[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 50409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20769]



[[Page 50409]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Atlantic Large 
Whale Take Reduction Plan Regulations

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 November 25, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or via the 
internet at [email protected]). Comments will generally be posted 
without change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, 
name and address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit 
attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe 
PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Colleen Coogan, Marine Mammal Take Reduction Team 
Coordinator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great 
Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930; 978-281-9181, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Type of review: regular submission (extension of a current 
information collection).
    Any persons setting trap/pot of gillnet gear to fish commercially 
in some areas of the Atlantic Ocean are required to paint or otherwise 
mark their gear with one or two color codes, designating the type of 
gear and area where the gear is set. The surface buoys of this gear 
need to be marked to identify the vessel or fishery. These marking 
requirements apply in the various management areas under the Atlantic 
Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP), developed under the authority 
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
    The goal of this collection of information is to enable the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to reduce injuries and deaths 
of large whales, especially right whales, due to incidental 
entanglement in United States commercial fishing gear. In order to 
develop fair and effective management measures, the Take Reduction Team 
(Team) requires comprehensive data on when, where, and how fixed gear 
vessels fish, and where whales become entangled in fishing gear. Last 
updated in 2015, the Plan requires buoy lines in fixed gear fisheries 
to be marked. All buoy lines must be marked with three 12 inch (30.5. 
48 cm), colored marks unique to particular fishing areas: one at the 
top of the buoy line, one midway along the buoy line, and one at the 
bottom of the buoy line. No additional markings are being proposed at 
this time. This gear marking, when observed on entangled whales, allows 
fishery managers to identify the gear type and area the entangling gear 
may have originated from, to tailor management measures to reduce the 
risk of mortality and serious injury of marine mammal incidental to 
commercial fishing operations. Without the information provided by the 
gear-marking requirements informing where entanglements occur and what 
type of gear is involved, future management measures may be overly 
broad and affect more individuals than necessary. Therefore, knowing 
which geographic areas and fisheries pose the greatest risk to large 
whales will minimize the economic impact to fishermen while maximizing 
the benefits for these species.

II. Method of Collection

    Information collected is in the form of gear marking.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0364.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations, and 
individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Approximately 4,008 vessels.
    Estimated Time per Response: Each mark requires approximately 5 
minutes of time.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Estimated 3 burden hours each 
year, per vessel, for vessels who are re-marking existing gear. This 
results in a total of 12,024 hours per year total, for all vessels.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: Estimated cost of $2.31 each 
year, per vessel, for vessels who are re-marking existing gear. This 
results in a total expense of $9,258.48 per year, for all vessels who 
are re-marking existing gear.

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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-20769 Filed 9-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P