[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 48 (Tuesday, March 12, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15705-15706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05564]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; American 
Fisheries Act (AFA): 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 May 13, 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 Patsy A. Bearden, (907) 586-7008 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    In response to the American Fisheries Act (AFA), NMFS developed a 
management program for Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area 
(BSAI) pollock to include a set of AFA permanent permits for AFA 
catcher/processors, AFA catcher vessels, AFA inshore processors, and 
AFA motherships. All vessels and processors participating in the non-
Community Development Quota (CDQ) BSAI pollock fishery are required to 
have valid AFA permits on board the vessel or on site at the processing 
plant.
    With the exceptions of the inshore vessel cooperatives, replacement 
vessel, and inshore vessel contract fishing applications, the AFA 
permit program had a one-time application deadline of December 1, 2000. 
All permitted participants in the AFA pollock fishery are already 
established and are issued with an indefinite expiration date.
    This information collection was previously revised to include a new 
program, the Chinook Salmon Prohibited Species Catch Program (Chinook 
PSC Program). The Chinook PSC Program was established to promote 
reduction of Chinook salmon PSC in the Bering Sea pollock fishery to 
the extent practicable while achieving optimum yield in the pollock 
fishery. A PSC limit of Chinook salmon was established for the pollock 
industry participants in an industry-developed contractual arrangement, 
called an incentive plan agreement (IPA) that establishes an incentive 
program to minimize bycatch at all levels of Chinook salmon abundance. 
NMFS issues transferable Chinook salmon PSC allocations to eligible 
entities representing the catcher/processor sector, the mothership 
sector, inshore cooperatives, and Community Development Quota (CDQ) 
groups. Transferable allocations provide the pollock fleet the 
flexibility to maximize the harvest of pollock while maintaining 
Chinook salmon bycatch at or below the PSC limit.
    It is also proposed that the title of this collection will be 
changed from American Fisheries Act: Vessel and Processor Permit 
Applications to American Fisheries Act (AFA): Permits.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents have a choice of either electronic or paper forms. 
Methods of submittal include online data entry, email of electronic 
forms, and mail and facsimile transmission of paper forms.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0393.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a currently 
approved collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 61.
    Estimated Time per Response: Application for Approval as an Entity 
Eligible to Receive Transferable Chinook Salmon PSC Allocations, 8 
hours; Application for Transfer of Bering Sea Chinook Salmon PSC 
Allocation, 8 hours; Application for Incentive Plan Agreement (IPA) and 
List of IPA participants, 30 minutes; Application for AFA Permit for 
Replacement Vessel, 1 hour; Application for AFA Inshore Catcher Vessel 
Cooperative Permit, 2 hours; and Contract Fishing by Non-Member 
Vessels, 4 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 181.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $124 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

[[Page 15706]]

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: March 6, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-05564 Filed 3-11-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P