[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8648-8649]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2687]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


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

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

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 14, 2008.

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 Jason Rueter, (727) 824-5350 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Sustainable Fisheries Division, Southeast Regional Office, 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is entrusted with the 
conservation, management, and protection of marine fishery resources 
inhabiting federal waters off the southeastern United States from North 
Carolina through Texas and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 
Division is the Region's focal point for implementing NMFS's primary 
legislative authority for fisheries management and research, the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA).
    The Division works directly with the Region's three fishery 
management councils established by Congress to perform the mandates of 
the Magnuson-Stevens Act. These mandates are accomplished through 
fishery management plans for marine finfish and crustaceans that 
support important commercial and recreational fisheries in the Gulf of 
Mexico, South Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea and consider 
conservation and management issues, sociological and economic issues, 
and regulatory issues. Functions and activities required to fulfill 
this and other responsibilities as specified in the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act include: Providing guidance on fisheries management; providing 
technical assistance and advice in preparing fishery management plans 
(FMP) in accordance with national standard guidelines and other 
applicable laws; coordinating public review and compilation of 
comments; initiating Secretarial review of FMP and amendments; drafting 
regulations and Federal Register notices, as well as reviewing and 
responding to comments received during rulemaking; FMP implementation; 
and monitoring.
    A major component of fisheries management in the Region is the 
permit system and the information collected by these permits. The 
permit/endorsement system has the following uses:
    a. Registration of actual and/or potential fishing vessels/dealers.
    b. Collection of data relevant to the characteristics of both 
vessels and (potential) fishermen.
    c. Secure compliance (e.g., do not issue permits until unpaid 
penalties have been collected and reporting requirements are 
fulfilled).
    d. Provide a mailing list for the dissemination of regulatory 
information.
    e. Register participants for fisheries with special restrictions/
limited access.
    f. Provide sample frames for data collection.
    g. Permit purchase information for fleet economic analyses.

[[Page 8649]]

    Accordingly, numerous FMP and amendments have been developed by the 
Region which requires the collection of information for purposes of 
proper implementation of these rules. Regulations implementing the FMP 
and their collection of information appear at 50 CFR 600.305, 50 CFR 
600.315, and 50 CFR 622.5.
    The need to collect percent ownership in a corporation from permit 
holders is necessary information for the red snapper Individual Fishing 
Quota (IFQ) program. The IFQ program has a cap of six percent on share 
percent ownership. Without the ability to track corporate shareholder 
information, NOAA Fisheries Service will be unable to enforce this 
share ownership cap. Additionally, crew size is being collected to 
better understand the nature of the fishery, the number of participants 
who are not permit holders, and the potential socioeconomic effects of 
regulations within a given fishery.

II. Method of Collection

    Paper applications, electronic reports, and telephone calls are 
required from participants. Methods of submittal include Internet and 
facsimile transmission of paper forms.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0648-0205.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; and business or other 
for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 16,820.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour and 24 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,671.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $650,679.

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: February 8, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-2687 Filed 2-13-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P