[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 193 (Friday, October 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 53113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21621]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Electronic 
Logbook for the Commercial Shrimp Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 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 by December 3, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, PRA Officer, 
NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, NC 28801 (or at 
[email protected]). All comments received are part of the public 
record. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Adam Bailey, National Marine Fisheries Service, 
Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Ave 
S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, 727-824-8305, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for extension of a current information collection.
    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) authorizes the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council (Council) to prepare and amend fishery management plans for any 
fishery in waters under its jurisdiction. NMFS manages the commercial 
shrimp fishery in Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) under the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf.
    The electronic logbook (ELB) regulations for the Gulf shrimp 
fishery may be found at 50 CFR 622.51(a)(2). These regulations require 
vessel owners or operators issued a Federal commercial permit for Gulf 
shrimp to participate in the NMFS-sponsored ELB reporting program. As 
of July 15, 2019, there are approximately 1,412 valid or renewable 
Federal permits to commercially harvest shrimp from Federal waters in 
the Gulf. Reporting through a vessel's ELB, such owners or operators 
must provide information regarding the size and number of shrimp trawls 
deployed, and the type of bycatch reduction device and turtle excluder 
device used for each trip. Compliance with the ELB reporting 
requirements is required to renew the Gulf shrimp permit.
    Monitoring shrimp vessels is challenging when they operate together 
with many other fishing vessels of differing sizes, gears types, and 
fishing capabilities. Monitoring is made even more challenging by 
seasonal variability in shrimp abundance and price, and the broad 
geographic distribution of the fleet. ELBs provide a precise means of 
estimating the amount of shrimp fishing effort. Using ELBs to estimate 
fishing effort serves an important role to help estimate bycatch in the 
Gulf shrimp fleet.

II. Method of Collection

    The current ELB unit automatically collects fishing effort data and 
transmits those data via a cellular phone connection activated when the 
vessel is within non-roaming cellular range.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0543.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,412.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,236.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $338,880.

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. 2019-21621 Filed 10-3-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P