[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 8, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47370-47371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-19414]


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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).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing

[[Page 47371]]

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 October 9, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 Lindsey Feldman, (978) 675-2179 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for a revision and extension of a currently 
approved information collection.
    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 
(VTR) 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. Permitted 
vessels that catch halibut are also asked to voluntarily provide 
additional information on the estimated size of the fish and the time 
of day caught through vessel logbooks. Participants in the herring, 
tilefish, and red crab fisheries are also required to make weekly 
reports on their catch through IVR. In addition, vessels fishing under 
a days-at sea (DAS) management system can use the IVR system to request 
a DAS credit when they have canceled a trip for unforeseen 
circumstances. The information submitted is needed for the management 
of the fisheries.
    This revision/renewal removes the VMS requirement for Northeast 
multispecies permit holders participating in the special access 
programs (SAPs), the Category B (regular) Days-at-Sea (DAS) program, 
and fishing in the United States/Canada Resource Sharing Understanding 
Area to avoid duplication, as this information collection is approved 
under another collection (0648-0605).

II. Method of Collection

    Most information is submitted on paper forms, although electronic 
means may be arranged. Vessels are permitted to submit `did not fish' 
vessel logbooks electronically through their Fish-On-Line accounts. In 
addition, some vessels are participating in a pilot electronic vessel 
trip reporting system (EVTR). 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 (revision and extension of a 
current information collection).
    Affected Public: Business and other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 4,721.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes per Fishing Vessel Trip 
Report (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 5 minutes for each DAS credit 
request.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,227.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $75,814.

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: August 3, 2012.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-19414 Filed 8-7-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P