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-05768 Filed 3-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P