[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5503-5504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01894]


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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: Alaska Pacific Halibut and Sablefish Fisheries: Individual 
Fishing Quota (IFQ).
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0272.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular (revision and extension of a currently 
approved information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,639.
    Average Hours Per Response: Application for Eligibility to receive 
QS/IFQ (TEC) and QS holder form, Application for Transfer of QS/IFQ to 
or from a CQE, Application for Transfer of QS/IFQ (includes sweep-up); 
Application for Military Transfer, Application for Emergency Medical 
Transfer; 2 hours each; Identification of Ownership Interest, 
Application for IFQ/CDQ Hired Master Permit, Application for Registered 
Buyer permit and QS/IFQ Designated Beneficiary Form, Application for 
replacement of certificates, permits, or licenses, 30 minutes each; 18 
minutes for Registered Buyer landing report; 6 minutes for IFQ 
Administrative Waiver; 12 minutes each for Prior Notice of Landing 
(PNOL); 15 minutes for IFQ Departure Report and Transshipment 
Authorization; and 6 minutes for Dockside Sales Receipt.
    Burden Hours: 3,112.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for revision and extension of a 
currently approved information collection. Forms that are no longer 
applicable have been removed.
    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) established the 
Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs) Program to improve the long-term 
productivity of the sablefish and Pacific halibut fisheries by further 
promoting the conservation and management objectives of the Magnuson-
Stevens Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended in 2006 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) (with respect to sablefish) and the Northern 
Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (with respect to Pacific halibut) while 
retaining the character and distribution of the fishing fleets as much 
as possible. The IFQ Program includes several provisions, such as 
ownership caps and vessel use caps that protect small producers, part-
time participants, and entry-level participants that otherwise could be 
adversely affected by excessive consolidation.
    The IFQ Program also includes other restrictions to prevent the 
halibut and sablefish fisheries from domination by large boats or by 
any particular vessel class. NMFS designed the requirements to maintain 
a predominantly owner-operated fishery, which was a key characteristic 
of the halibut and sablefish fisheries prior to the implementation of 
the IFQ Program. The IFQ Program provides each fisherman an IFQ that 
can be used any time during the open season to allow each fisherman to 
set his/her own pace and fishing effort.
    Under the IFQ Program, quota share (QS) represents a harvesting 
privilege for a person. Annually, NMFS issues

[[Page 5504]]

IFQ to QS holders to harvest specified poundage. The specific amount of 
IFQ held by a person is determined by the number of QS units held, the 
total number of QS units issued in a specific regulatory area, and the 
total pounds of sablefish or halibut allocated for the IFQ fisheries in 
a particular year. Fishermen may harvest the IFQ over the entire 
fishing season, which extends approximately from March through November 
15.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
individuals or households; not for profit institutions.
    Frequency: Annually and on occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

    Dated: January 28, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01894 Filed 1-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P