[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3471-3472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-671]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; American 
Fisheries Act: Vessel and Processor Permit Applications

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before March 24, 2006.

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 Patsy A. Bearden, 907-586-7008 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The American Fisheries Act (AFA) was signed into law in October of 
1998. The AFA established an allocation program for the pollock fishery 
of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). The 
purposes of the AFA were to tighten U.S. ownership standards that had 
been exploited under the Anti-reflagging Act, to provide Alaska's BSAI 
pollock fleet the opportunity to conduct their fishery in a more 
rational manner, and to protect non-AFA participants in other 
fisheries.
    Reduced bycatch, higher utilization rates, increased economic 
returns, and improved safety are among the direct benefits of the AFA. 
The flexibility provided by cooperatives and by individual vessel 
allocations of pollock and other species has allowed the BSAI pollock 
fleet to spread their fishing effort in time and space, thus somewhat 
mitigating the negative impacts of the Steller sea lion (SSL) 
conservation and protection measures. Finally, the cooperative 
management structure has shifted more of the monitoring and enforcement 
burden to the cooperatives and their members, allowing NMFS to manage 
the fishery more precisely.
    Under the AFA, only vessels and processors that meet specific 
qualifying criteria are eligible to fish for and process pollock in the 
BSAI. The BSAI pollock quota is suballocated to groups of vessel owners 
who form fishing vessel cooperatives under the AFA.
    All pollock vessels and processors are required to have a valid AFA 
permit on board the vessel or at the processing plant. The AFA vessel 
and processor permits have no expiration date and will remain valid 
indefinitely unless revoked by NMFS. With the exceptions of 
applications for inshore vessel cooperatives and for replacement 
vessels, the AFA permit program had a one-time application deadline of 
December 1, 2000. Inshore catcher vessel cooperatives must apply for an 
AFA permit annually, by December 1 for the following fishing year. The 
information is collected once a year, because NMFS must identify the 
universe of participating vessels and processors prior to the start of 
each fishing year in order to assign allocations of pollock to eligible 
cooperatives. The applications to replace lost or destroyed AFA vessels 
may be submitted to NMFS at any time.

II. Method of Collection

    Paper applications are required from participants. Methods of 
submittal include facsimile transmission of paper forms, except where a 
notary seal is required.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0648-0393.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-
profits organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 20.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours for Application for AFA 
catcher vessel permit; 30 minutes for Application for AFA permit for 
replacement vessel; 2\1/2\ hours for Application for AFA inshore 
catcher vessel cooperative permit; 2 hours for Application for AFA 
mothership permit; and 2 hours for Application for AFA inshore 
processor permit.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 42.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $59.

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;

[[Page 3472]]

they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: January 17, 2006.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-671 Filed 1-20-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P