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Notice

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Approved Monitoring Service Providers

A Notice by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 09/22/2021

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Published Document: 2021-20463 (86 FR 52637)

This document has been published in the Federal Register. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format.

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Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  1. [RTID 0648-XB335]

AGENCY:

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notification of approved monitoring service providers.

SUMMARY:

NMFS has approved an additional company to provide Northeast multispecies sector electronic monitoring services in fishing years 2021 and 2022. Regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan require at-sea and electronic monitoring companies to apply to, and be approved by, NMFS in order to be eligible to provide monitoring services to sectors. This action will allow sectors to contract for at-sea and electronic monitoring services with any of the approved service providers for fishing years 2021 and 2022.

ADDRESSES:

The list of NMFS-approved sector monitoring service providers is available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​resource/​data/​observer-providers-northeast-and-mid-atlantic-programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Claire Fitz-Gerald, Fishery Policy Analyst, (978) 281-9255, email .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan includes a requirement for industry-funded monitoring of catch by sector vessels. Sectors must contract with independent third-party service providers to provide at-sea and/or electronic monitoring services to their vessels. In order to provide at-sea or electronic monitoring services to sectors, monitoring companies must apply to, and be approved by, NMFS. The regulations at 50 CFR 648.87(b)(4) describe the criteria for approval of at-sea and electronic monitoring service providers. We approve service providers based on: (1) Completeness and sufficiency of applications; and (2) determination of the applicant's ability to meet the performance requirements of a sector monitoring service provider. Once approved, service providers must meet ( printed page 52638) specified performance requirements outlined in § 648.87(b)(4), including required coverage levels, in order to maintain eligibility. We must notify service providers, in writing, if NMFS withdraws approval for any reason.

Approved Monitoring Service Providers

On February 4, 2021, NMFS approved 6 companies to provide monitoring services to the Northeast multispecies sectors in fishing years 2021 and 2022. Four of the six companies are approved to provide both at-sea and electronic monitoring services: A.I.S., Inc.; East West Technical Services, LLC; Fathom Research, LLC; and Saltwater, Inc. NMFS approved the other two companies to provide electronic monitoring services: Flywire Cameras and Teem Fish.

Two additional companies also applied to provide electronic monitoring services, but we required additional information to complete their applications prior to making a determination. One company, New England Marine Monitoring, has since submitted a revised and complete application for our consideration. We approved New England Marine Monitoring to provide electronic monitoring services in fishing years 2021 and 2022 because the applicant has met the application requirements and documented its ability to comply with service provider standards. The revised list of approved monitoring providers for fishing years 2021 and 2022 is provided in Table 1.

There will be an opportunity in the fall of 2021 for additional monitoring companies to apply for approval to provide at-sea and electronic monitoring services in fishing year 2022. We will closely monitor the performance of approved providers, and we will withdraw approval during the current approval term, or disapprove a provider in future fishing years, if we determine performance standards are not being met.

Table 1—Approved Providers for Fishing Years 2021 and 2022
Provider Services * Address Phone Fax Website
A.I.S., Inc ASM/EM 540 Hawthorn St, Dartmouth, MA 02747 508-990-9054 508-990-9055 https://aisobservers.com/​.
East West Technical Services, LLC ASM/EM 91 Point Judith Rd., Suite 26 Unit 347, Narragansett, RI 02882 860-910-4957 860-223-6005 https://www.ewts.com/​.
Fathom Resources, LLC ASM/EM 855 Aquidneck Ave., Unit 9, Middletown, RI 02842 508-990-0997 508-991-7372 https://fathomresources.com/​.
Flywire Cameras EM P.O. BOX 55048, Lexington, KY 40511 888-315-7796 502-861-6568 https://www.flywirecameras.com/​.
Saltwater, Inc ASM/EM 733 N St., Anchorage, AK 99501 907-276-3241 907-258-5999 https://www.saltwaterinc.com/​.
Teem Fish EM 90-425 Carrall St., Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3, Canada 778-884-2598 https://teem.fish/​.
New England Marine Monitoring EM 350 Commercial St., Portland, ME 04101 508-269-8138 https://www.nemarinemonitoring.com/​.
* ASM/EM = At-sea and electronic monitoring; EM = Electronic monitoring only.

(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)

Dated: September 16, 2021.

Jennifer M. Wallace,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2021-20463 Filed 9-21-21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Published Document: 2021-20463 (86 FR 52637)