[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50645-50646]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-21522]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region 
Amendment 80 Permits and Reports

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 10, 
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 Stephanie Warpinski, 907-586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Amendment 80 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area allocates several 
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area non-pollock trawl 
groundfish fisheries among trawl fishery sectors, established a limited 
access privilege program, and facilitated the formation of harvesting 
cooperatives in the non-American Fisheries Act (non-AFA) trawl catcher/
processor sector.
    The Amendment 80 Program encourages the formation of cooperatives 
and cooperative fishing practices among all persons holding Amendment 
80 quota share (QS) permits. The cooperatives that receive allocations 
of cooperative quota (CQ) allow vessel operators to make operational 
choices to improve fishery returns, reduce prohibited species catch 
usage, and reduce fish discards.
    This information collection is necessary to manage participation in 
the Amendment 80 Program. This collection contains applications used by 
persons to apply for QS, to apply for an Amendment 80 limited access 
fishery permit, and to transfer QS; by cooperatives to apply for CQ and 
transfer CQ; by cooperatives or CDQ groups to exchange CQ for one 
eligible flatfish species with CQ of a different eligible flatfish 
species; and by Amendment 80 vessel owners to replace their vessels. 
Additionally, this collection includes the process used to appeal an 
application that is denied.

II. Method of Collection

    The applications are available as fillable PDFs on the NMFS Alaska 
Region website at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries-applications that may be downloaded, printed, and faxed or mailed to 
NMFS. The Flatfish Exchange Application must be submitted online 
through eFISH on the NMFS Alaska Region website at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/webapps/efish/login. The Application for 
Inter-cooperative Transfer of Amendment 80 CQ is submitted to NMFS 
through eFISH with the option to mail, fax, or deliver the application. 
The appeals letter must be submitted by mail or delivery. All other 
elements of this collection may be submitted to NMFS by mail, fax, or 
delivery.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0565.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 33.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours each for Application for 
Amendment 80 QS, Application for Amendment 80 CQ Permit, Application 
for Amendment 80 Limited Access Fishery Permit, Application to Transfer 
Amendment 80 QS, Application for Amendment 80 Vessel Replacement, and 
Application for Inter-cooperative Transfer of Amendment 80 CQ; 4 hours 
for Amendment 80 appeals letter; 5 minutes for Flatfish Exchange 
Application.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 130 hours.

[[Page 50646]]

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $129 in recordkeeping and 
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: September 28, 2018.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-21522 Filed 10-5-18; 8:45 am]
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