Federal Register #2026-21522

NOAA comment notice for Maine lobster and Jonah crab research-fishing permit

NOAA is seeking public comment on a Maine research-fishing permit proposal, not soliciting bids for goods or services. - Government agencies: Department of Commerce; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Greater Atlantic Region, Sustainable Fisheries. - Applicant and research partners: Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR) and the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF). No product manufacturers or commercial vendors are identified. - Research purpose: Collect distribution, abundance, and biological data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs in Gulf of Maine Statistical Areas 511, 512, and 513. - Proposed research activity: Up to 20 federally permitted Maine lobster vessels, with up to 36 trips per vessel and 720 trips total. Trips may last up to three days, for up to 2,160 vessel-days; trap sets may remain in the water for 7–10 days. - Research gear: Up to three modified ventless traps per vessel, or 60 traps total. Each trap is specified as 40 by 21 by 14 inches, with one parlor, one-inch-square rubber-coated wire, standard shrimp-mesh netting, cement runners, and a 4-by-6-inch disabling door. The notice does not indicate that traps are being purchased. - Requested permit exemptions: Certain gear specifications, trap limits, trap tags, and possession restrictions, to allow research sampling. Catch from modified traps would be kept separate from standard-gear catch; sampled specimens would be returned to the ocean. - Procurement status: This is an exempted fishing permit notice and request for comments, not a purchase opportunity. No priced products, contract value, or procurement quantities are provided.

Description

The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking comments on an application for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) proposed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. If approved, the EFP would allow up to 20 federally permitted Maine lobster vessels to conduct research fishing in the Gulf of Maine during 2027, including exemptions from specified gear, trap-limit, trap-tag, and possession regulations. The project will collect distribution, abundance, and biological data on juvenile lobsters and Jonah crabs in Statistical Areas 511, 512, and 513. Comments must be received by November 5, 2026.

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