[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 105 (Monday, June 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31296-31297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12668]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Gulf of Alaska 
Ecosystem Indicator Selection

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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 August 1, 2014.

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 Stephani Zador, (206) 526-4693) or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for a new information collection.
    The goal of this project is to select a short (8-10) list of 
ecosystem indicators for the Gulf of Alaska that will form the basis of 
a Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Report Card and Ecosystem Assessment to include 
in the NOAA's Ecosystem Considerations report. This report is produced 
annually as part of the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation report 
for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The format of the new 
GOA Report Card and Ecosystem Assessment will be similar to those that 
have been produced in recent years for the eastern Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands.
    The primary recipients, considered to be the stakeholders, of the 
Report Card and Ecosystem Assessment are those involved with the 
fishery quota-setting process for the North Pacific Fisheries 
Management Council. This includes the Science and Statistical Committee 
and the regional Plan Teams, which of are composed of mainly federal 
and state scientists, academics, and other individuals. Additional 
recipients include the Advisory Panel, Council, and stock assessment 
scientists. The Report Card and Ecosystem Assessment are also made 
available to the public.
    For the purposes of this project, ecosystem indicators are defined 
as time-series of data that measure some component of the ecosystem. 
Hundreds of indicators are available for the GOA, which is defined as 
the Canadian-US boundary at Dixon Entrance to the east and False Pass 
to the west. During a workshop in 2010, a group of largely scientists 
and some fisheries managers with expertise in the eastern Bering Sea 
ecosystem selected 10 indicators to best represent trends in 
productivity in the eastern Bering Sea. In 2011, a more diverse group 
including a commercial fisherman and conservation non-governmental 
organization representative met in a similar workshop format to select 
8 ecosystem indicators for the Aleutian Islands that best characterized 
trends in variability throughout the ecosystem. For the GOA, we hope to 
increase the group size and diversity in GOA expertise of the 
participants in the indicator selection process by soliciting 
information individually via an online survey. The main objective of 
the survey is to have participants rank the importance of ecosystem 
indicators among lists of indicators that are presented; the surveys 
will then be compiled to generate a list of top indicators. We have 
developed a non-exhaustive list of about 75 ecosystem indicators that 
are grouped by categories based on ecosystem components, such as forage 
fish or seabirds. Participants will be asked to select the top three 
within each category, then the top ten among all categories. Space is 
provided for suggestions of additional indicators not included. We will 
use these rankings to form the basis of a new GOA report card and 
ecosystem assessment. We hope that by surveying a greater number of 
individuals than were involved with indicator selection for the eastern 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the survey results will reflect 
broader expertise and an `equal voice' from all participants.
    The GOA is characterized by topographical complexity, including: 
Islands; deep sea mounts; continental shelf interrupted by large 
gullies; and varied and massive coastline features such as the Cook 
Inlet, Prince William Sound, Copper River, and Cross Sound, which bring 
both freshwater and nutrients into the GOA. The topographical 
complexity leads to ecological complexity, such that species richness 
and diversity differ from the western to eastern GOA. Thus, local 
effects of ecosystem drivers may swamp basin-wide signals. With this in 
mind, we hope to create a short list of ecosystem indicators that best 
reflect the complexity of the GOA.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents will be asked to fill out an online survey.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-xxxx.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (request for a new information 
collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; non-profit 
institutions; State, local, or tribal government; business or other 
for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 100.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 50.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

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

[[Page 31297]]

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: May 28, 2014.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-12668 Filed 5-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P