[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 203 (Wednesday, October 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63748-63749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26760]


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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: Northeast Multispecies Amendment 16.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0605.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular (revision and extension of a currently 
approved information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,482.
    Average Hours 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

[[Page 63749]]

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, 5min/
response; Expedited Submission of Proposed SAPs, 20 hr/response; NAFO 
Reporting Requirements, 10 min/response.
    Burden Hours: 38,812.
    Needs and Uses: 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.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Annually, on occasion, weekly, daily and as requested.
    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: October 16, 2015.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-26760 Filed 10-20-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P