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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 58 / Monday, March 29, 2021 / Notices Information relating to chartering vessels of another NAFO Contracting Party, transferring NAFO fishing opportunities to or from another NAFO
Contracting Party, or general U.S.
participation in NAFO is available from Patrick E. Moran, NMFS Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, email: Pat.Moran@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Moira Kelly, 978 2819218.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
General NAFO Background The United States is a Contracting Party to NAFO. NAFO is an intergovernmental fisheries science and management body whose convention applies to most fishery resources in international waters of the Northwest Atlantic, except salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species such as shellfish.
As a Contracting Party within NAFO, the United States may be allocated catch quotas or effort allocations for certain species in specific areas within the NAFO Regulatory Area and may participate in fisheries for other species for which we have not received a specific quota. For most stocks for which the United States does not receive a specific allocation, an open allocation, known as the Others allocation under the Convention, is shared access between all NAFO
Contracting Parties.
Additional information on NAFO can be found online at https www.nafo.int/
About-us. The NAFO Conservation and Enforcement Measures CEM that specify the fishery regulations, total allowable catches TAC, quotas, and other information about the fishery program is available online at: https
www.nafo.int/Fisheries/Conservation.
NAFO updates the CEM annually.
This notice announces the fishing opportunity available to U.S. vessels in NAFO regulatory waters specific to shrimp in Division 3M. This notice also outlines the application process and other requirements for U.S. vessels that wish to participate in the 3M shrimp fishery. Allocation of all other U.S.
fishing opportunities were finalized in 2020, as described in the previous notice of fishing opportunities 85 FR
45198; July 27, 2020. Additional information is available in that notice and is not repeated here.
NAFO Fishing Opportunity Available to U.S. Fishing Vessels Shrimp in Division 3M was made available for fishing at the 2019 Annual Meeting after a multi-year moratorium on fishing. additional information is
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available online at https www.nafo.int/
Library/Commission/MeetingProceedings-of-the-Commission. Prior to the moratorium, fishing was conducted using a days-at-sea system that allocated a certain number of days to Contracting Parties, rather than the now-standard quota in weight approach. NAFO was in discussions to shift the allocation scheme to a quota system when the moratorium became necessary to protect the stock. This effort was suspended because of the moratorium and is currently being renewed.
At the 2019 Annual Meeting of NAFO, the Commission decided to open the fishery using the previous days-atsea program while pursuing a new quota-based management system. Due to the global COVID19 pandemic, no progress was made in 2020 on this issue.
In our prior announcement, we explained that we would allocate 3M
shrimp for only 2020 while the Commission considered a new management approach. Because no progress has been made to date, we are announcing the opportunity for this stock for 2021 through 2024, or until a new management scheme is adopted by the Commission. As such, applicants should note that the Commission might adopt a new allocation scheme before 2024, and that if it does, NOAA may terminate this potential permit before 2024 and publicly re-solicit interest through 2024. The holder of the rescinded permit would be invited to reapply.
Authorization to fish for NAFO
species will include permit-related conditions or restrictions, including but not limited to, minimum size requirements, bycatch-related measures, and catch limits. Any such conditions or restrictions will be designed to ensure the optimum utilization, longterm sustainability, and rational management and conservation of fishery resources in the NAFO Regulatory Area, consistent with the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries as well as the Amendment to the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, which has been adopted by all NAFO Contracting Parties.
Applying for These Fishing Opportunities Expressions of interest to fish for the 20212024 U.S. fishing opportunity for 3M shrimp, described above, will be considered from all U.S. fishing interests e.g., vessel owners, processors, agents, others. Applicants are urged to
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carefully review and thoroughly address the application requirements and selection criteria as detailed below.
Expressions of interest should be directed in writing to Regional Administrator Michael Pentony see ADDRESSES.
Information Required in an Application Letter Expressions of interest should include a detailed description of anticipated fishing operations for the full five years.
Descriptions should include, at a minimum:
Intended target species;
Proposed dates of fishing operations;
Vessels to be used to harvest fish, including the name, registration, and home port of the intended harvesting vessels;
The number of fishing personnel and their nationality involved in vessel operations;
Intended landing port or ports;
including for ports outside of the United States, whether or not the product will be shipped to the United States for processing;
Processing facilities to be used;
Target market for harvested fish;
and, Evidence demonstrating the ability of the applicant to successfully prosecute fishing operations in the NAFO Regulatory Area, in accordance with NAFO management measures. This may include descriptions of previously successful NAFO or domestic fisheries participation.
Note that applicant U.S. vessels must possess or be eligible to receive a valid High Seas Fishing Compliance Act HSFCA permit. HSFCA permits are available from the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office.
Information regarding other requirements for fishing in the NAFO
Regulatory Area is detailed below and is also available from the NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office see ADDRESSES.
U.S. applicants wishing to harvest U.S. allocations using a vessel from another NAFO Contracting Party, or hoping to enter a chartering arrangement with a vessel from another NAFO Contracting Party, should see below for details on U.S. and NAFO
requirements for such activities. If you have further questions regarding what information is required in an expression of interest, please contact Patrick Moran see ADDRESSES.

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