[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 56 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 16809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6868]


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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: Northeast Region Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Individual 
Transfer Quota (ITQ) Administration.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0240.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 170.
    Average Hours per Response: Application to shuck at sea, 30 
minutes; individual transferable quota (ITQ) allocation or cage tag 
transfer, 5 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 33.
    Needs and Uses: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Northeast 
Region manages the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries of the 
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Northeastern United States through 
the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP). 
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council prepared the FMP pursuant 
to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act). The regulations implementing the FMP are 
specified at 50 CFR part 648.70.
    The recordkeeping and reporting requirements at Sec.  648.74 and 
Sec.  648.75 form the basis for this collection of information. NMFS 
Northeast Region requests information from Atlantic surfclam and ocean 
quahog ITQ allocation holders in order to process and track requests 
from the allocation holders to transfer quota allocation to another 
entity. The region also requests information from Atlantic surfclam and 
ocean quahog permit holders in order to track and properly account for 
Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog harvest that is shucked at sea. 
Because there is not a standard conversion factor for estimating 
unshucked product from shucked product, NMFS requires vessels that 
choose to shuck product at sea to carry on board the vessel a NMFS-
approved observer to certify the amount of Atlantic surfclam and ocean 
quahog harvested. This information, upon receipt, results in an 
increasingly more efficient and accurate database for management and 
monitoring of fisheries of the Northeastern U.S. EEZ.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    OMB Desk Officer: [email protected].
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0336, 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: March 16, 2012.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-6868 Filed 3-21-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P