[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73382-73383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25733]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Atlantic 
Herring Amendment 5 Data Collection

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 December 27, 
2016.

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 Daniel Luers, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries 
Office, 55 Great Republic Dr., Gloucester, MA 01930, (978) 282-8457, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of a current information collection. 
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the 
Secretary of Commerce has the responsibility for the conservation and 
management of marine fishery resources. Much of this responsibility has 
been delegated to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 
Under this stewardship role, the Secretary was given certain regulatory 
authorities to ensure the most beneficial uses of these resources. One 
of the regulatory steps taken to carry out the conservation and 
management objectives is to collect information from users of the 
resources.
    Data collection for Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery 
Management Plan requires renewal of Category E permits for limited 
access herring permit holders. This collection also requires herring 
carrier vessels that sell herring (rather than deliver those fish on 
behalf of a dealer for purchase) to obtain or maintain an At-Sea 
Atlantic Herring Dealer Permit. Vessels that have both an At-Sea 
Atlantic Herring Dealer Permit and a Federal fishing permit are 
required to fulfill the reporting requirements of both permits as 
appropriate.
    This collection has several vessel monitoring system (VMS) and 
vessel trip reporting (VTR) components. Category E vessels must submit 
daily VMS reports, weekly VTRs, and maintain a VMS unit on their 
vessels and declare intent to target Atlantic herring via VMS. This 
collection allows a vessel that opts to enroll as a herring carrier to 
do so via VMS rather than obtaining a letter of authorization (LOA). By 
declaring a herring trip via VMS, a vessel is exempt from daily VMS 
catch reporting, and is not bound by the 7-day enrollment period 
required by the herring carrier LOA. Vessels with limited access 
herring permits, Category E permits, and vessels declaring herring 
carrier trips via VMS also must give a pre-landing notification to the 
NMFS Office of Law Enforcement via VMS. In addition, vessels are 
prohibited from turning off VMS units while in port. A vessel 
representative must request a letter of exemption (LOE) from NMFS to 
turn off its VMS if that vessel will be out of the water for more than 
72 hours. A vessel owner is able to sign a herring vessel out of the 
VMS program for a minimum of 30 days by requesting and obtaining an LOE 
from NMFS. A vessel is not able to leave the dock unless the VMS unit 
is turned back on.
    This collection also requires that vessels with limited access 
herring permits, vessels with open access Category D permits that are 
fishing with midwater trawl gear in Areas 1A, 1B, and/or 3, vessels 
with open access category E permits, and herring carrier vessels 
contact NMFS at least 48 hours in advance of fishing to request an 
observer. Vessels currently contact NMFS via phone, and selection 
notices or waivers are issued by NMFS via VMS. Vessels with limited 
access herring permits, Category E permits, and vessels declaring 
herring carrier trips via VMS must notify NMFS via VMS of their intent 
to participate in the herring fishery prior to leaving port on each 
trip by entering the appropriate activity and gear codes in order to 
harvest, possess, or land herring on that trip.
    Additionally, this collection requires vessels issued limited 
access permits working cooperatively in the herring fishery to provide 
NMFS-approved observers with the estimated weight of each species 
brought on board or released on each tow.
    Finally, this collection requires that all herring vessels (i.e. 
any area throughout the EEZ, any gear type) bring all catch aboard the 
vessel and make it available for sampling by an observer. If catch is 
not made available to an observer before discard, that catch is defined 
as slippage, and the vessel operator must complete a ``Released Catch 
Affidavit'' form within 48 hours of the end of the fishing trip which 
details why catch was slipped, estimates the quantity and species 
composition of the slipped catch, and records the time and location of 
the slipped catch.

II. Method of Collection

    Information is collection on paper forms, by telephone, or 
electronically.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0674.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular (extension of a current information 
collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
individual or households, state, local, or tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 16,065.

[[Page 73383]]

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,231.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $46,877 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.
    Estimated Time per Response: Category E permit renewal, 1 minute; 
At-Sea Herring Dealer Permit renewal, 5 minutes; weekly dealer reports, 
15 minutes; VMS activity declarations, 5 minutes; VMS power-down 
exemption letter, 5 minutes; VMS pre-landing notification and gear 
declaration, 5 minutes; catch reports and vessel trip reports, 5 
minutes; request for an observer prior to a trip, 5 minutes; 
cancellation of trip, 1 minute; estimate of catch/discard provision, 1 
minute; documentation of slippage, 5 minutes.

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: October 20, 2016.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-25733 Filed 10-24-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P