[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2408-2409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00506]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Southeast 
Region Permit Family of Forms

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 (PRA) of 1995.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written or on-line comments must be 
submitted on or before March 16, 2020.

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]). 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, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701, phone: 727-824-5305, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for an extension with revisions to the existing 
reporting requirements approved under the Office of Management and 
Budget's (OMB) Control Number 0648-0205, Southeast Region Permit Family 
of Forms. The NMFS Southeast Regional Office (SERO) Permits Office 
administers Federal fishing permits in the U.S. exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ) of the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico (Gulf), and South Atlantic 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801. The SERO Permits 
Office also proposes to revise parts of the current collection-of-
information approved under OMB Control Number 0648-0205.
    The NMFS Southeast Region manages the U.S. Federal fisheries in the 
Caribbean, Gulf, and South Atlantic under the fishery management plans 
(FMPs) for each region. The regional fishery management councils 
prepared the FMPs pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The regulations 
implementing the FMPs, including those that have recordkeeping and 
reporting requirements, are located at 50 CFR part 622.
    The recordkeeping and reporting requirements at 50 CFR part 622 
form the basis for this collection of

[[Page 2409]]

information. The NMFS Southeast Region requests information from 
fishery participants. This information, upon receipt, results in an 
increasingly more efficient and accurate database for management and 
monitoring of the Federal fisheries in the Caribbean, Gulf, and South 
Atlantic.
    The SERO Permits Office proposes to revise the collection-of-
information approved under OMB Control Number 0648-0205. NMFS proposes 
to revise the Federal permit applications for Vessels Fishing in the 
EEZ (Vessel EEZ), Change of Information Form, Vessel Fishing in the 
Colombian Treaty Waters, Duplicate Federal Fishery Permits, Operator 
Card or Decal, Aquacultured Live Rock (new permit), Aquacultured Live 
Rock (permit renewal), Harvest of Aquacultured Live Rock in the EEZ, 
Southeast Region Issued Operator Card, Consolidate Gulf of Mexico Reef 
Fish permits, Vessels Fishing for Wreckfish in the South Atlantic 
States (Wreckfish), Income Qualification Affidavit for Spiny Lobster, 
and the Annual Dealer permit.
    The purpose of revising certain NMFS SERO permit application forms 
is to better comply with National Standard 4 (NS4) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and the Small 
Business Administration's regulations implementing the RFA, Executive 
Order 12898, and the ``fairness and equitable distribution'' provisions 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, including NS4 and section 303(b)(6).
    The proposed revisions to the specified application forms are 
administrative and would update outdated URLs, telephone numbers, and 
office hours. NMFS estimates that the proposed revisions would not 
change the annual number of respondents or responses, or annual costs 
to affected permit applicants from estimates in the currently approved 
collection. Across the application forms, NMFS estimates these 
revisions would not increase the overall time burden.
    The SERO Permits Office also proposes to modify the limited access 
permits by updating the form field name related to the selling price of 
the permit, along with removing the section related to the permit's 
selling price. NMFS does not anticipate these revisions will materially 
change the time burden to the applicants.
    The SERO Permits Office also proposes to modify the Vessel EEZ 
application to include a checkbox and language related to the 
compliance of regulatory requirements. NMFS does not anticipate these 
revisions to the form will materially change the time burden to the 
applicants.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents complete applications on paper forms, and then can 
either mail or bring applications to the SERO Permits Office. Online 
application renewals are currently available only for some of the 
permits included on the Federal Permit Application for Vessels Fishing 
in the Exclusive Economic Zone. The SERO Permits Office can mail 
applications and instructions or they can be downloaded from the SERO 
Permits Office website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/resources-fishing/southeast-fisheries-permits.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0205.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission--revision and extension of 
current information collection.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations, and 
individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 13,909.
    Estimated Time per Response:
     Dealer Permit Application, 30 minutes.
     Vessel EEZ Permit Application, including Golden Tilefish 
Endorsement and Smoothhound Shark Permit, 40 minutes.
     Wreckfish Permit Application, 40 minutes.
     Vessel Operator Card Application for Dolphin/Wahoo or Rock 
Shrimp, 21 minutes.
     Fishing in Colombian Treaty Waters Vessel Permit 
Application, 30 minutes.
     Golden Crab Permittee Zone Transit Notification, 12 
minutes.
     Notifications of Authorization for Retrieval of Lost or 
Stolen Traps (golden crab, reef fish, snapper-grouper, spiny lobster), 
13 minutes.
     Vessel Permit Transfers and Notarizations, 10 minutes.
     Annual Landings Report for Gulf of Mexico Shrimp, 20 
minutes.
     International Maritime Organization (IMO) Number 
Registration, 30 minutes.
     Aquacultured Live Rock Permitting and Reporting--New 
Permit--Deposit Harvest Report, 15 minutes; Notice of Intent to 
Harvest, 5 minutes; Site Evaluation Report, 20 minutes; Federal Permit 
Application, including Site Evaluation Report, 50 minutes; and
     Aquacultured Live Rock Permitting and Reporting--Renew 
Permit--Deposit Harvest Report, 15 minutes; Notice of Intent to 
Harvest, 5 minutes; Federal Permit Application, 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 7,940.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $483,828 in recordkeeping or 
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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-00506 Filed 1-14-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P