Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Applications for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs)

Résumé

NMFS announces that the Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an EFP application, submitted by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF), contains all the information as required by the regulations that govern exempted experimental fishing under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and has determined that the application warrants further consideration. The Regional Administrator has also made a preliminary determination that the activities authorized under the EFP will be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). However, further review and consultation may be necessary before a final determination is made to issue an EFP. Therefore, NMFS announces that the Regional Administrator intends to issue an EFP that would allow a single vessel to conduct fishing operations in areas in the Gulf of Maine that would otherwise be closed by regulations governing the multispecies groundfish fisheries of the Northeastern United States. This notification is intended to provide interested parties