Monitor Provider Requirements: New Application to be a Service Provider

Greater Atlantic Region Bulletin

NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

For Information Contact:

(978) 281–9315

www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov

Date Issued: 2/12/2020

Seeking Industry-Funded Monitoring Service Providers

Applications for industry-funded monitoring (IFM) service providers for the Atlantic herring fishery are due March 12, 2020

If you would like to provide IFM services (observing, at-sea monitoring, and/or portside sampling) to Atlantic herring vessels in IFM years 2020 and 2021 (April 1, 2020 – March 31, 2022), please submit an application to be an approved provider. We will approve providers for a 2-year period. In order to be considered for approval concurrent with the implementation of the New England IFM Omnibus Amendment, interested companies must submit an application to NOAA Fisheries by March 12, 2020. Applications must include a cover letter, as well as the information and statements identified in the regulations at 50 CFR 648.11(h). In your application, please be sure to specify which type(s) of monitoring services (i.e., observing, at-sea monitoring, and/or portside sampling) you would like to provide.

We will review all applications in accordance with the requirements listed in the regulations.

Please review the regulations carefully, particularly the requirements for signed statements. To help fulfill the requirement to submit evidence of adequate insurance, we are providing a Verification of Insurance Coverage form to include in your application package. For service providers that currently provide observing or monitoring services in other fisheries, please note that our review of your application will include an evaluation of your performance in comparison to the published standards to determine whether to approve your company as an IFM service provider for IFM years 2020 and 2021.

We approved all measures contained in the New England IFM Omnibus Amendment. However, because the approval and operation of IFM service providers for the Atlantic herring fishery is conditional on implementation of the New England IFM Omnibus Amendment, final approvals regarding IFM service provider applications will not be made until the amendment’s omnibus regulations are effective on March 9, 2020. We will notify service providers of our preliminary intentions to approve applications as soon as we have completed our reviews. Final approvals of any provider applications we receive under this announcement will subsequently be communicated to service providers and published in the Federal Register once the regulations are effective.

Please submit the requested documents by March 12, 2020, to:

Maria Vasta

National Marine Fisheries Service

55 Great Republic Drive

Gloucester, MA 01930

Verification of Insurance Coverage

I declare, as the legal representative of [company name], under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America, that all monitors and/or observers provided by [company name] will be covered by the type and level of insurance as required by 50 CFR Part 648.11(h)(3)(vii) during their period of employment (including during training). I further declare that, as required under § 648.11(h)(3)(vii), copies of the insurance policies shall be provided to observers or monitors to display to the vessel owner, operator, or vessel manager, when requested.

____________________________________    __________________________________

                Print Full Name                                                             Signature

____________________________________     ___________________________________

                Print Company Name                                                    Date

OMB Control No. 0648-0674 Expires: 02/28/2023

For small entity compliance guides, this bulletin complies with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement and Fairness Act of 1996. This notice is authorized by the Regional Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Region.

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