[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 233 (Thursday, December 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67838-67839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30176]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112103A]


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast 
Region Permit Family of Forms

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 February 2, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Brian Hooker, National Marine Fisheries Service, One 
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, (978) 281-9220.

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. The 
participants in certain fisheries may also be required to notify NMFS 
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 a signed paper 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 (e.g., current state registration 
or U.S. 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 scallop vessels fishing under the small dredge 
program. All remaining limited access Northeast (NE) multispecies, 
monkfish, red crab, and scallop vessels are required to report via a 
days-at-sea (DAS) call-in system. Vessel owners issued a limited access 
NE multispecies, monkfish, occasional scallop, or combination permit 
may voluntarily elect to use the VMS in place of the DAS call-in 
system. This reporting is required in order to monitor: (1) Usage of 
DAS 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: Business and other for-profit organizations; 
individuals or households; and State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 42,334.
    Estimated Time Per Response: An initial vessel permit application 
requires an estimated 45 minutes to complete and preprinted vessel 
permit renewal forms require an estimated 30 minutes per response. 
Initial dealer permit applications take an estimated 15 minutes to 
complete and preprinted dealer permit renewal forms require an 
estimated 5 minutes to complete. The initial and renewal vessel 
operator permit applications are 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.
    Limited access NE multispecies, combination, occasional scallop, 
and monkfish vessels must notify NMFS 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 NE multispecies and 
monkfish vessels approximately 3 minutes to declare of 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 NE 
multispecies, combination, and occasional scallop vessels is estimated 
to be 1 hour for installation of a 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 U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue operations or assisted 
in towing a disabled vessel may apply for Good Samaritan DAS credits at 
a burden of 30 minutes per application. Owners or operators of vessels 
seeking a Letter of Authorization (LOA) to participate in any of the 
exemption programs must request an LOA from the Administrator, 
Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator). The estimated time 
required to request an LOA is 5 minutes. Vessels fishing in the North 
Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area that wish to be 
exempt from NE multispecies regulations while transiting the EEZ with 
NE multispecies on board, or landing NE multispecies in U.S. ports, 
must request an LOA (5 minutes) in addition to possessing a valid High 
Seas Fishing Compliance permit under 50 CFR part 300. An LOA (5 
minutes) is also required for permitted vessels intending to transfer 
selected species from one vessel to

[[Page 67839]]

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 NE multispecies or scallop permit that 
intend to transfer species other than regulated species; and NE 
multispecies vessels intending to transfer up to 500 lb (227 kg) of 
combined small-mesh NE multispecies per trip for use as bait.
    Owners of charter/party vessels intending to fish in the Nantucket 
Lightship Closure Area must request an LOA from the Regional 
Administrator, with an estimated time of 5 minutes per request. Vessels 
fishing under Charter/Party regulations in Gulf of Maine (GOM) closed 
areas must obtain a Charter/Party Exemption Certificate for GOM Closed 
Areas, at an estimated 2 minutes per request.
    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.
    Surfclam and ocean quahog vessel owners or operators are required 
to call the NMFS Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) 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 OLE of the vessel's departure from the dock to fish for surf 
clams or ocean quahogs in the EEZ.
    In the American lobster fishery, initial lobster area designations 
are estimated to take 5 minutes, requests for additional tags is 
estimated to take 2 minutes, and notification of lost tags is estimated 
to take 3 minutes.
    In the NE 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.
    In the gillnet fisheries for NE 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 and summer 
flounder fisheries are estimated to require 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 20,212.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $1,348,473.

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 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: November 19, 2003.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-30176 Filed 12-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S