[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63837-63838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26896]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG605
Schedules for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public workshops.
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SUMMARY: Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in
January, February, and March of 2019. Certain fishermen and shark
dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory
requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic
Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted
Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification
Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom
longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been
issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free
workshops will be conducted during 2019 and will be announced in a
future notice.
DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held on
January 10, February 7, and March 28, 2019. The Safe Handling, Release,
and Identification Workshops will be held on January 10, January 15,
February 1, February 7, March 1, and March 13, 2019. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for further details.
ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in
Boutte, LA; Virginia Beach, VA; and Fort Pierce, FL. The Safe Handling,
Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in Portsmouth, NH;
Key Largo, FL; Gulfport, MS; Charleston, SC; Manahawkin, NJ; and
Houston, TX. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for further details on
workshop locations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Pearson by phone: (727) 824-5399.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The workshop schedules, registration
information, and a list of frequently asked questions regarding the
Atlantic Shark ID and Safe Handling, Release, and ID workshops are
posted on the internet at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops.
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited
from receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks
unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on
the premises of each business listed under the shark dealer permit that
first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057; January 2, 2006). Dealers
who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a
certificate for each place of business that is permitted to receive
sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, certificates
that were initially issued in 2016 will be expiring in 2019.
Approximately 151 free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops have
been conducted since January 2008.
Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the
dealer must designate a proxy for each place of business covered by the
dealer's permit which first receives Atlantic sharks. Only one
certificate will be issued to each proxy. A proxy must be a person who
is currently employed by a place of business covered by the dealer's
permit; is a primary participant in the identification, weighing, and/
or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded from a vessel; and who
fills out dealer reports. Atlantic shark dealers are prohibited from
renewing a Federal shark dealer permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshop certificate for each business location that
first receives Atlantic sharks has
[[Page 63838]]
been submitted with the permit renewal application. Additionally,
trucks or other conveyances that are extensions of a dealer's place of
business must possess a copy of a valid dealer or proxy Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshop certificate.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
1. January 10, 2019, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., La Quinta Inn, 14221 Highway
90, Boutte, LA 70039.
2. February 7, 2019, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Hampton Inn, 1011 Atlantic
Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.
3. March 28, 2019, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Hampton Inn, 1985 Reynolds
Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34945.
Registration
To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop,
please contact Eric Sander at [email protected] or at (386)
852-8588. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items
to the workshop:
Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that
the attendee is an owner or agent of the business (such as articles of
incorporation), a copy of the applicable permit, and proof of
identification.
Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation
from the permitted dealer acknowledging that the proxy is attending the
workshop on behalf of the permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a
specific business location, a copy of the appropriate valid permit, and
proof of identification.
Workshop Objectives
The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce
the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the
dealer reporting form and increase the accuracy of species-specific
dealer-reported information. Reducing the number of unknown and
improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and the data
used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer
permit holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark
carcasses.
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2007, shark limited-access and swordfish limited-
access permit holders who fish with longline or gillnet gear have been
required to submit a copy of their Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop certificate in order to renew either permit (71
FR 58057; January 2, 2006). These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years.
Certificates issued in 2016 will be expiring in 2019. As such, vessel
owners who have not already attended a workshop and received a NMFS
certificate, or vessel owners whose certificate(s) will expire prior to
the next permit renewal, must attend a workshop to fish with, or renew,
their swordfish and shark limited-access permits. Additionally, new
shark and swordfish limited-access permit applicants who intend to fish
with longline or gillnet gear must attend a Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop and submit a copy of their workshop certificate
before either of the permits will be issued. Approximately 292 free
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops have been
conducted since 2006.
In addition to certifying vessel owners, at least one operator on
board vessels issued a limited-access swordfish or shark permit that
uses longline or gillnet gear is required to attend a Safe Handling,
Release, and Identification Workshop and receive a certificate. Vessels
that have been issued a limited-access swordfish or shark permit and
that use longline or gillnet gear may not fish unless both the vessel
owner and operator have valid workshop certificates onboard at all
times. Vessel operators who have not already attended a workshop and
received a NMFS certificate, or vessel operators whose certificate(s)
will expire prior to their next fishing trip, must attend a workshop to
operate a vessel with swordfish and shark limited-access permits that
uses longline or gillnet gear.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
1. January 10, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 300 Woodbury
Avenue, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801.
2. January 15, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 99701 Overseas
Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037.
3. February 1, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Gulf Coast Event Center, 9475
Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 39503.
4. February 7, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Hampton Inn, 678 Citadel Haven
Drive, Charleston, SC 29414.
5. March 1, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn, 151 Route 72 West,
Manahawkin, NJ 08050.
6. March 13, 2019, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, 9300 South
Main Street, Houston, TX 77025.
Registration
To register for a scheduled Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop, please contact Angler Conservation Education
at (386) 682-0158. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not
required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items
with them to the workshop:
Individual vessel owners must bring a copy of the
appropriate swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy of the vessel
registration or documentation, and proof of identification.
Representatives of a business-owned or co-owned vessel
must bring proof that the individual is an agent of the business (such
as articles of incorporation), a copy of the applicable swordfish and/
or shark permit(s), and proof of identification.
Vessel operators must bring proof of identification.
Workshop Objectives
The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are
designed to teach longline and gillnet fishermen the required
techniques for the safe handling and release of entangled and/or hooked
protected species, such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and smalltooth
sawfish, and prohibited sharks. In an effort to improve reporting, the
proper identification of protected species and prohibited sharks will
also be taught at these workshops. Additionally, individuals attending
these workshops will gain a better understanding of the requirements
for participating in these fisheries. The overall goal of these
workshops is to provide participants with the skills needed to reduce
the mortality of protected species and prohibited sharks, which may
prevent additional regulations on these fisheries in the future.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 7, 2018.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-26896 Filed 12-11-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P