[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 152 (Monday, August 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48219-48221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19924]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080100B]


Northeast Region Permit Family of Forms

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before October 6, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
6086, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via 
Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instruments(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Allison Ferreira, NMFS, 1 Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930 (978-281-9103).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Any individual or organization participating in Federally-
controlled fisheries is required to obtain permits. The purpose and use 
of permits is to: (1) Register fishermen, fishing vessels, fish dealers 
and processors, (2) list the characteristics of fishing vessels and/or 
dealer/processor operations, (3) exercise influence over compliance 
(e.g. withhold issuance pending collection of unpaid penalties), (4) 
provide a mailing list for the dissemination of important information 
to the industry, (5) register participants to be considered for limited 
entry, and (6) provide a universe for data collection samples. 
Identification of the participants, their gear types, vessels, and 
expected activity levels is an effective tool in the enforcement of 
fishery regulations. This information is needed to measure the 
consequences of management controls as well. Participants in certain 
fisheries may also to be required to notify NOAA before fishing trips 
for the purpose of observer placement and to make other reports on 
fishing activities.

II. Method of Collection

    Initial permit applications are made by form. After initial permit 
issuance, a pre-printed permit renewal form is generated via computer 
using current permit information. This form is then sent to the permit 
holder for updating. If no changes to the pre-printed form are 
required, the applicant simply needs to sign the form and return it 
with any other information (i.e. current state registration or Coast 
Guard document) required for permit renewal.
    Automated reporting by means of a vessel monitoring system (VMS) is 
required for all vessels issued a full-time or part-time limited access 
sea scallop permit, or issued an occasional limited access sea scallop 
permit when fishing under the Georges' Bank Exemption Program, or 
scallop vessels fishing under the small dredge program. All remaining 
limited access multispecies, monkfish, and scallop vessels are required 
to report via a call-in system. Vessel owners issued a limited access 
multispecies, monkfish, occasional scallop, or combination permit may 
voluntarily elect to use the VMS in place of the call-in system. This 
reporting is required in order to monitor: (1) Usage of days-at-sea 
allocations, (2) compliance with vessel layover requirements, (3) 
compliance with ``days-out-of-the-fishery'' requirements, (4) 
compliance with closed area regulations, and (5) compliance with 
exempted fishery regulations.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0648-0202.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Businesses and other for-profit organizations; 
individuals or households; and State, Local or Tribal Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 43,203.
    Estimated Time Per Response: Preprinted renewal forms require an 
estimated 15 minutes to complete, while an initial application requires 
an estimated 30 minutes per response. In order to obtain an Atlantic 
Bluefish Vessel permit an applicant would need

[[Page 48220]]

to complete a separate permit application, at an estimated response 
time of 30 minutes. Dealer permit applications take an estimated 5 
minutes to complete. The vessel operator permit application is 
estimated to take an average of 1 hour to complete due to the color 
photograph submission requirement. Limited access vessel upgrade or 
replacement applications take approximately 3 hours to complete. 
Applications for retention of limited access permit history require an 
estimated 30 minutes. Applicants are expected to spend approximately 3 
hours gathering and presenting the documentation needed for any limited 
access permit appeal.
    Limited access multispecies, combination, occasional scallop, and 
monkfish vessels must notify NOAA via the call-in system of the start 
date and end date for each fishing trip. The estimated time per 
response is 2 minutes. It is estimated to take multispecies and 
monkfish vessels approximately 3 minutes to declare blocks of time out 
of the gillnet fishery. The burden of vessel monitoring for full-time 
and part-time limited access scallop vessels or authorized 
multispecies, combination and occasional scallop vessels is estimated 
to be 1 hour for installation of VMS unit, 5 minutes for verification 
of installation of the VMS unit, and 30 seconds per poll for automated 
polling of vessel position. Vessels required to have a fully functional 
VMS unit at all times may request to turn off the VMS (power down 
exemption) at approximately 30 minutes per request. Requests for 
observer coverage are estimated to require 2 minutes per request.
    Limited access vessels fishing under DAS requirements that have 
assisted in Coast Guard search and rescue operations or assisted in 
towing a disabled vessel may apply for Good Samaritan credits at a 
burden of 30 minutes per applicant.
    Owners or operators of vessels seeking to participate in the 
Cultivator shoal whiting, mid-water trawl, purse seine, Nantucket shoal 
dogfish, Southern New England (SNE) little tunny gillnet, or SNE cod 
landing limit exemption programs must request a letter of authorization 
from the Regional Administrator (letter of authorization). The 
estimated time required to request a letter of authorization is 5 
minutes. Vessels fishing in the NAFO Regulatory Area that wish to be 
exempt from multispecies regulations while transiting the EEZ with 
multispecies on board, or landing multispecies in U.S. ports, must 
request a letter of authorization (5 minutes) in addition to possessing 
a valid High Seas Fishing Compliance permit under 50 CFR Part 300. A 
letter of authorization (5 minutes) is also required for permitted 
vessels intending to transfer selected species from one vessel to 
another as follows: Loligo and butterfish moratorium permit or Illex 
moratorium permit and vessels issued a mackerel or squid/butterfish 
incidental catch permit that intend to transfer Loligo, Illex or 
butterfish; vessels issued a multispecies or scallop permit that intend 
to transfer species other than regulated species; and multispecies 
vessels intending to transfer up to 500 lbs. of combined small-mesh 
multispecies per trip for use as bait.
    Owners of charter/party vessels intending to fish in the Nantucket 
Lightship Closure Area must request a letter of authorization from the 
Regional Administrator, estimated to take 5 minutes. Vessels fishing 
under Charter/Party regulations in Gulf of Maine closed areas must 
obtain a Charter/Party Exemption Certificate for Gulf of Maine Closed 
Areas, at an estimated 2 minutes per request.
    Owners of summer flounder vessels seeking to participate in the 
summer flounder small mesh exempted fishery must apply for a permit 
from the Regional Administrator, at an estimated 5 minutes per 
application. Vessels participating in the state waters winter flounder 
exemption must obtain a certificate approved by the Regional 
Administrator and issued by the state agency authorizing the vessel's 
participation in the exempted fishery. The request for such a 
certificate is estimated to take 2 minutes.
    Limited access scallop vessels fishing under the scallop DAS 
program must request a letter of authorization, with an estimated 
burden of 5 minutes, in order to fish for scallops with trawl nets. 
Limited access sea scallop vessels wishing to participate in either the 
state waters DAS exemption program or the state waters gear exemption 
program must notify the Regional Administrator by VMS or call-in 
notification. Participants in the sea scallop state waters exemption 
programs using VMS notification must notify the Regional Administrator 
prior to the first trip in the exemption program and prior to the first 
planned trip in the EEZ, at an estimated 2 minutes per response. 
Participants in these exemption programs using the call-in system must 
notify the Regional Administrator at least 7 days prior to fishing 
under the exemption, at an estimated 2 minutes per call. If 
participants using the call-in system wish to withdraw from either 
state waters exemption program prior to the end of the 7-day designated 
exemption period requirement, they must also call the Regional 
Administrator to notify of early withdrawal, at an estimated 2 minutes 
per call.
    Surf clam and ocean quahog vessel owners or operators are required 
to call the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Law 
Enforcement nearest to the point of offloading prior to the departure 
of the vessel from the dock. It requires approximately 2 minutes for a 
vessel owner or operator to notify law enforcement of the vessels 
departure from the dock to fish for surf clams or ocean quahogs in the 
EEZ.
    In the lobster fishery, initial lobster area designations are 
estimated to take 5 minutes; requests for additional tags are estimated 
to take 2 minutes; and notification of lost tags is estimated to take 3 
minutes.
    In the Northeast multispecies fishery, a request for change in 
permit category designation requires approximately 2 minutes, and a 
request for transit to another port by a vessel required to remain in 
the GOM cod trip limit takes 2 minutes. For vessels fishing under the 
GOM cod landing limit for the monkfish fishery, an area declaration is 
estimated to take 3 minutes.
    In the gillnet fisheries for multispecies and monkfish, the burden 
estimate for calling out of the fishery is 3 minutes. Gillnet category 
designation, including initial requests for gillnet tags, requires 
approximately 10 minutes. Requests for additional tags require an 
estimated 2 minutes. Notification of lost tags and requests for 
replacement tag numbers also require an estimated 2 minutes. It will 
take approximately 1 minute to attach each gillnet tag.
    Requests for state quota transfers in the bluefish, summer flounder 
and scup fisheries are estimated to require 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 36,872.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $1,138,233.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the

[[Page 48221]]

use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: July 31, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-19924 Filed 8-4-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P