[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6071-6072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01744]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northwest 
Region Federal Fisheries Permits

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 April 1, 2013.

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 Kevin Ford, (206) 526-6115 or email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for a revision and extension of a currently 
approved information collection.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1801) provides that the 
Secretary of Commerce is responsible for the conservation and 
management of marine fisheries resources in Exclusive Economic Zone (3-
200 miles) of the United States (U.S.). NOAA Fisheries, Northwest 
Region manages the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery in the Exclusive 
Economic Zone (EEZ) off Washington, Oregon, and California under the 
Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. The regulations 
implementing the Pacific Groundfish Fishery require that those 
individuals participating in the limited entry fishery have a valid 
limited entry permit. Participation in the fishery and access to a 
limited entry permit has been restricted to control the overall harvest 
capacity.
    NOAA Fisheries seeks comment on the extension of permit information 
collections required for: (1) Renewal and transfer of Pacific Coast 
Groundfish limited entry permits; (2) implementation of certain 
provisions of the sablefish permit stacking program as provided for at 
50 CFR 660.231 and 660.25; and (3) issuing and fulfilling the terms and 
conditions of certain exempted fishing permits (EFPs).
    Each year permit owners are required to renew their permits by 
reviewing their current permit information, providing updated address 
and contact information as necessary and certifying that the permit 
information is correct. In addition, certain permit owners are required 
to respond to specific questions related to their participation in the 
fishery. Similarly, a permit owner is required to request changes in a 
vessel registered to the permit and/or changes in the permit owner or 
vessel owner. Additional information may be requested from the permit 
owner to determine compliance with groundfish regulations. The 
regulations implementing the limited entry program are found at 50 CFR 
Part 660, Subpart G.
    Also, NOAA Fisheries requires an information collection to 
implement certain aspects of the sablefish permit stacking program 
which prevents excessive fleet consolidation. As part of the annual 
renewal process, NOAA Fisheries requires a corporation or partnership 
that owns or holds (as vessel owner) a sablefish endorsed permit to 
provide a complete ownership interest form listing all individuals with 
ownership interest in the entity. Similarly, any sablefish endorsed 
permit transfer involving registration of a business entity requires an 
ownership interest form. This information is used to determine if 
individuals own or hold sablefish permits in excess of the limit of 3 
permits. Also, for transfer requests made during the sablefish primary 
season (April 1st through October 31st), the permit owner is required 
to report the remaining tier pounds not yet harvested on the sablefish 
endorsed permit at the time of transfer.
    Applicants for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) must submit written 
information that allows NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery 
Management Council to evaluate the proposed exempted fishing project 
activities and weigh the benefits and costs of the proposed activities. 
The Council makes a recommendation on each EFP application and for 
successful applicants, NOAA Fisheries issues the EFPs which contains 
terms and conditions for the project including various reporting 
requirements. The information included in an application is specified 
at 50 CFR 600.745(b)(2) and the Council Operating Procedure 
19. Permit holders are required to file preseason harvest 
plans, interim and/or final summary reports on the results of the 
project and in some cases individual vessels and other permit holders 
are required to provide data reports (logbooks and/or catch reports). 
There is also a requirement of vessel owners/operator to make a call-in 
notification prior to the fishing trip under an EFP. The results of 
EFPs are commonly used to explore ways to reduce effort on depressed 
stocks, encourage innovation and efficiency in the fishery, provide 
access to constrained stocks which directly measuring the bycatch 
associated with such strategies and evaluate/revise current and 
proposed management measures.
    The currently approved application and reporting requirements are 
being revised in minor ways. Tentatively, the National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS) anticipates adding a mandatory question to the renewal 
form to determine if a permit owner registered to a permit is 
considered a small

[[Page 6072]]

business as defined by the Small Business Act. This information assists 
regional staff in preparing initial and final regulatory flexibility 
analyses (IRFA/FRFA) analyses required as part of various rulemakings.
    In addition, NMFS anticipates making a minor change to the 
certification statement on the ownership interest, transfer and renewal 
forms to be consistent with other certification statements given on 
other forms. Specifically, the certification statement will include a 
clause that the individual making the certification (signing the form) 
is authorized to do so.

II. Method of Collection

    Renewal forms are mailed to all permit owners and they may respond 
by mail or request access from NOAA Fisheries (user ID and password) to 
renew using the online permit renewal system. Ownership interest forms 
and permit transfer forms are available from the region's Web site but 
must be submitted to NOAA Fisheries by mail or in person. Applications 
for an exempted fishing permit must be submitted in a written format. 
The exempted fishing permit data reports may be submitted in person, 
faxed, submitted by telephone or emailed by the monitor, plant manager, 
vessel owner or operator to NOAA Fisheries or the states of Washington, 
Oregon, or California.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0203.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (revision and extension of a 
currently approved collection).
    Affected Public: Non-profit institutions, State, local, or tribal 
government; business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 516.
    Estimated Time per Response: Permit renewals, 20 minutes; Permit 
transfers, 30 minutes; Sablefish ownership interest form, 30 minutes ; 
EFP Applications, 32 hours; EFP Trip Notifications 2 minutes; EFP 
Harvest Plans: 16 hours; EFP Data Reports: Logbook, 2 hours; bi-weekly 
catch report, 30 minutes; EFP Summary Reports: Interim report, 8 hours; 
final report, 40 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,819 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $55,118.

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: January 23, 2013.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-01744 Filed 1-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P