Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

Résumé

The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an application submitted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to amend an existing Exempted Fishing Permit contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The amended Exempted Fishing Permit would provide one vessel participating in an electronic monitoring program with an exemption to conduct exploratory fishing using cod ends with smaller mesh than otherwise permitted. The Exempted Fishing Permit would test the effect of different codend mesh combinations on the catch of pollock and Gulf of Maine haddock while on trips targeting Acadian redfish. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed exempted fishing permits.