Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NMFS announces the receipt of an application from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to expand the scope of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) issued in November 2018. The amended EFP would increase the sampling area from specified waters of the South Atlantic to all Federal waters of the South Atlantic off Monroe County, Florida and Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) near Pulley Ridge. The amended EFP would also increase the amount of traps in the water at any one time, extend the trap soak period, would no longer require research traps to have a current stamp, endorsement, or certificate, and would no longer allow commercial fishermen to harvest and sell any species but lionfish from the research traps. The project seeks to determine the effectiveness of traps, as applicable, for attracting and collecting invasive lionfish while avoiding impacts to non-target species, protected species, and habitats.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XS004 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of receipt of an application for an amended exempted fishing permit; request for comments. SUMMARY: NMFS announces the receipt of an application from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to expand the scope of an exempted fishing permit (EFP) issued in November 2018. The amended EFP would increase the sampling area from specified waters of the South Atlantic to all Federal waters of the South Atlantic off Monroe County, Florida and Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) near Pulley Ridge. The amended EFP would also increase the amount of traps in the water at any one time, extend the trap soak period, would no longer require research traps to have a current stamp, endorsement, or certificate, and would no longer allow commercial fishermen to harvest and sell any species but lionfish from the research traps. The project seeks to determine the effectiveness of traps, as applicable, for attracting and collecting invasive lionfish while avoiding impacts to non-target species, protected species, and habitats. DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 31, 2019. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the application, identified by “NOAA-NMFS-2019-0084” by any of the following methods: Electronic Submission: Submi…
Citation: 84 FR 41966
