[Federal Register: December 31, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 251)]
[Notices]
[Page 79905-79906]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31de02-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 120202B]
Marine Mammal Authorization Program Integration of Registration
for Selected Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Fisheries
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of expansion of integrated registration program.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is providing notice that it is increasing the number of
fisheries for which the Marine Mammal Authorization Program (MMAP)
registration is integrated with existing Federal fishery licensing and
permitting programs. NMFS is integrating MMAP registration at this time
for Category I or II federal fisheries permitted through the NMFS
Southeast Regional office. Fishers who participate in a Category I or
II fishery for which registration is not integrated must continue to
register as specified in the List of Fisheries.
ADDRESSES: For east coast fisheries, registration information and
marine mammal injury/mortality reporting forms may be obtained from the
following regional offices:
NMFS, Northeast Region, Protected Resources Division, One Blackburn
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298, Attn: Marcia Hobbs.
NMFS, Southeast Region, 9721 Executive Center Drive North, St.
Petersburg, FL 33702, Attn: Teletha Griffin.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Lawson, Office of Protected
Resources, 301-713-2322; Marcia Hobbs, Northeast Regional Office, 978-
281-9328; or Teletha Griffin, Southeast Regional Office, 727-570-5312.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 between 8
a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
According to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), all fishers
who participate in a Category I or II fishery as provided in the List
of Fisheries (67 FR 2410, January 17, 2002) must be registered in the
MMAP. The MMAP provides an authorization for commercial fishers which
allows the incidental (i.e., non-intentional) taking of marine mammals
pursuant to the MMPA during the course of commercial fishing
operations. To qualify for this authorization, fishers who participate
in a Category I or II fishery must register in the MMAP. (For a
complete description of requirements for Category I and II fisheries,
consult 50 CFR 229.4). A complete description of the purpose and
history of the MMAP integration process can be found in 67 FR 42237
(June 21, 2002).
The goals of the expanded integration program include assuring
consistency in registration procedures across a greater number of
fisheries, increasing the number of registrants to better reflect the
level of participation in the fisheries for monitoring purposes, and
conducting outreach to the fishing industry with regard to MMPA
requirements. By using data from existing fishery licensing programs,
the MMAP integration will reduce the registration burden on the fishing
industry while better facilitating the protection and conservation of
marine mammals. In a licensing system that is integrated with the MMAP,
fishers will no longer have to submit an MMAP registration form,
current fishery permit holders registration form, renewal form, or
processing fee to NMFS in order to receive or validate their MMAP
Authorization Certificates.
NMFS is pursuing the integration of MMAP registration based on the
fishery listings in the 2002 LOF. Southeast fisheries permitted through
the Southeast Regional Federal Permits office which will be integrated
include Coastal Migratory Pelagics, Rock Shrimp, Shark, Snapper-
Grouper, High Seas, and Swordfish. Of those fisheries, only those
permit holders who indicated use of gear types that fall within the
2002 LOF will be integrated. These gear types include portions of the
gillnet, longline, and trawl fisheries.
A database has been established to query the license-holder
information from the Federal permit database. Using this information,
NMFS will mail MMAP Authorization Certificates and marine mammal
injury/mortality reporting forms to each permit or license-holder. The
certificates will
[[Page 79906]]
provide an MMAP authorization for all fishers who participate in an
integrated Category I or II fishery, provided that the fisher holds a
valid Federal fishing permit or license for the affected regulated
fishery.
A fisher who participates in state and/or Federal fisheries not yet
integrated with the MMAP registration system must continue to send in
the registration form to NMFS.
Dated: December 16, 2002.
Rebecca Lent,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-33037 Filed 12-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S