[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 41452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17700]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    Title: Socio-Economic Surveys of Vessel (SESV) Owners and Crew in 
New England and Mid-Atlantic Fisheries.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (request for a new information 
collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,400.
    Average Hours per Response: 30 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 700.
    Needs and Uses: The purpose of this survey is to provide for the 
ongoing collection of social and economic data related to fisheries and 
their communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. These data 
are needed to support fishery performance measures recently developed 
by NOAA's Northeast Science Center's Social Science Branch (SSB) in 
Woods Hole, MA. The measures are: financial viability, distributional 
outcomes, stewardship, governance and well-being. Data to support some 
indicators for these measures are already routinely collected by 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). This survey will fill in the 
gaps, and allow the SBB to collect trend data needed for more thorough 
analysis of changes in the fisheries, including impacts from changes in 
regulations. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), as 
amended, both contain requirements for considering the social and 
economic impacts of fishery management decisions. Currently, however, 
no data exist that allow for tracking the social impacts of fishery 
management policy and decisions over time in the Northeast and Mid-
Atlantic states, and insufficient economic trend data are available. In 
implementing policies and management programs, and in meeting the 
social and economic impact assessment requirements of NEPA and MSA, 
there is a need to understand how such policies and programs will 
affect the social and economic characteristics of those involved in the 
commercial fishing industry. Under this survey, the SSB intends to 
collect socio-economic data from vessel owners, permit holders, hired 
captains, and crew involved in commercial fishing in New England and 
the Mid-Atlantic states. Data to be collected include information on 
crew, wage calculation systems, individual and community well-being, 
fishing practices, job satisfaction, job opportunities, and attitudes 
toward fisheries management. SSB intends to collect these data on an 
ongoing (e.g., annually or biennially) basis in order to track how 
socio-economic characteristics of fisheries are changing over time and 
to track the impact of fishery policies and management programs 
implemented in New England and the Mid-Atlantic.
    NMFS is aware of a survey begun by the University of Rhode Island 
(URI) in 2009/2010 in New England under a grant from the Commercial 
Fisheries Research Foundation, that seeks Paperwork Reduction Act 
clearance for a follow-up in the Mid-Atlantic in summer 2011 under NOAA 
funding (Social Impacts of the Implementation of Catch Shares Programs 
in the Mid-Atlantic, OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx). The current request 
has learned from some elements of the URI and follow-on survey. 
However, this request (1) Is focused on fisheries management in general 
while the earlier study is focused solely on catch shares, (2) is an 
ongoing survey rather than a one-time effort, and (3) specifically 
targets performance indicators for which data are not currently being 
collected.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations, 
individuals or households.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: [email protected].
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected].

    Dated: July 11, 2011.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-17700 Filed 7-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P