[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 102 (Friday, May 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25702-25703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12499]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast 
Region Logbook 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 July 28, 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 Aja Peters-Mason, (978) 281-9195 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 
the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) has the responsibility for the 
conservation and management of marine fishery resources. Much of this 
responsibility has been delegated to the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NMFS). Under this stewardship role, the Secretary was given certain 
regulatory authorities to ensure the most beneficial uses of these 
resources. One of the regulatory steps taken to carry out the 
conservation and management objectives is to collect data from users of 
the resource. Thus, as regional Fishery Management Councils develop 
specific Fishery Management Plans (FMP), the Secretary has promulgated 
rules for the issuance and use of a vessel Interactive Voice Response 
(IVR) system, a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and vessel logbooks to 
obtain fishery-dependent data to monitor, evaluate, and enforce fishery 
regulations.
    Fishing vessels permitted to participate in federally-permitted 
fisheries in the Northeast are required to submit logbooks containing 
catch and effort information, about their fishing trips. Participants 
in the herring, tilefish and red crab fisheries are also required to 
make weekly reports on their catch through IVR. In addition, permitted 
vessels that catch halibut are asked to voluntarily provide additional 
information on the estimated size of the fish and the time of day 
caught. The information submitted is needed for the management of the 
fisheries.
    NE multispecies permit holders participating in the special access 
programs (SAP), the Category B (regular) Days-at-Sea (DAS) program, and 
fishing in the United States/Canada Resource Sharing Understanding Area 
are required to use VMS to electronically

[[Page 25703]]

submit reports of catch and discards for all trips. The submitted 
information is necessary to monitor groundfish stocks of concern and 
prevent overfishing.

II. Method of Collection

    Most information is submitted on paper forms, although electronic 
means may be arranged. In the herring, tilefish and red crab fisheries 
vessel owners or operators must provide weekly catch information to an 
IVR system. In the NE Multispecies fishery, vessel owners or operators 
must declare catch and discards of groundfish species of concern 
through VMS for all trips.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0212.
    Form Number: NOAA Forms 88-30 and 88-40.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business and other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,346.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes per Fishing Vessel Trip 
Report page (FVTR); 12.5 minutes per response for the Shellfish Log; 4 
minutes for a herring or red crab report to the IVR system; 2 minutes 
for a tilefish report to the IVR system; 30 seconds for voluntary 
additional halibut information; and 15 minutes to report catch and 
discards of groundfish stocks of concern through VMS.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,029.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $111,723.

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 Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval of this information collection; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Dated: May 26, 2009.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-12499 Filed 5-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P