[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 78 (Friday, April 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18687-18688]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9415]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northwest 
Region Federal Fisheries Permits

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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 June 23, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 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 Kevin A. Ford, (206) 526-6115 or e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) seeks comment on the 
renewal of permit information collections required to: (1) Renew and 
transfer of Pacific Coast Groundfish limited entry permits; (2) 
implement certain provisions of the sablefish permit stacking program 
as provided for at 50 CFR 660.372 and 660.334; and (3) issue and 
fulfill the terms and conditions of certain exempted fishing permits 
(EFP).
    NMFS, Northwest Region manages the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery 
in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Washington, Oregon, and 
California under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. 
The regulations implementing the Pacific Groundfish Fishery require 
that those individuals participating in the limited entry fishery have 
a valid limited entry permit. Participation in the fishery and access 
to a limited entry permit has been restricted to control the overall 
harvest capacity.
    Each year permit owners are required to renew their permits by 
reviewing their current permit information, providing updated contact 
information and certifying that the permit information is correct. 
Similarly, a permit owner is required to request in writing a permit 
transfer which may involve either registering another vessel to the 
permit and/or conveying the permit to another person or business 
entity. Additional information may be requested from the permit owner 
to determine compliance with groundfish regulations. The regulations 
implementing the limited entry program are found at 50 CFR Part 660, 
Subpart G.
    Also, NMFS requires information collections to implement a 
sablefish permit stacking program which will allow NMFS to prevent 
excessive fleet consolidation. This information collection requires a 
corporation or

[[Page 18688]]

partnership that owns or holds a sablefish endorsed permit to provide 
an ownership interest form listing all individuals with ownership 
interest in the entity as part of the annual renewal process and as 
part of any sablefish endorsed permit transfer involving a business 
entity either given as the permit owner or as the vessel owner. Also, 
for transfer requests after April 1st and October 30th, the permit 
owner is required to report the remaining pounds (not yet harvested) on 
a sablefish endorsed permit at the time of transfer.
    Applicants for exempted fishing permit must submit written 
information that allows NMFS to evaluate the exempted fishing activity 
and weigh the benefits and costs of the proposed activities. The 
information included in an application is specified at 50 CFR 
600.745(b)(2). Permit holders are required to file preseason plans, 
summary reports on the results of the experiments or data collection 
and in some cases individual vessels and other permit holders are 
required to provide data reports. There is also a requirement of a 
call-in notification prior to the fishing trip. This information allows 
NMFS to evaluate the techniques used and decide if management 
regulations should be approved as is, modified, or disapproved.

II. Method of Collection

    Renewal forms are mailed to all permit owners and are submitted by 
mail to NOAA, NMFS, Northwest Region. Transfer forms are available from 
the region's Web site but must be submitted by mail or in person. 
Applications for an exempted fishing permit must be submitted in a 
written format. The exempted fishing permit data reports may be 
submitted in person, faxed, submitted by telephone or e-mailed by the 
monitor, plant manager, vessel owner or operator to NMFS or the states 
of Washington, Oregon, or California.

Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0203.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions, state government, 
individuals or households, and business or other for-profits 
organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 336.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes per exempted fishing permit 
(EFP) application; 24 hours for an EFP summary report; 43 minutes for 
an EFP data report; 2 minutes for EFP trip notification; 20 minutes for 
a limited entry permit transfer form; 20 minutes for a renewal form; 10 
minutes to provide mid season transfer information for a sablefish 
endorsed limited entry permit; and 30 minutes for a sablefish permit 
ownership interest form.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,015.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $757,728.

III. 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: April 21, 2009.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-9415 Filed 4-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P