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khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICE

Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2026 / Notices
Project Narrative
The Commercial Fisheries Research
Foundation (CFRF), in partnership with
seafood dealer Red’s Best, LLC, is
requesting an EFP in support of an
ongoing study that would conditionally
allow vessels with skate permits to
exceed skate possession limits for the
purpose of quantifying the economic
and ecological benefits and
consequences of an increased skate
wing trip limit. This application
requests a renewal of the study’s permit
for the 2026 fishing year. During its first
year, participating vessels used fewer
than 50 out of 700 allowed trips as of
March 19, 2026. These trips took place
only during Season 2 (September 1,
2025–April 30, 2026) of the skate wing
fishery. This renewed EFP would
authorize a second year of the study to
allow use of the remaining balance of
650 experimental fishing trips during
Seasons 1 and 2 of the 2026 fishing year.
Based on our annual monitoring
reports for fishing years 2021–2024 and
monitoring reports to date for fishing
year 2025, skate landings have remained
well below the total allowable landings
(TAL), ranging from 40 to 70 percent of
the TAL. Monthly landings in the 2025
fishing year have been higher than those
of 2024, but total landings remain at
only 67 percent of the TAL as of March
19, 2026. The applicant seeks to
continue to address the underutilization
of the skate resource by renewing for
participating vessels an exemption to
the 4,000 lb (1,814 kilogram (kg)) per
trip skate wing possession limit (9,080
lb (4,119 kg) in whole weight) in Season
1 (May 1–August 31), and the 6,000 lb
(2722 kg) per trip possession limit of
skate wings (13,620 lb (6,178 kg) in
whole weight) in Season 2 (September
1–April 30).
Under this EFP, the trip limits would
be increased to 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) of
skate wings, or 15,890 lb (7,208 kg)
whole weight, per trip in Season 1, and
9,000 lb (4,082 kg) of skate wings, or
20,430 lb (9,267 kg) whole weight, per
trip in Season 2. The participating
vessels would be authorized to take up
to 650 trips that exceed the possession
limit in the 2026 fishing year.
Participating vessels are a mix of fulltime and part-time gillnetters; the parttime gillnetters would likely have all of
their trips occur under this EFP; only a
portion of trips by full-time gillnetters
would be taken with the increased trip
limit. All trips under the EFP would be
exclusively wing trips without bait skate
landings. This EFP could increase skate
wing landings by almost 2 million lb
(907 mt) and, given recent skate wing
ex-vessel prices, would have an

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approximate ex-vessel value of over $1.5
million. In addition, given the overlap
with the monkfish fishery, which at
times has been constrained by skate trip
limits in the Southern Fishery
Management Area, this EFP could
improve utilization of the monkfish
annual catch limit.
All participating vessels would collect
data on all large-mesh gillnet trips
fished with and without the increased
skate wing trip limit. Data collection
would include trip duration, number of
nets set and soak time, quantity and
value of skate catch and other catch, and
fuel used. Skate wing catch and
monkfish catch would be compared
between trips conducted with and
without the increased trip limit to
inform project objectives.
The EFP would include conditions to:
(1) Mitigate the potential for this EFP to
trigger the 85-percent TAL possession
limit reduction; (2) avoid a sustained
negative impact on ex-vessel skate price;
and (3) avoid triggering monkfish
accountability measures in the monkfish
Northern Fishery Management Area
(NFMA).
If skate landings surpass 70 percent of
the TAL, and/or NMFS projects that the
85-percent TAL threshold will be met in
either Season 1 or Season 2, the EFP
may be suspended for the remainder of
the applicable season and vessels would
be subject to the fishery-wide
possession limit. This EFP could result
in a maximum of 1.95 million lb (885
mt) of skate wings being landed, or just
over 14 percent of the proposed 2026
skate wing TAL (91 FR 14674, March
26, 2026). However, that estimate
assumes that each EFP trip would land
the full possession limit. Any trip that
exceeds the skate wing possession limit,
even by a small amount, would count
against the 650-trip limit. The 70percent TAL threshold for this EFP has
been selected to mitigate the potential
for this EFP to trigger the 85-percent
TAL possession limit reduction.
The applicant has acknowledged
concerns regarding the potential for this
project to reduce ex-vessel skate price.
They are planning to self-regulate the
participating vessels in coordination
with other skate wing dealers and, if the
skate market is slow and there is any
negative impact on price as a result of
the increased trip landings under this
project EFP, they plan to instruct
participating vessels not to make any
trips under the permit with increased
landings until the market and price
stabilizes. NMFS will support ex-vessel
price monitoring using dealer reports
and data reported by participating
vessels under the EFP. To further
address this concern, NMFS will

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regularly assess ex-vessel prices and
other market changes with CFRF. These
periodic evaluations will provide
opportunities to identify unintended
market consequences and, if necessary,
suspend the EFP. No sustained negative
effect of the EFP on skate wing ex-vessel
prices was detected during fishing year
2025.
The monkfish TAL for the NFMA has
been fully utilized in recent years, and
increased fishing effort for skate in
statistical area 521 could contribute to
monkfish TAL overages in the northern
area. Therefore, the EFP includes a
condition that if NMFS projects that the
NFMA monkfish TAL will be exceeded
and the accountability measure will be
triggered, the EFP would stop in the
NFMA for the remainder of the project
period. During the 2025 fishing year, no
trips under this EFP have taken place in
the NFMA.
If approved, the applicant may
request minor modifications and
extensions to the EFP throughout the
year. EFP modifications and extensions
may be granted without further notice if
they are deemed essential to facilitate
completion of the proposed research
and have minimal impacts that do not
change the scope or impact of the
initially approved EFP request. Any
fishing activity conducted outside the
scope of the exempted fishing activity
would be prohibited.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 31, 2026.
David R. Blankinship,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026–06426 Filed 4–1–26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Marine Recreational
Information Program (MRIP) Fishing
Effort Survey
AGENCY: National Oceanic &

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Information
Collection, request for comment.
SUMMARY: The Department of

Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on

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khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICE

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Federal Register / Vol. 91, No. 63 / Thursday, April 2, 2026 / Notices

proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before June 1, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0652 in the subject line of your
comments. All comments received are
part of the public record and will
generally be posted on https://
www.regulations.gov without change.
Do not submit Confidential Business
Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Rob
Andrews, Survey Statistician, NOAA
Fisheries, 200 Harry S. Truman Pkwy.,
Annapolis, MD 21401, (302) 827–3226,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

estimate total, state-level fishing catch,
by species. These estimates are used in
the development, implementation, and
monitoring of fishery management
programs by NOAA Fisheries, regional
fishery management councils, interstate
marine fisheries commissions, and state
fishery agencies.
Previously, the FES was administered
bi-monthly, estimating recreational
fishing effort for two-month waves. In
2024, OST tested an experimental
survey design that included monthly
sampling and estimation and a modified
questionnaire. The study concluded that
the revised design resulted in more
timely and accurate estimates of fishing
activity. This information collection
request will include a revision to
transition from bi-monthly to monthly
administration of the FES.
Additionally, the request will include
an experiment to evaluate online
reporting. Specifically, the collection
will include a pilot study testing a webpush survey design that will encourage
online reporting before providing the
option of a mail response. The design
will be evaluated with respect to data
quality, timeliness of reporting and cost.

I. Abstract
This is a request for revision and
extension of an approved information
collection. Marine recreational anglers
are surveyed to collect catch and effort
data, fish biology data, and angler
socioeconomic characteristics. These
data are required to carry out provisions
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as amended,
regarding conservation and management
of fishery resources.
Marine recreational fishing catch and
effort data are collected through a
combination of mail surveys, telephone
surveys and on-site intercept surveys
with recreational anglers. The Fishing
Effort Survey (FES) is conducted by the
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science and
Technology (OST). The FES is a selfadministered, household mail survey
that samples from a residential address
frame to collect data on the number of
recreational anglers and the number of
recreational fishing trips. The survey
estimates marine recreational fishing
activity for all coastal states from Maine
through Florida, as well as Hawaii.
FES estimates are combined with
estimates derived from complementary
surveys of fishing trips, the AccessPoint Angler Intercept Survey, to

III. Data

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II. Method of Collection

OMB Control Number: 0648–0652.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(revision and extension of current
information collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
112,500.
Estimated Time per Response: 5
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 9,338 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: 0.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to
permit the Department/Bureau to: (a)
Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary for
the proper functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the
accuracy of our estimate of the time and
cost burden for this proposed collection,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)

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Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office
of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026–06390 Filed 4–1–26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

Information will be collected through
self-administered mail surveys and web
surveys.

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Evaluate ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (d) Minimize the
reporting burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this information
collection request. Before including
your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XF645]

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions;
General Provisions for Domestic
Fisheries; Application for Exempted
Fishing Permits
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional

Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries,
Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has
made a preliminary determination that
an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to
facilitate the use of fishing year (FY)
2026 and 2027 monkfish research setaside (RSA) days-at-sea (DAS) warrants
further consideration. The EFP would
allow federally permitted fishing vessels
to fish outside fishery regulations in
support of exempted fishing activities
proposed by Cape Cod Commercial
Fishermen’s Alliance (CCCFA).
Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act require publication of
this notification to provide interested

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