[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29634-29635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12461]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Northeast 
Multispecies Amendment 16N

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 July 21, 2015.

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 Aja Szumylo, (978) 281-9195 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for revision and extension of a current information 
collection. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (MSA), the Secretary of Commerce has the responsibility 
for the conservation and management of marine fishery resources. We, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Regional Fishery Management 
Councils are delegated the majority of this responsibility. The New 
England Fishery Management Council (Council) develops management plans 
for fishery resources in New England.
    In 2010, we implemented a new suite of regulations for the 
Northeast (NE) multispecies fishery through Amendment 16 to the 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (Amendment 16). This action 
updated status determination criteria for all regulated NE multispecies 
or ocean pout stocks; adopted rebuilding programs for NE multispecies 
stocks newly classified as being overfished and subject to overfishing; 
revised management measures, including significant revisions to the 
sector management measures, necessary to end overfishing, rebuild 
overfished regulated NE multispecies and ocean pout stocks, and 
mitigate the adverse economic impacts of increased effort controls. It 
also implemented new requirements under Amendment 16 for establishing 
acceptable biological catch (ABC), annual catch limits (ACLs), and 
accountability measures (AMs) for each stock managed under the FMP, 
pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

Revisions

    This revision incorporates a number of recent changes related to 
regulatory actions. Framework Adjustment 48 to the FMP (78 FR 26118; 
May 3, 2013) proposed to exempt sector vessels targeting monkfish from 
the additional at-sea monitoring coverage necessary to monitor 
groundfish catch. This measure was intended to allocate limited at-sea 
monitoring resources to monitor those trips that catch the most 
groundfish. To implement this measure, NMFS added a question to both 
the pre-trip notification and Northeast Fisheries Observer Program 
notification to allow fishermen to indicate what fishery they intend to 
participate in. This change allowed NMFS to identify trips that may 
qualify for this exemption, in order to deploy observers and at-sea 
monitors appropriately to achieve the coverage levels required by the 
FMP. Framework 48 also eliminated the dockside monitoring program 
established under Amendment 16 because NMFS determined dealer reporting 
combined with dockside intercepts by enforcement personnel are 
sufficient to ensure reliable landings data. Elimination of the 
dockside monitoring program was not included in the applicable non-
substantive change request and thus this change will be included in the 
revision/extension.
    As part of Framework Adjustment 53 to the FMP (80 FR 25110; May 1, 
2015), NMFS implemented a requirement that vessels that declare trips 
into the Gulf of Maine Broad Stock Area and any other broad stock area 
(i.e., Georges Bank or Southern New England) on the same trip submit a 
daily catch report via vessel monitoring system (VMS). We determined 
the daily VMS trip reports were necessary to ensure accurate 
apportionment of catch and help enforcement efforts. This requirement 
was approved temporarily through emergency PRA approval. We are 
proposing to permanently adjust this information collection to include 
this reporting requirement.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents must submit either paper forms via postal service, or 
electronic forms submitted via the internet or a vessels' vessel 
monitoring system (VMS).

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0605.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (revision and extension of a 
current information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or for-profit organizations.

[[Page 29635]]

    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,482.
    Estimated Time per Response: Sector operations plan and associated 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis, 640 hr/response; 
Monitoring service provider initial application, 10 hr/response; 
Monitoring service provider response to application disapproval, 10 hr/
response; Data entry for sector discard monitoring system, 3 min/
response; Sector weekly catch report, 4 hr/response; Sector annual 
report, 12 hr/response; Notification of expulsion from a sector, 30 
min/response; Request to transfer Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE), 5 
min/response; VMS certification form, 10 min/response; VMS confirmation 
call, 5 min/response; VMS area and DAS declaration, 5 min/response; VMS 
trip-level catch report; VMS daily catch reports when fishing in 
multiple broad stock areas, 15 min/response; Daily VMS catch reports 
when fishing in the U.S./Canada Management Area and CA II SAPs, 15 min/
response; Daily VMS catch reports when fishing in the CA I Hook Gear 
Haddock SAP, 15 min/response; Daily VMS catch reports when fishing in 
the Regular B DAS Program, 15 min/response; Pre-trip hail report, 2 
min/response; Trip-end hail report, 15 min/response; Forward trip 
start/end hails to NMFS, 2 min/response; ASM Pre-Trip Notification, 2 
min/response; Vessel notification of selection for at-sea monitoring 
coverage, 5 min/response; at-sea monitor deployment report, 10 min/
response; at-sea monitoring service provider catch report to NMFS upon 
request, 5 min/response; at-sea monitor report of harassment and other 
issues, 30 min/response; at-sea monitoring service provider contract 
upon request, 30 min/response; at-sea monitoring service provider 
information materials upon request, 30 min/response; OLE debriefing of 
at-sea monitors, 2 hr/response; ASM Database and Data Entry 
Requirements, 3 min/response; Observer program pre-trip notification, 2 
min/response; DAS Transfer Program, 5 min/response; Expedited 
Submission of Proposed SAPs, 20 hr/response; NAFO Reporting 
Requirements, 10 min/response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 81,126.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $ 4,298,000 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 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 19, 2015.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-12461 Filed 5-21-15; 8:45 am]
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