[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 70 (Monday, April 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19638-19639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08353]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


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: West Coast Region Vessel Identification Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0355.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular (extension of a currently approved 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,125.
    Average Hours Per Response: 45 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 169.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for extension of a currently 
approved information collection.
    The success of fisheries management programs depends significantly 
on regulatory compliance. The vessel identification requirement is 
essential to facilitate enforcement. The ability to link fishing (or 
other activity) to the vessel owner or operator is crucial to 
enforcement of regulations issued under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. A vessel's official 
number is required to be displayed on the port and starboard sides of 
the deckhouse or hull, and on a weather deck. It identifies each vessel 
and should be visible at distances

[[Page 19639]]

at sea and in the air. Law enforcement personnel rely on vessel marking 
information to assure compliance with fisheries management regulations. 
Vessels that qualify for particular fisheries are also readily 
identified, and this allows for more cost-effective enforcement. 
Cooperating fishermen also use the vessel numbers to report suspicious 
or non-compliant activities that they observe in unauthorized areas. 
The identifying number on fishing vessels is used by the National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), 
and other marine agencies in issuing regulations, prosecutions, and 
other enforcement actions necessary to support sustainable fisheries 
behaviors as intended in regulations. Regulation-compliant fishermen 
ultimately benefit from these requirements, as unauthorized and illegal 
fishing is deterred and more burdensome regulations are avoided.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Every 5 years.
    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: April 7, 2015.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-08353 Filed 4-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P