[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 155 (Friday, August 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 47815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-19683]


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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: Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0590.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (revision and extension of a 
current information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 12.
    Average Hours per Response: Permit applications, 30 minutes; 
renewals, 15 minutes; quota transfers and ownership interest 
declarations, 5 minutes; fee cost recovery, 2 hours.
    Burden Hours: 49.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for revision and extension of a 
current information collection.
    National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Northeast Region manages 
the tilefish fishery of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the 
Northeastern United States, through the Tilefish Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP). The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council prepared the 
FMP pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (MSA). The regulations implementing the FMP are 
specified at 50 CFR part 648 Subpart N.
    The recordkeeping and reporting requirements at Sec.  648.294 form 
the basis for this collection of information. NMFS requests information 
from tilefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) permit holders in order to 
process applications to ensure that IFQ allocation owners are provided 
a statement of their annual catch quota, and for enforcement purposes, 
to ensure vessels are not exceeding an individual quota allocation. In 
conjunction with the application, NMFS also collects IFQ share 
accumulation information to ensure that an IFQ limited access privilege 
holder does not acquire an excessive share of the total limited access 
privileges, as required by section 303A(c)(5)(D) of the MSA.
    NMFS requests transfer application information to process and track 
requests from allocation holders to transfer quota allocation 
(permanent and temporary) to another entity. NMFS also collects 
information for cost recovery purposes as required under the MSA to 
collect fees to recover the costs directly related to management, data 
collection and analysis, and enforcement of IFQ programs. Lastly, NMFS 
collects landings information to ensure that the amounts of tilefish 
landed and ex-vessel prices are properly recorded for quota monitoring 
purposes and the calculation of IFQ fees, respectively. Having this 
information results in an increasingly more efficient and accurate 
database for management and monitoring of fisheries of the Northeastern 
U.S. EEZ.
    Revision: permit application appeals are no longer applicable as 
the fishery is closed to new applicants.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually and on occasion.
    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: August 7, 2012.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-19683 Filed 8-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P