28668 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 115 / Wednesday, June 17, 2009 / Notices 

Dated: June 12, 2009. 

Angela Somma, 

Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office 

of Protected Resources, National Marine 

Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–14267 Filed 6–16–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[Docket No. 080626787–8788–01] 

RIN 0648–XP54 

2009 Monkfish Research Set-Aside 

Program 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; reallocation of set-aside 

days-at-sea. 

SUMMARY: NMFS notifies the public of 

the reallocation of monkfish research 

days-at-sea (DAS) as exempted DAS. 

These are DAS that were set aside under 

the 2009 Monkfish Research Set-Aside 

(RSA) Program, but were not distributed 

through the NOAA grant process. These 

exempted DAS may be used for the 

conduct of monkfish related research 

activities during fishing year (FY) 2009 

(May 1, 2009, through April 30, 2010). 

Requests for a monkfish DAS exemption 

must be submitted with a complete 

application for an exempted fishing 

permit (EFP). 

DATES: Effective June 17, 2009 through 

April 30, 2010. Projects involving the 

use of exempted DAS, under this 

program, must be completed on or 

before April 30, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Applications for an EFP 

must be sent to the Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, Northeast 

Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, 

Gloucester, MA 01930. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Allison McHale, Fishery Policy Analyst, 

by phone 978–281–9103 or by fax 978– 

281–9135. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Amendment 2 to the Monkfish 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (70 FR 

21927, April 28, 2005) established the 

Monkfish RSA Program, which annually 

sets aside 500 monkfish DAS from the 

total number of monkfish DAS allocated 

to limited access monkfish vessels to be 

used for cooperative monkfish research 

programs. Amendment 2 also 

established a Monkfish Exemption 

Program, which requires the Regional 

Administrator (RA) to reallocate as 

exempted DAS any monkfish research 

DAS not allocated through the Monkfish 

RSA Program. These exempted DAS 

may be then used by vessels for the 

conduct of monkfish research activities 

during the current fishing year (e.g., FY 

2009). 

On July 11, 2008, NMFS published a 

notice in the Federal Register 

announcing the 2009 Monkfish RSA 

Program (73 FR 40052), and solicited 

proposals for monkfish research 

activities to be conducted under this 

RSA program. Five proposals were 

received as part of this solicitation, and 

three were granted awards totaling 449 

monkfish research DAS. As a result, 

there are 51 DAS available to be 

reallocated as exempted DAS during FY 

2009. Therefore, the RA, pursuant to the 

regulations governing the monkfish 

fishery at 50 CFR 648.92(c)(1)(v), 

reallocates these unused research DAS 

from the FY 2009 Monkfish RSA 

Program, as exempted DAS, that may be 

used for the conduct of monkfish 

research projects during FY 2009. 

All requests for monkfish DAS 

exemptions under the Monkfish DAS 

Exemption Program must be submitted 

to the RA along with a complete 

application for an EFP. The 

requirements for submitting a complete 

EFP application are provided in the 

regulations implementing the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act at 

§ 600.745(b). 

Classification 

This action is required by 50 CFR part 

648 and is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866. 

Pursuant to 5 U.S.C.553(b)(B), there is 

good cause to waive prior notice and 

opportunity for public comment on this 

action, as notice and comment would be 

unnecessary and contrary to the public 

interest because the action is 

administrative in nature, and because it 

provides the public (i.e., researchers) 

the opportunity to reduce costs 

associated with conducting monkfish 

related research activities. Additionally, 

there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3) to waive the 30–day delay in 

effective date because the action is 

administrative in nature. 

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

Dated: June 11, 2009. 

Kristen C. Koch, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–14263 Filed 6–16–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–XM35 

New Conservation and Management 

Measures and Resolutions for 

Antarctic Marine Living Resources 

Under the Auspices of CCAMLR 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Final notice. 

SUMMARY: NMFS notifies the public that 

the United States has accepted 

conservation and management measures 

and resolutions pertaining to fishing in 

Antarctic waters managed by the 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Antarctic Marine Living Resources 

(Commission or CCAMLR). The 

Commission adopted these measures at 

its twenty-seventh meeting in Hobart, 

Tasmania, October 27 to November 7, 

2008. The measures have been agreed 

upon by the Member countries of 

CCAMLR, including the United States, 

in accordance with Article IX of the 

Convention for the Conservation of 

Antarctic Marine Living Resources (the 

Convention). The measures include: 

measures previously adopted by the 

Commission and remaining in force; 

measures adopted for the 2008/2009 

fishing season to restrict overall catches, 

research catch and bycatch of certain 

species of finfish, squid, krill and crabs; 

restrict fishing in certain areas; restrict 

use of certain fishing gear; specify 

implementation and inspection 

obligations supporting the Catch 

Documentation Scheme of Contracting 

Parties; promote compliance with 

CCAMLR measures by non-Contracting 

Party vessels; and require vessels 

engaged in bottom fishing to report data 

on benthic organisms recovered by their 

gear. This notice includes a summary of 

the 22 new measures adopted at the 

twenty-seventh meeting of CCAMLR. 

The full text of all measures adopted by 

CCAMLR can be found on CCAMLR’s 

Web site—www.ccamlr.org. 

DATES: These measures are effective on 

June 17, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Gorrell, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, Room 13463, 1315 East-West 

Highway, SSMC3, NMFS, Silver Spring, 

MD 20910; tel: 301–713–2341; fax 301– 

713–1193; e-mail 

Robert.Gorrell@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


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