[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3337-3338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00831]


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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 (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    Title: Electronic Monitoring Systems for Atlantic Highly Migratory 
Species (HMS).
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0372.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular (extension of a currently approved 
collection).
    Number of Respondents: 157.
    Average Hours per Response: 4 hours for initial VMS installation; 5 
minutes per VMS initial activation checklist; 2 minutes per hail-out/
hail-in declaration; 6 hours for initial electronic monitoring 
installation; 5 minutes for pelagic longline bluefin tuna catch 
records; 15 minutes for purse seine bluefin tuna catch records; 1 
minute for dockside review of bluefin tuna catch 5 records; 2 hours for 
electronic monitoring data retrieval.
    Burden Hours: 5,278.
    Needs and Uses: Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and other 
electronic

[[Page 3338]]

monitoring systems collect important information on fishing effort, 
catch, and the geographic location of fishing effort and catch for 
certain sectors of the Atlantic HMS fleet. Data collected through these 
systems are used in both domestic and international fisheries 
management, law enforcement, stock assessments, and quota management 
purposes. Atlantic HMS vessels required to use VMS are pelagic 
longline, purse seine, bottom longline (directed shark permit holders 
in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia), and gillnet (directed 
shark permit holders consistent with the requirements of the Atlantic 
large whale take reduction plan requirements at 50 CFR 229.39(h)) 
vessels. In addition to VMS, pelagic longline vessels are also required 
to have electronic monitoring systems to monitor catch and account for 
bluefin tuna interactions.
    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Law 
Enforcement monitors fleet adherence to gear- and time-area 
restrictions with VMS position location data. Gear restricted areas and 
time-area closures are important tools for Atlantic HMS management that 
have been implemented to reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish, sea 
turtles, and bluefin tuna, among other species. Electronic monitoring 
data from the pelagic longline fleet are used by NMFS to accurately 
monitor bluefin tuna catch by the pelagic longline fleet, to ensure 
compliance with Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) limits and requirements, 
and to ensure that the Longline category bluefin tuna quota is not 
over-harvested. Additionally, electronic monitoring is used to verify 
disposition of retained shortfin mako sharks, consistent with binding 
international agreements. VMS reporting of bluefin tuna catch is used 
to monitor IBQ allocations in real-time. Atlantic HMS fisheries are 
managed under the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA) and the Atlantic Tunas 
Conservation Act (ATCA). Under the MSA, management measures must be 
consistent with ten National Standards, and fisheries must be managed 
to maintain optimum yield, rebuild overfished fisheries, and prevent 
overfishing. Under ATCA, the Secretary of Commerce shall promulgate 
regulations, as necessary and appropriate, to implement measures 
adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of 
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit organizations; 
individuals or households; and State, Local, or Tribal government.
    Frequency: VMS reports at the start and end of each trip, VMS set 
reports at the end of each day of fishing, EM data retrieval after each 
trip.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to submit reports through VMS at 
the start of end of each fishing trip, after each set and data 
retrieval after each trip.
    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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-00831 Filed 1-17-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P