[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66249-66250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27814]


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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.
    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 (extension of a currently approved 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,334.
    Average Hours Per Response: Sector operations plan and membership 
list updates, 176 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; Request to lease day-at-sea 
(DAS), 5 min/response; request to downgrade, 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, 5min/response; Expedited Submission of Proposed SAPs, 20 hr/
response; NAFO Reporting Requirements, 10 min/response.
    Burden Hours: 35,476.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for an 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 NE 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action updated status 
determination criteria for all regulated NE multispecies or ocean pout 
stocks; adopted rebuilding programs for NE multispecies (groundfish) 
stocks newly classified as being overfished and subject to overfishing; 
revised management measures, including significant revisions to the 
sector management measures (established under Amendment 13) 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).
    Sectors are a management tool in the NE groundfish fishery. A 
sector consists

[[Page 66250]]

of three of more limited access NE multispecies vessel permits, with 
distinct ownership, who voluntarily enter into a contract to manage 
their fishing operations and to share liability. A sector is granted an 
annual allocation of most stocks of fish managed by the NE Multispecies 
FMP. In return for increased operational flexibility, such as 
exemptions from certain effort controls and the ability to pool and 
trade quota, sectors have additional reporting and monitoring 
requirements. The sector reporting and monitoring requirements, as 
established by Amendment 16 and revised by subsequent framework 
adjustments to the NE Multispecies FMP, are contained within this 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Weekly and on occasion.
    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: December 18, 2018.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-27814 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P