[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3131-3132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01072]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Highly 
Migratory Species Dealer Reporting Family of Forms

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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 March 26, 2018.

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 Dianne Stephan, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species 
Management Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great 
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930, (978) 281-9260 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Under the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for management of the Nation's 
marine fisheries. NMFS must also promulgate regulations, as necessary 
and appropriate, to carry out obligations the United States (U.S.) 
undertakes internationally regarding tuna management through the 
Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA, 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.).
    This collection serves as a family of forms for Atlantic highly 
migratory species (HMS) dealer reporting, including purchases of HMS 
from domestic fishermen, and the import, export, and/or re-export of 
HMS, including federally managed tunas, sharks, and swordfish.
    Transactions covered under this collection include purchases of 
Atlantic HMS from domestic fishermen; and the import/export of all 
bluefin tuna, frozen bigeye tuna, southern bluefin tuna or swordfish 
under the HMS International Trade Program, regardless of geographic 
area of origin. This information is used to monitor the harvest of 
domestic fisheries, and/or track international trade of internationally 
managed species.
    The domestic dealer reporting covered by this collection includes 
weekly electronic landing reports and negative reports (i.e., reports 
of no activity) of Atlantic swordfish, sharks, bigeye tuna, albacore, 
yellowfin, and skipjack tunas (collectively referred to as BAYS tunas), 
and biweekly and electronic daily landing reports for bluefin tuna, 
including tagging of individual fish. Because of the recent development 
of an individual bluefin quota (IBQ) management system (RIN 0648-BC09), 
electronic entry of IBQ-related landing data is required for Atlantic 
bluefin tuna purchased from Longline and Purse seine category vessels. 
NMFS intends to consider integrating the electronic dealer reporting 
for bluefin tuna and electronic reporting for the IBQ system; however, 
at this time, dealers must submit limited bluefin tuna landings data to 
both NMFS systems for purse seine and pelagic longline vessels.
    International trade tracking programs are required by both the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 
and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) to account for 
all international trade of covered species. The U.S. is a member of 
ICCAT and IATTC and required by ATCA and the Tunas Convention Act (16 
U.S.C. 951 et. seq., consecutively) to promulgate regulations as 
necessary and appropriate to implement ICCAT and IATTC recommendations. 
These programs require that a statistical document or catch document 
accompany each export from and import to a member nation, and that a 
re-export certificate accompany each re-export. The international trade 
reporting requirements covered by this collection include 
implementation of catch document, statistical document, and re-export 
certificate trade tracking programs for bluefin tuna, frozen bigeye 
tuna, and swordfish. An electronic catch document program for bluefin 
tuna (EBCD) was recommended by ICCAT and implemented by the United 
States in 2016 (0648-BF17). U.S. regulations implementing ICCAT 
statistical document and catch document programs require statistical 
documents and catch documents for international transactions of the 
covered species from all ocean areas, so Pacific imports and exports 
must also be accompanied by statistical documents and catch documents. 
Since there are statistical document programs in place under other 
international conventions (e.g., the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission), a 
statistical document or catch document from another program may be used 
to satisfy the statistical document requirement for imports into the 
United States.
    Dealers who internationally trade Southern bluefin tuna are 
required to participate in a trade tracking program to ensure that 
imported Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna will not be intentionally 
mislabeled as ``southern bluefin'' to circumvent reporting 
requirements. This action is authorized under ATCA, which provides for 
the promulgation of regulations as may be necessary and appropriate to 
carry out ICCAT recommendations.

[[Page 3132]]

    In addition to statistical document, catch document, and re-export 
certificate requirements, this collection includes biweekly reports to 
complement trade tracking statistical documents by summarizing 
statistical document data and collecting additional economic 
information.

II. Method of Collection

    Methods of submission include electronic, mail, fax, and tagging of 
fish.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0040.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (request for extension of a 
currently approved information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 9,585.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes each for catch document, 
statistical document, and re-export certificate; 15 minutes for catch 
document/statistical document/re-export certificate validation by 
government official; 120 minutes for authorization of non-governmental 
catch document/statistical document/re-export certificate validation; 2 
minutes for daily Atlantic bluefin tuna landing reports; 3 minutes for 
daily Atlantic bluefin tuna landing reports from pelagic longline and 
purse seine vessels; 1 minute for Atlantic bluefin tuna tagging; 15 
minutes for biweekly Atlantic bluefin tuna dealer landing reports; 15 
minutes for HMS international trade biweekly reports; 15 minutes for 
weekly electronic HMS dealer landing reports (e-dealer); 5 minutes for 
negative weekly electronic HMS dealer landing reports (e-dealer); 15 
minutes for voluntary fishing vessel and catch forms; 2 minutes for 
provision of HMS dealer email address.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 39,961.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $12,570 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: January 17, 2018.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-01072 Filed 1-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P